Paddling in Qausuittuq National Park

Qausuittuq — "place where the sun doesn't rise" in Inuktitut — sits in Canada's High Arctic in Nunavut, protecting a stretch of Bathurst Island terrain that most paddlers will never see.

The park is jointly managed by Inuit and Parks Canada, and the waters here are Arctic in the fullest sense: sea ice, coastal exposure, and a short open-water window that demands serious preparation.

This is High Arctic coastline, open year-round as a park but accessible by water only during the brief summer thaw.

Getting there requires flying into Resolute (Qausuittuq), the nearest community, and any paddling in this environment means operating in genuinely remote conditions — far beyond the reach of rescue, in waters where ice can be present even in summer.

The park's emergency contact is separate from the general inquiry line, and anyone planning a backcountry trip should contact the Resolute office directly to understand current permit requirements and safety protocols before committing to a route.

This is not a park where you show up and find a put-in.

It rewards the paddler who does the work before the trip — contacting Parks Canada, connecting with Inuit knowledge holders, and building a plan around the realities of the High Arctic rather than around expectations carried in from somewhere else.