Why pingos are the North's weirdest landmark
It’s about the oddest landform you’ll ever see – a frozen eruption, bursting in slow-motion from the tundra.
For eons they have risen like sentinels. Viewpoints. Landmarks. Ecosystems. Attractions. Looming stoically over the polar sea.
Here’s why the pingos of the Northwest Territories will put you on top of the world.
“Pingo” is Inuvialuit for small hill. The word has been used by scientists since 1938, beginning with the Arctic botanist Alf Porsild. We’re thankful Porsild popularized “pingo” instead of the alternate name, hydrolaccolith. In fact, Porsild Pingo, near Tuktoyaktuk, is named in his honour.
Pingos are a kind of “periglacial” landform, meaning they are created through processes of freezing and thawing. Covered with tundra on the outside, they contain a core of ice. They grow in much the same way that a can of pop expands as it freezes.
Pingos can be as big as a football stadium – up to 70 metres tall, with a circumference exceeding half a kilometre.
Erupting from the pancake-flat tundra just outside the community of Tuktoyaktuk, this bulbous, ice-filled mound is the second-largest “pingo” on Earth. Called Ibyuk, it rises to the height of a 15-storey building and is 1,000 feet wide at its base.
What’s more, Ibyuk is getting bigger: It rises at a rate of two centimetres per year. It is estimated to be 1,300 years old.
The Mackenzie Delta has the highest concentration of pingos on Earth – approximately 1,350 of them. Eight, including Ibyuk, are protected by Parks Canada in the 16-square-kilometre Pingo National Landmark outside Tuktoyaktuk.
Other than gigantic Ibyuk, the pingos in Pingo Canadian Landmark range from five meters to 36 metres tall. They represent different stages of growth, from budding newborns to elder pingos that are shrinking and slumping.
For eons, the Inuvialuit of the Arctic coast have used pingos as navigational aides. They also serve as a useful lookout when searching the tundra for caribou or scanning the sea for seals and whales.
To experience pingos for yourself, plan a trip to Tuktoyaktuk. Day excursion are available by air from Inuvik – or drive there on the new Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
Intriguing tales from Canada's Northwest Territories
What began as a “part time fishing lodge” has now become a “full time Aurora Wilderness Lodge” open year round......
Book an adventure with us at Trail Blazer Tours for an unforgettable experience! Your adventure with us will create lasting......
We are the Łı́ı́dlı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́ got’ine. People of the community of Łı́ı́dlı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́, “the place where rivers come together”, in......
Tundra North Travel is an Inuit company based in Inuvik, Northwest Territories that was established with the dream of being......
Red Cliff Adventures has a traditional camp that is located in Lutsel K’e, on the shores of the East Arm,......
With over 30 years of living in Yellowknife, we offer a variety of tourism experiences for our guests. We are......
Commercial air charter service providing air support for hikers on Canol Road, sightseeing in the beautiful Mackenzie Mountains, and fly-in fishing......
Best Northern Road Trip! Now you can drive all the way to the Arctic ocean linking Canada from coast to......
Agritourism is where agriculture and tourism meet to provide you with an amazing educational experience, whether it be a tour......
Destination NWT Limited is a tourism operator located in Yellowknife, Canada. DNWT specializes in outdoors adventures, aurora photography, and cultural experiences: Best rated Snowmobile Tour, winter gears included, exciting trail riding Aurora Tour in a Luxurious lakeside Lodge Unique Aurora tour while Ice Fishing indoors Full panoramic moonroof vehicle for Aurora Viewing DNWT’s tours allow […]...
For a Great Northern Experience! Yellowknife Outdoor Adventures offers a variety of day trips ranging from 2 to 10 hours......
Comfortable lodge a 20 minute by floatplane ride from Yellowknife. Guided fishing for Lake Trout (to 34 lb), Arctic Grayling (to......
Join us for an unforgettable experience on the mighty Mackenzie River. Day trips are available for a full or half......
We are an Inuvialuit owned and operated family business, run by locals Enoch and Amanda Pokiak, based in Inuvik in the Western......
100% Indigenous owned! We are the world’s first Aurora Hunting tour company, we know Aurora. Learn about Aurora, why Yellowknife is the......
Remote private wilderness paradise on Little Doctor Lake, 100 km west of Fort Simpson. Accommodates 20 in cabins. Fishing, swimming,......
Come experience world-class Aurora Borealis viewing in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. We are the only guides in the Northwest Territories......
Arctic Tours Canada is a Yellowknife based tour operating company that offer Aurora Hunting and Viewing tours, Yellowknife sightseeing tours,......
We operate a fully equipped luxury coach and offer City Tours, Aurora Tours and tours to the Nahanni National Park Reserve......
For over 50 years, Black Feather has had the opportunity to operate canoe, hiking and sea kayaking expeditions throughout the......
Tukto Lodge has been exceeding anglers’ expectations for more than fifty years. As the only fishing and eco-tourism lodge in......
Northern and Remote Wilderness Adventures Ltd. (NARWAL) is a small, friendly, majority Aboriginal owned and operated family business. Our reputation......
Yellow Dog Lodge is a comfortable lodge with 3 private cabins for our guests. The lodge is a short (15 minute) floatplane ride from Yellowknife. Located on Duncan and Graham Lakes, the lodge is your hub for adventure. Choose from an additional 5 lakes for guided day trip excursions. Each lake is unique and offers unspoiled first class fishing. We are the only lodge that operates guided trips on each of these remote lakes located in the NWT taiga wilderness. Packaged trips feature superb sport fishing and safe outdoor adventure. The lakes and streams offer the finest Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Walleye and Arctic Grayling in the region. As an added bonus, our guests will enjoy the midnight sun and may even catch the northern lights later in the fall or early spring....
Gana River Outfitters is a family owned and operated outfitting business offering remote wilderness hunts in the beautiful Mackenzie Mountains......
Outfitting to all of us is a way of life, one that we cherish because we love to hunt, love the......
Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge provides you access to known waters teeming with monster lake trout. Their current record is a......
Aurora Village – A Class of Its Own Aurora Village is a unique Aurora-viewing facility situated 25 minutes from downtown......
Create your own story. We offer a variety of services to make your Sahtu adventure a reality! We offer everything from......
Book this entire cabin in the remote wilderness of the stunningly breath-taking, Mackenzie Mountains. This cabin is hands down the......
Our vision is to see the Beaufort-Delta Region of Canada’s western arctic become the dream destination for motorcycle adventure enthusiasts from......
Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is located in the community of Wrigley, Northwest Territories, Canada. We are a Designated Authority in......
Welcoming and friendly with a rustic charm and all modern conveniences, Grey Goose Lodge immediately catches your eye as you......
For 35 years, Sambaa K’e has offered world-class fishing on Trout Lake just north of the Northwest Territories-British Columbia border.......
Fishing and Barrenlands wildlife photography, including migrating caribou, at the Obstruction Rapids in the central Barrenlands north of Yellowknife....
To truly experience the Northwest Territories, take your camping gear for a highway driving adventure! Long ribbons of road without......
Remote naturalist’s lodge snuggled in the Mackenzie Mountains, in the largest mountain wilderness in North America. Located along the Canol......
Inuvik is located 200km North of the Arctic Circle, on the East Cannel of the incredible ecosystem that is the Mackenzie Delta. We are located within the Taiga Forest just south of the treeline and Arctic Tundra. Inuvik acts as the gateway to the Western Arctic as the Mackenzie River, Dempster Highway and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway […]...
Beaufort Sea Adventures is a family-owned and Indigenous-operated business, proudly offering Arctic experiences in Tuktoyaktuk. Our family lives and breathes the North, giving us a unique insight into the hidden gems that make Tuktoyaktuk truly special. We offer guests an authentic cultural immersion, sharing our Inuvialuit heritage, stories, and deep connection to the land and […]...
Arctic Red River Outfitters is a family run business in the Northern Mackenzie Mountains in the Northwest Territories of Canada.......
An Arctic Barrenlands trophy fishing adventure for the serious sportsman. Located on Lynx Lake (420 km east of Yellowknife) Lynx......
Call us about our exciting year-round packages and experience the best of the Dehcho region and Denendeh....
Aurora viewing tours, city tours, and hikes at Cameron Falls. We book all your activities and accommodation....
Explore the wild splendor of the northern boreal plains, where whooping cranes call and bison roam free. Visitor reception centres......
Providing culturally based tours of Tuktoyaktuk with an opportunity to dip your toes in the Arctic Ocean! Ask us about......
The Deh Cho Travel Connection is a driving route that extends just over 1,800 kilometres from “Mile Zero” of the......
We offer: Nature and wildlife viewing Snowmobile tours Fishing tours Boat tours Polar bear and muskox hunts. Contact us for......
We run a small all-inclusive lodge that can handle ten people at a time. From this lodge we organize hunting......
Family owned and operated tour company specializing in Arctic expedition cruising....
Up-to-date information about road conditions, ferry operations and ice bridges, as well as flight information, travel tips and links to......
