Trips and Adventures — The Trek Blog

Quttinirpaaq National Park is a Canadian national park. Located on the northeastern corner of Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, the most northerly extent of Canada, it is the second most northerly park on Earth after Northeast Greenland National Park. In Inuktitut, Quttinirpaaq means "top of the world". In order to get there, one must fly to Resolute and from there, one must take a Twin Otter plane on a four hour flight further north. The flight requires a refueling stop at the Eureka Military Base half way up the Ellesmere Island. The plane is equipped with large balloon tyres to enable it to land on a grassy tundra. During the summer, there is 24 hour daylight. The starting point of the trek is Lake Hazen, located at the latitude of 81 degrees north and approximately 1,000km south of the North Pole. Lake Hazen is located to the north of the Earth's magnetic pole making compass navigation impossible.

The 100km long trekking route from Lake Hazen (in the middle of the map) to Tanquary Fjord (on the lower left part of the map) traverses the Quttinirpaaq National Park.

Lewis River, we were aiming for the hills on the left on the horizon

Old supplies in the Parks Canada Station at Tanquary Fjord

An antique Bombardier snow machine at the Parks Canada camp

In order to get there, one must fly to Resolute and from there, one must take a Twin Otter plane on a four hour flight further north. The flight requires a refueling stop at the Eureka Military Base half way up the Ellesmere Island. The flight path crosses over spectacular northern landscapes of the Axel Heiberg Island. These are some of the most inaccessible parts of the planet requiring large amounts of logistical planning to get there. The plane is equipped with large balloon tyres to enable it to land on a grassy tundra. During the summer, there is 24 hour daylight.

Henrietta Nesmith Glacierand the shore of Lake Hazen

Refueling stop at the military base of Eureka

Ellesmere Island - Lake Hazen to Tanquary Fjord in the Canadian High Arctic

Ellesmere Island - Flight from Resolute to Lake Hazen

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