The best camping near Sirmilik National Park

The clue is in the name: Sirmilik (meaning “place of glaciers'' in Inuktitut) is—you guessed it—chock-full of glaciers. Up at the northern tip of Nunavut’s Baffin Island on the Borden Peninsula, it’s one of the most accessible national parks in the Canadian Arctic, believe it or not. Even so, it attracts just a few hundred hardy visitors each year, perhaps due to its status as a backcountry park with no serviced campgrounds. Even the most intrepid travelers who visit usually enlist the services of Inuit guides. Outfitters set up safe camps and itineraries that might include skiing across glaciers; sea kayaking in Lancaster Sound (Tallurutiup Imanga) or Oliver Sound; visiting the migratory bird sanctuary on Bylot Island; or floe-edge wildlife expeditions during which—with any luck—you’ll see narwhals, beluga whales, and walruses.

• Best for hikers: Pond Inlet
• Best for seabird-watching: Bylot Island
• Best for whale-watching: Eclipse Sound

1. You’ll need a backcountry permit to camp here, but given that you’ll be sharing almost 5.5 million acres with scant few visitors, you don’t have to worry about getting there early to get a good spot.
2. While the freedom of going it alone may sound appealing, safety is a No. 1 concern in Sirmilik. Campers must be prepared for polar bear encounters, quick weather changes, avalanches, and the fact that rescue services are extremely limited out in remote areas—for these reasons, most visitors go with licensed tour companies.

Between late March and May, the park is open for snowmobiling, dog-sledding, and ski touring. Things shut down as the sea ice breaks up in summer (typically June and July) before reopening for August and September. Just as in Auyuittuq National Park, this natural region is a no-go from October to early March due to extremely cold winters and near-permanent darkness.

• All parkgoers need to register their trip upon entry and de-register upon existing. Backcountry use and excursion permits are required.
• The two gateway communities to the park are Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. Scheduled flights run to both from Ottawa, Montreal, and Yellowknife (via Iqaluit). 
• Local operators in Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay can take you to the park either by snowmobile (in spring) or boat (in summer).
• The park recommends that travelers come prepared with a satellite phone in case communication needs to be made. 
• The Parks Canada office closest to the park is in Pond Inlet. 
• A number of restrictions exist when it comes to transporting stoves, fuel canisters, and bear deterrents by plane—items like these should be purchased locally upon arrival.