Ukkusiksalik National Park

Welcome to Ukkusiksalik National Park, an environment that redefines the modern concept of remoteness. Located in the Kivalliq Region of the territory of Nunavut, this massive protected area surrounds the deep, inland waters of…

Our academic inquiry begins with the defining feature of the park: Wager Bay itself. Geologically, this is not a true fjord, though it visually resembles one. …

Situated near the reversing falls of Wager Bay are the weathered structures of Sila Lodge. This location provides a crucial historical touchstone for understanding the modern human interaction with this deep wilderness. …

As we walk away from the shoreline and onto the raised tundra terraces, we enter an expansive, open air archaeological museum. To the untrained eye, the landscape appears entirely barren, a chaotic scattering of rocks and…

We must delve deeper into the specific geological resource that gives Ukkusiksalik its name. Soapstone, scientifically known as steatite, is a metamorphic rock that is unusually soft and highly rich in magnesium. …

Ukkusiksalik National Park is internationally recognized for its dense concentration of the undisputed apex predator of the Arctic: the polar bear, or nanuq in Inuktitut. This park represents a critical, highly productive habitat…

To conclude our specific ecological observations, we must turn our gaze from the massive apex predators downward to the microscopic, determined flora of the Arctic tundra. For nine months of the year, this landscape is locked in…

As our comprehensive analytical journey through Ukkusiksalik National Park draws to a close, we must synthesize the immense, conflicting emotions this extreme landscape evokes. We have examined the brutal, ancient geology of…