Auyuittuq << ow YOO eet took >> National Park is a remote, rugged area of ice, rock, and snow on southern Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The Penny Icecap blankets about one-third of the park’s 4,717,000 acres (1,908,900 hectares). Auyuittuq means “land that never melts” in the language of the native Inuktitut people of the region.
Major features of the park include fiords and glaciers. The Akshayuk Pass, a valley created by glaciers, links the southern boundary of the park with the town of Qikiqtarjuaq in the north. The local Inuit traditionally used the pass as a route for hunting caribou. Mount Odin, the highest peak in the park, rises 7,044 feet (2,147 meters) above the floor of the pass.
Only a few kinds of animals live in Auyuittuq National Park. They include Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, caribou, ducks, ermines, lemmings, polar bears, and snow geese. Seals and whales swim in the coastal waters.
Many people come to the park to hike the Akshayuk Pass. Visitors also enjoy such activities as camping, mountain climbing, and skiing. The Canadian government established the park in 1976.
