IqAlugAARjuup NuNANgA TeRRIToRIAl pARk - gov.nu.ca

Nunav ut Park s & Sp ecial Pl aces – Editorial S eries January, 2008

Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park

It’s late summer along the starkly beautiful Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park, just
Hudson Bay coast. The land is a patchwork of 8 kilometres from Rankin Inlet, was set aside to
reds and greens, yellows and bronze and the preserve a valuable natural area, and dozens of
lakes reflect the deep blue of the arctic sky. Snow important archaeological sites. Here, you can
geese pass overhead in long lines, their wild cries enjoy the tundra landscape, or take a journey back
echoing across the rolling hills. A peregrine falcon in time to learn about the way of life of the Thule
sweeps in pursuit of a horned lark, and a pair of transition people as they changed to the modern
sandhill cranes stalk along the edge of a tundra Caribou Inuit.
pond, followed by a gangly chick. Small groups
of people dot the land, some kneeling, some A gravel road runs from the community around
sitting, some carrying buckets of berries to nearby the head of Rankin Inlet and across the Char
all-terrain vehicles. It is a time of plenty on the River to the park. Interpretive signs along the
tundra, and many families are out on the land, park roads help visitors understand the stories
enjoying the warmth of the late summer days at of the land, animals, plant communities, and old
Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park. Inuit sites in the park. A side road provides access
to Iqalugaarjuk (also known as the Meliadine
Here, where the rivers flow into the sea, the River) for fishing, and hiking. Importantly too,
ancestors of today’s Inuit lived in harmony with it gives Inuit elders a way to get fresh, untreated
the land, utilizing bone and stone, skins and snow water for traditional tea, and provides access to
to survive in a harsh environment. an important archaeological site.

Aussi disponible en français xgw8Ns7uJ5 wk5tg5 Pilaaktut Inuinaqtut

ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k a t j a q n a a q
listen to the land
aliannaktuk

en osmose avec la terre

blinds used for goose or caribou hunting in and some spots where there are blueberries
the past. Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga offers some and cloudberries. Fishing is seasonally
of the best examples of these structures easily very good on Iqalugaarjuk, and some
accessible from a community. A printed local lakes, but the river is too shallow for
canoeing or kayaking.
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Travelling to the Park
who lived here. Rankin Inlet is the gateway to the
Kivalliq region in central Nunavut, and
Birdwatching in the park is superb from is accessible only by air, from Ottawa
through Iqaluit, from Winnipeg, and
ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k atj a q n aa pJqnuondsesibthlerotuogsheeStehprteeemsbpeerc,ieasnodfitloios nosf,tennesting from Edmonton thorough Yellowknife.
n to t h e la Operators in Rankin Inlet offer road trips
liste to Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial
Park as well as boat trips along the coast
Here, where theernivoaersl smi afolnosnwe aaiknvtteuockthl ae steear,rtehe ancestors of today’s and to Marble Island, and fishing trips to
many inland lakes for world-class lake trout
Inuit lived in harmony with the land, utilizing bone and stone, fishing. Vehicles can be rented in Rankin
Inlet, but a trip to the park is enhanced
skins and snow to survive in a harsh environment. when it is done with a guide who can share
information about the history of the area,
Qamaviniqtalik, “the place with old sod long-tailed ducks, peregrine falcons, rough- the Inuit culture and way of life. Travellers
houses”, is one of the treasures of Nunavut legged hawks, gulls, ravens, ptarmigan, going to canoe the Thelon, Dubawnt, or
and of the Inuit culture. Here, you can shorebirds, and many species of tundra- Kazan Rivers or to Ukkusiksalik National
see beautifully preserved examples of the nesting small birds like Lapland longspurs, Park also usually pass through Rankin Inlet.
stone structures that were so much a part redpolls, horned larks, and snow buntings.
of the life of the past. Occupied from Mammals are a bit more chancy, but there The park is accessible by snowmobile or
1200 – 1775 AD by the Thule, and later are dozens of ground squirrels (locally called dogteam in the winter and springtime,
by the Caribou Inuit, this site was used sik sik), lemmings, arctic foxes, short-tailed when snow covers the land and the road is
from late summer through early winter. weasels, and arctic hares. You may also see impassable. It is accessible by road from early
thousands of caribou move through the June through September, and sometimes
A gravel trail meanders through the park, park if you visit when the caribou migration later, if there is not too much snow.
and passes by semi-subterranean autumn passes near Rankin.
houses, tent rings, stone supports for drying For more information on this park,
racks, and many storage caches. There are This park offers excellent hiking, and check the Nunavut Parks website at
stone kayak cradles, fox traps, and even a camping is permitted. There are several www.nunavutparks.com, or call Nunavut
grave. There is a sod hut at the entrance to wooden tent platforms, as well as picnic Tourism at 1-866-NUNAVUT to
Qamaviniqtalik, where cultural programs facilities and outhouses. In late August request the Nunavut Travel Planner,
are frequently held. Along the river, there through mid-September, the berry picking which lists all licensed tourism operators,
are faint remains of stone fishing weirs and is wonderful – there are great quantities of accommodations, and services.
inuksuit game drive systems, plus hunting lingonberries, crowberries, and bearberries,

Qamaviniqtalik, “the place with old sod houses”, is one of the Nunavut Parks
treasures of Nunavut and of the Inuit culture. Here, you can see & Special Places
beautifully preserved examples of the stone structures that were Y 867.975.7700 • 867.975.7747
so much a part of the life of the past. [email protected]
www.nunavutparks.com

Rankin Inlet Visitors’ Centre
Y 867.939.2416 • 867.979.2406
[email protected]

Nunavut Tourism
Y 866.NUN.AVUT • 867.979.1261
(1.866.686.2888)
[email protected]
www.nunavuttourism.com

Canada
USA

Safe and Sustainable Travel in Nunavut
Nunavut’s Territorial Parks offer some of the most breath­taking scenery and magnificent wildlife imaginable, but there are risks when traveling in a remote area.
You must be self-reliant and responsible for your own safety. The extreme environment can change quickly, challenge your survival skills and face you with an
emergency. Also remember, when you travel in Nunavut you are in polar bear country. Polar bears are strong, fast and agile on ice, land, and in water.
For more information on Safe and Sustainable Travel and Polar Bear Safety in Nunavut please visit our website at www.nunavutparks.com.

Y 867.975.7700 ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ Nunavut Parks Nunavummi Parcs et endroits
• 867.975.7747 ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᖏᑦ & Special Places Unnagiurhiqviit spéciaux Nunavut
[email protected] ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᔪᑦ Department of Environment & Inniiturliit Ministère de l’Environnement
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