Page 46 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2025

NUNAVIK: “THE GREAT LAND”
DELIVERS GREAT ADVENTURE
BY JOSEPHINE MATYAS
is a nature lover’s dream come true.
The Nunavik region of Québec’s Far North
This Arctic landscape sits above the 55th
parallel: a backcountry wilderness of
alpine tundra, gravity-defying mountains,
remote coastlines, friendly Inuit communities
and four Québec national parks.
To polar bears, muskox and caribou, the
tundra, tumbling waterways and craggy
shores are their home. The Inuit people have
journeyed and settled on this land for more
than four millennia. Today, they guide excur-
sions into the inviolable grandeur of the
Nunavik parks, marrying unspoiled adven-
ture with rich cultural experiences and the
magical northern lights.
Pingualuit National Park
A backcountry trip to Pingualuit goes to the
park’s signature feature—the almost perfectly
round crater filled with clear blue rainwater,
formed when a meteorite slammed into the
tundra 1.4 million years ago. The nearby base
camp at Lake Manarsulik is the jumping-off
point for explorations into the surreal beauty
of the parklands. Winter and summer, visi-
tors arrive at the Inuit community of
Kangiqsujuaq, near the Hudson Strait, to
meet their Inuit guides before travelling 120
km (75 mi.) to the crater site, either by
panoramic flight or on snowmobile. In
summer, adventurers paddle Lake Manar-
sulik and hike the crater rim with vistas over
the treeless Arctic tundra. In winter, there is
backcountry skiing, ice fishing, kiteskiing,
fat biking, alpine snowshoeing and a once-
in-a-lifetime chance to embrace the
snow-covered tundra by returning to Kangiq-
sujuaq on a multi-day, hut-to-hut ski trek
(nunavikparks.ca/en/parks/pingualuit).
Kuururjuaq National Park
Climb Québec’s highest summit, Mont
D’Iberville (1,646 m), and hike the foothills of
the Torngat Mountains, Canada’s tallest
peaks east of the Rockies. Its superlatives
include spellbinding vistas of rolling tundra,
spiritual summertime treks, winter snow-
shoe adventures through ancient boreal
spruce forests, and camping in traditional
Inuit tents while the northern lights play
overhead. The headwaters of the Koroc River
flow from the Torngats, a place the Inuit call
“The Land of Spirits,” a navigable waterway in
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DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2025
summer for whitewater paddling and a
frozen pathway in winter for exploring by
Nordic skis. The welcoming community of
Kangiqsualujjuaq is home base for expedi-
tions where experienced Inuit guides share
the love of their Arctic homeland and the
richness of their culture and history
(nunavikparks.ca/en/parks/Kuururjuaq).
Tursujuq National Park
Wilderness adventures into Tursujuq—
Québec’s most massive park (26,107 sq. km)
and an ancient crossroads where Inuit and
Cree have coexisted for more than 3,000
years—begin in Umiujaq, a tight-knit Inuit
community on the shore of Hudson Bay.
Year-round, guided excursions start at the
thundering waters of majestic Nastapoka
Falls, a spot renowned for its plentiful
wildlife. In summer, hike the Hudson
coast’s signature cuestas, paddle campsite-
to-campsite while sea kayaking on the
inland sea that is the vast Tasiujaq Lake. Or
journey further to Lake Wiya
̂ sha
̂ kimi ̂
, the
second largest lake in Québec. With its
sandy beaches, rocky hills and plateaus, it
is an ideal place to explore on a fat bike. The