Vuntut National Park

Vuntut National Park was established in 1995 as part of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Land Claim Agreement. Vuntut, which means "among the lakes" in the Gwitchin language, encompasses 4,345. sq. km of wilderness in the northwestern corner of the Yukon Territory. The park is bounded by the height of land and Ivvavik National Park to the north, the international boundary and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the west, Black Fox Creek to its confluence with the Old Crow River to the east and the Old Crow River to the south. Vuntut National Park may be one of the most remote and least visited national parks in Canada, but it’s far from unpopulated. Vuntut is the domain of the Porcupine caribou herd and half a million migratory birds, and is also the cultural homeland of the Vuntut Gwich’in people. In the Gwich’in language, vuntut means “among the lakes,” a fitting moniker for this Arctic landscape, which is dotted by fertile wetlands, winding rivers, and rolling mountains. Vuntut National Park was established through a land claims agreement in 1995, and is thus a relatively recent addition to Canada’s national parks system. It realized the vision the Vuntut Gwich’in people of North Yukon have of preserving the land and their way of life, and they work together with Parks Canada to manage the park. The Gwich’in people live in about 15 communities across northeast Alaska, the North Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, and are united by their language and a culture founded on a dependence on the Porcupine caribou herd. A number of nations and bands make up the Gwich’in people throughout their vast territory; the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation in Old Crow is one of these. Vuntut lies north of the village of Old Crow, a fly-in community of 300 located at the confluence of the Crow and Porcupine Rivers. Wetlands are protected in the Old Crow Flats part of the park, but Vuntut also plays a significant role in a much larger protected area. Vuntut’s neighboring national parks include Ivvavik to the north and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge across the international boundary to the west. Caribou is an important species in this northern ecosystem, and Old Crow is located on the migration path of the Porcupine caribou herd. The annual migration of this herd is one of the largest of any land animal on Earth, and a portion of the herd ranges in Vuntut National Park at various times of the year. Caribou are important to the local communities not only as a source of food but for their role in Gwich’in culture. Historically, Gwich’in hunters built caribou fences to capture the animals, and the remains of several of these fences are important heritage sites in Vuntut National Park. Hundreds of thousands of nesting or migrating waterfowl visit the Old Crow Flats complex of shallow lakes each year, and moose and muskrat thrive in the wetlands. The park is also home to grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, raptors, and many small mammals. Interestingly, parts of Vuntut remained unglaciated in the last Ice Age, and those parts of the landscape served as a refuge for plants and animals trying to survive in the barren environs. Vuntut National Park is a destination for experienced, self-sufficient adventurers. Fewer than 25 people visit the park each year (not including locals); it’s complete wilderness that is difficult and expensive to access. There are no facilities or services to assist visitors—in short, you’re left mostly to your own devices if you plan a visit to the park. Those who make the effort, though, will encounter a wilderness adventure unlike any other, in a place pristine and unspoiled.