Location: Yukon Map
Area: 10,168 km2 (3,926 sq mi)
Official site
Park office, ☎ +1 867 777-8800, e-mail: inuvik.info@pc.gc.ca
Ivvavik National Park is a natural reserve in Yukon in Canada. It covers an area of 10,168 km2 (3,926 sq mi). The name of the park come from the native Inuvialuktun language that means a "birthplace". Ivvavik National Park is located in the Northwest corner of Canada and borders with American Arctic National Wildlife Refuge across the border. Numerous bears, wolves and caribou herds cross the borders in both directions. However this rule does not apply to humans. Ivvavik National Park has a set quota for number of Homo Sapiens that are allowed in the park annually. It is done with a purpose to preserve natural diversity of the region.
Backcountry camping permits in Ivvavik National Park costs $24.50 daily and $147.20 annually. Fishing permit can also be bought in the park headquarters. It costs $9.80 daily and $34.30 annually. This is a rough land so all precautions must be taken seriously. The average temperature in Ivvavik National Park in summer is +8 °C to +20 °C, but it can go below freezing point, so take warm clothes even if you travel in June- August. Additionally insect repellent might save you from thousands of mosquitoes and other annoying insects. Bear attacks and wolves attacks are rare in Ivvavik National Park, but possible. Another danger might come from the small animals that have rabies. In general Ivvavik National Park will require good preparation and stamina if you want to visit this unforgiving and beautiful land.
Northern Park Backcountry Excursion/Camping Permit
valid at Ivvavik, Aulavik, Auyuittuq, Nahanni, Quttinirpaaq,
Sirmilik, Tuktut Nogait and Vuntut National Parks (per person,
2018):
Daily $24.50
Annual $147.20
Fishing permit:
Daily $9.80
Annual $34.30
Together with Vuntut National Park (which Ivvavik Park borders to the
south), the park represents the northern Yukon in Canada's national park
system. The division into two parks occurred due to the fact that
different peoples live in the parks. Ivvavik is Canada's first national
park created through land sharing agreements.
The park is based
on the River Firth and the British Mountains. Mountains occupy
approximately two-thirds of the park. Together with the Old Crow Plains
to the south, they form part of Beringia, an area that was not covered
by ice during the last ice age. The park's topography largely confirms
this feature: there are V-shaped valleys and isolated conical hills. The
peaks of the British Mountains range from 860 to 1680 m above sea level.
The River Firth provides a natural corridor for the park's wildlife,
as well as its visitors. The 130 km of river north from Lake Margaret on
the Alaskan border to the Beaufort Sea is navigable, the river flows
relatively slowly, and the valley is wide. As the speed of the river
increases, the valley narrows. On Joe Creek, which flows into the river,
the speed increases significantly, and numerous rocks form rapids of II
and III+ difficulty classes. About halfway through the river flows into
a narrow canyon, which ends only with the onset of the coastal plains.
The width of the coastal plains ranges from 30 km in the east to 10
km in the west. During the last ice age, some of the continental ice
masses from the Richardson Mountains reached the coastal plains.
In the park, the polar night lasts about a month, and the polar day lasts two months. In summer the average temperature is 14 °C, in winter - -29 °C, with little precipitation. The coastal areas of the park are influenced by air masses from the sea, while in the central and southern parts of the park a continental subarctic climate prevails with less fog, precipitation and less temperature variation. The British Mountains also have a significant influence on the region's climate.
The park features three plant worlds: arctic tundra, mountain tundra and taiga, with the first two occupying almost the entire area of the park. The taiga is represented by low-growing spruces and balsam poplar. These trees grow 30 km from the Beaufort Sea and are the northernmost representatives of the species in Canada.