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Quttinirpaaq National Park Facts

Quttinirpaaq National Park Facts
Quttinirpaaq National Park is a 14,585 square mile park located in Nunavut, Canada. The park was established in 1988 as the Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve but in 1999 the name was changed to Quttinirpaaq as a result of the creation of Nunavut. In 2000 it was changed to a national park. Quttinirpaaq National Park is Canada's second largest national park following Wood Buffalo National Park. The majority of the park is made up of ice and rock, and is considered to be a polar desert. The ice caps in the park's highlands are as old as the last glaciation period.
Interesting Quttinirpaaq National Park Facts:
Quttinirpaaq is the world's second most northerly park. The first is the Northeast Greenland National Park.
Quttinirpaaq is located in Canada's most northerly region in the northern tip of Nunavut's Ellesmere Island.
The highest mountain in Nunavut is located in Quttinirpaaq National Park. The mountain is Barbeau Peak which reaches 8,583 feet.
The word Quttinirpaaq means 'top of the world'.
Because of the location of Quttinirpaaq National Park, there has been very little human existence in the area however there is evidence that approximately 5000 years ago the Arctic people had a presence.
Ancestors of the modern day Inuit, including the pre-Dorset, Dorset, and Thule people, left evidence of their existence in the Quttinirpaaq National Park region via food reserves and tent rings.
The north and south ends of Ellesmere Island, where Quttinirpaaq National Park is located, were often used as polar expedition starting points.
The main access points for tourists to Quttinirpaaq National Park include Lake Hazen, and Tanquary Fiord. Once past these access points there are no park facilities.
There are two backpacking routes in Quttinirpaaq National Park including one between Tanquary Fiord and Lake Hazen, and a loop around Ad Astra and the Viking ice caps. Both backpacking routes are roughly 100 kilometers in length.
Canada added Quttinirpaaq National Park to the list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2004.
Despite its northerly location there is still wildlife in Quttinirpaaq National Park. There is very limited vegetation so the population of species is small.
Arctic wolves, muskoxen, lemmings, and Arctic hares Peary caribou, ringed seals, bearded seals, narwhals, polar bears, and walruses can be found in Quttinirpaaq National Park.
Birds that can be found nesting in Quttinirpaaq National Park in the summer months include long tailed jaegers, gyrfalcons, plovers and red knots.
Plants commonly found in Quttinirpaaq National Park include lichens, grasses, Arctic cotton and dwarf willows.
65% of Quttinirpaaq National Park is encompassed by the Grant Land Mountains, a series of mountain chains. This includes the Challenger Mountains, British Empire Range, United States Range, Garfield Range, and the Osborn Range.
One third of Quttinirpaaq National Park is covered by glaciers. They vary in size from semi-permanent snowfields to large ice fields.
The most northern permanent community in Canada is Grise Fiord which is located 640km south of Quttinirpaaq National Park. There are only approximately 148 people living in Grise Fiord, where access is by air service only.


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