Pingualuit Crater

A meteorite struck the Ungava Peninsula about 1.4 million years ago, leaving a crater roughly three and a half kilometres across with a raised rim standing about a hundred and sixty metres above the tundra. It has no inlet or outlet: the lake in it is fed only by snow and rain, and the water is among the clearest ever measured, with a Secchi disc visible at around thirty-five metres, and one of the least saline lakes on earth. Arctic char live in it, apparently colonising during a wetter period. The name Pingualuit comes from the Inuit word for pimple, and the crater is protected in a national park in Nunavik.

What you'll find

• The circular crater - a rim standing 160 metres above flat tundra.
• The clear water - visibility to around thirty-five metres, among the world's clearest.
• The isolated lake - no inlet or outlet, fed only by precipitation.
• The Nunavik tundra - caribou, muskoxen and Inuit land use around the park.

When to go

July and August for hiking access, March and April for snowmobile travel over the snow; between those the ground is impassable. Access is only from Kangiqsujuaq with guides.

Things to know

Getting there means expensive flights to Nunavik and then a guided snowmobile trip or a multi-day hike. There is no accommodation in the park beyond basic huts. Weather grounds flights for days.

Nearby

Kangiqsujuaq is the gateway community; Hudson Strait lies north.

Key facts