Ukkusiksalik National Park

Ukkusiksalik surrounds Wager Bay, a saltwater inlet about a hundred kilometres long off Hudson Bay, and its name refers to the soapstone found here and used for carving. At the mouth, a narrow constriction produces a reversing falls that runs one way on the flood tide and the other on the ebb. The park holds one of the highest concentrations of polar bears in the region, which is the reason travel here is almost always with an outfitter and an armed guide. Around five hundred archaeological sites record Inuit and earlier occupation over some a thousand years, including tent rings, food caches and fox traps.

What you actually see

• The reversing falls - a tidal constriction that runs both directions daily.
• The polar bears - one of the densest concentrations in the region.
• The archaeological sites - about five hundred, including tent rings and caches.
• The soapstone - the carving material the park is named for.

When to go

July to September, when the ice clears enough for boat travel; access is by charter and weather cancels flights routinely. Bears are present throughout the season.

Honest expectations

Polar bear density makes independent travel genuinely dangerous and outfitters with armed guides are effectively mandatory. There are no facilities. Costs are very high.

Nearby

Naujaat lies north; Rankin Inlet is south on Hudson Bay.