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Auyuittuq National Park

A pass through the mountains of Baffin Island, crossing the Arctic Circle, beneath the greatest sheer vertical drop on earth.

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Illustrative image - a scene in the spirit of the place, not a photograph of it. Real photos are below.

Typenational park

WhereNunavut

Nearest cityPangnirtung

Best seasonLate June to early September; April to May for ski

Time to allowEight to twelve days

Getting thereBy boat or snowmobile from Pangnirtung, which is reached by air from Iqaluit

EntryPark fee; mandatory orientation; outfitter for transfers

Auyuittuq means the land that never melts, and the park protects a corner of Baffin Island where the Penny Ice Cap sits above granite walls that drop straight into a glacial valley. The Akshayuk Pass runs about a hundred kilometres between two fjords and is the route almost everyone takes, crossing the Arctic Circle partway along, with Mount Asgard's twin flat-topped towers and Mount Thor above it; Thor's west face is the greatest purely vertical drop known anywhere, over twelve hundred metres of overhanging rock. There are no trails as such, only cairns and river crossings, and emergency shelters at intervals. Access is by boat from Pangnirtung in summer or snowmobile over sea ice in spring.

What you actually see

Mount Thor - the largest purely vertical drop on earth, over 1200 metres.
Mount Asgard - the twin flat-topped granite towers above the pass.
The Arctic Circle marker - crossed partway along the Akshayuk Pass.
The Penny Ice Cap - remnant of the ice sheet, above the valley walls.

When to go

Late June to early September for hiking, once the sea ice has gone and the boat transfer runs; April and May for skiing the pass over frozen ground and sea ice, which many find easier than the summer river crossings. Every visitor must complete an orientation at Pangnirtung.

Honest expectations

This is a full expedition, not a hike: unbridged glacial rivers that rise through the day and have caused deaths, no trail, no rescue nearby and polar bears possible at the fjord ends. Everything is carried. Getting to Pangnirtung means flights through Iqaluit at a cost that surprises most people, and weather grounds them for days. Numbers are small for good reason.