Located on Banks Island up in the Arctic Archipelago, Aulavik is the northernmost of the NWT’s national parks. This Arctic paradise is a draw for paddlers looking to canoe the placid and crystal clear Thomsen River, Canada’s northernmost navigable river, as well as birders keen to spot some of its 43 species of birds. Aulavik is home to Peary caribou, as well as Arctic foxes, Arctic hares and Arctic wolves. Marine mammals including Polar bears, seals, Beluga and Bowhead whales have been spotted along the park’s North coast. But Aulavik’s most famous residents by far are its muskoxen. Recent estimates have put the Aulavik muskoxen population at around 14,000. Although Aulavik is treeless, there is no shortage of plant life on Banks Island. The non-stop sunshine from mid-May to late July blankets the tundra with brilliant flowering fields. The best time to visit this idyllic park is late June though late July. Access Aulavik by charter flight from Inuvik.
Here’s why Aulavik is off the charts.
