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Aulavik National Park
 Aulavik, meaning
“place where people travel” in Inuvialuktun, protects more than 12,000 square km of
arctic lowlands on the north end of Banks Island. The park encompasses a variety of landscapes
from fertile river valleys to polar deserts, buttes and badlands, rolling hills, and bold seacoasts.
At the heart of Aulavik is the Thomsen River, which offers
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visitors a chance to
paddle one of the continent’s most northerly navigable waterways. This pristine arctic environment is home to
both the endangered Peary caribou and to the highest density of muskoxen in the world.
The wildlife and land have supported aboriginal peoples for more than
3,400 years, from Pre-Dorset cultures to contemporary Inuvialuit.
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Park Characteristics
The climate of Aulavik National Park is typically arctic. The tundra is frozen and snow-covered
from September until June. Summers are brief and cool. The sun does not set between mid May and late July
and there is never true darkness from late April until late August.
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During the summer (mid-June to mid August), temperatures in the centre of the park range from 1°C to 20°C with a daily average of 10°C. Closer to the coast, the temperatures tend to be cooler and range from -2°C to 12°C with a daily average of 8°C. Snow and freezing temperatures can occur at any time of the year.
Aulavik is considered a polar desert. The total annual precipitation for the park is approximately 300 mm, one third of which falls as rain during the summer. On average, there are only 20 mm of precipitation in each of May, June and July and 30 mm of precipitation in August. The wind is an almost constant presence and severe winds are common. |
Wildlife In The Park
Banks Islands
most abundant large mammal is, by far, the muskox. This species has expe-
riened a dramatic
increase in numbers over the last fifty years. Recent estimates place the is-
lands
muskox population at more than 68,000 and it is thought that 20% of these reside in the park.
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Inuvialuit, and Parks Canada biologists is being directed towards understanding the growth of the
muskox population and the impacts it may be having on the ecosystem. Aulavik is also home to Peary caribou. The Banks Island population of Peary caribou was classified as endangered in 1991 due to a dramatic decline in numbers.
Recent findings suggest that while the population is low, it is considered stable and potentially recovering. Current research, led by the Government of the Northwest Territories, is looking at population levels, seasonal habitat use, range conditions, and predation, in order to better understand the population decline.
A variety of other mammals are found in Aulavik including arctic foxes, arctic wolves, ermines, arctic hares, and both brown and collared lemmings. Marine mammals along the north coast include polar bears, ringed seals, bearded seals, beluga whales and bowhead whales. |
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Vegetation
In The Park
Banks Island is treeless. Indeed, the tallest plant, the arctic
willow, generally grows no higher than your shin. More than 150 species of flo-
wering plants
have been documen-
ted in Aulavik. While the growing season is very brief, the continuous sunlight
from late May until late July provides enough energy for the vege-
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| | tation to carry out its annual cycle. The growing season peaks in early July when a myriad of colours from a variety of flowering plants carpets the valleys and hillsides. The most vibrant growth occurs on the south facing slopes of hills that are sheltered from the wind and have the greatest exposure to the intense summer sun. By late July most of the herbs have gone to seed and the grasses have cured. Autumn in early August witnesses the low arctic willows turning orange for a brief period before the onset of another arctic winter. |
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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES CANADA 
Nahanni National Park
