The best camping near Quttinirpaaq National Park

With annual visitor numbers hovering in the double digits, this remote northern park is truly the back of beyond. You’re much more likely to encounter Peary caribou, muskoxen, and Arctic hares than you are a fellow human. Quttinirpaaq is empty and elemental—in a good way. There are no marked trails or designated campsites here, just vast tracts of tundra, mountains, and the odd pre-Inuit archaeological site. Most visitors establish a base camp at Tanquary Fiord or Hazen Lake, and either embark on multi-day treks between the two or a looped route around the Ad Astra and Viking ice caps.

• Best for hikers: The Tanquary Fiord area offers group and semi-private sleeper tents, as well as pit toilets and a shared kitchen.
• Best for botany enthusiasts: Lake Hazen may very well be the northernmost lake in Canada.
• Best for history buffs: Fort Conger was originally a High Arctic exploration camp before serving as a military fort and research post.

1. Tanquary Fiord features pre-erected insulated tents that make a great base camp and require advance reservations. Lake Hazen is another solid camping option, with a Parks Canada operational station, an outhouse, and a few heated structures typically used for park operations.
2. Elsewhere, Quttinirpaaq offers a rare treat for the wilderness-obsessed: the chance to backcountry camp wherever you want. That said, this isn’t the kind of place where you turn up and pitch a tent on a whim. With unique-to-the-Arctic concerns (like polar bears), visitors need to consider safety and should connect with Parks Canada staff or a local guide.

The best time for ski touring is April and early May. Parks Canada staff, however, aren’t present until later in the year, so you’ll need to be self-sufficient during this time. For hiking, late May through mid-August is best, when there’s 24-hour sunlight and surprisingly mild weather around Lake Hazen, a thermal oasis with its own microclimate.

• You must register your visit to the park, book and attend an orientation session with park staff at Tanquary Fiord, and de-register upon exiting. 
• Quttinirpaaq is wilderness in the truest sense and requires quality gear and a high level of survival skills—check in with park staff or guides about what you need to bring. 
• To access the park, you’ll have to arrange a shared charter flight from Resolute Bay to Ellesmere Island. Alternatively, Parks Canada offers a charter flight every July as part of its Top of the World experience. (This is what Quttinirpaaq means in Inuktitut.) 
• Campfires aren’t allowed in the park, so you’ll need a portable stove and gas.