Important Information for Camping Trips in Ivvavik National Park Your adventure begins at the Parks Canada office in Inuvik, NT. Meet your small group for a brief orientation, then board the shuttle to the airport. The excitement builds as you load your gear onto the Twin Otter aircraft, venerable workhorse of the Canadian Arctic, to fly over the Mackenzie River delta and between the ancient peaks of the British Mountains. When the tundra-tires touch down at Sheep Creek Station, you ll settle in to a safe and comfortable base camp. Share tea on the deck and be inspired by a view that only a lucky few Inuvialuit trappers, gold miners, Park Wardens and expedition teams have seen before. Listen to the stories of Inuvialuit people whose connections to this landscape go back generations. You can explore on your own or join Parks Canada staff on some unforgettable hikes. Choose to bring and prepare your own meals or treat yourself to northern comfort food prepared by a local camp cook a new option this year! Trips are reserved on a first-come first-served basis. Registration will be confirmed upon full payment of the trip. Parks Canada reserves the right to cancel a trip if minimum participant numbers are not met. Cancellation and refund policy is detailed below. For more information and to register email Inuvik.info@pc.gc.ca or call 867-777-8800.
New for 2014! Parks Canada is offering a choice of four or five-day camping excursions, with a choice of catered or self-catered trips. Self-Catered Camping trip fee includes: transportation to and from the airport, flight in and out of the national park, use of designated Sheep Creek Station base camp facilities, guided hikes, nature and culture interpretation, and national park backcountry use fee. Catered Camping trip fee includes: all of the above plus: three meals a day, snacks and beverages prepared by the cook and served buffet style. Food is Northern Canadian a reasonably diverse offer of nourishing and tasty food, intended to fuel your adventures and put a smile on your face. Local specialties and ingredients may be included when feasible. (Be forewarned: Eskimo donuts are addictive!) Typical meals include some options from each food group on the Canada Food Guide. Special diets and extreme allergies are difficult to accommodate in this remote setting, so if you have these requirements you are encouraged to book a self-catered trip. * New! In 2014, artists and art enthusiasts are invited to participate in a four day journey to inspiration with the timeless beauty and mystique of Ivvavik National Park as your muse. Art in the Park: Ivvavik 2014 is planned for July 7 10, 2014 to precede the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik, NT. Return from the park and join the GNAF festivities! Due to variable weather, flights can be delayed. Parks Canada recommends that travellers allow for two or more days between the end of your Camping Trip and your flight out of Inuvik. If your trip returns as planned, you ll be glad to have some extra time to explore Inuvik. Trip Itinerary The trails are rated according to their difficulty: Easy trails are short and level, and can be hiked by almost anyone; Moderate trails are of medium length (5-10 km), or are shorter trails with a major hill, most people should have little difficulty; Strenuous trails are long, with steep sections, most people will find it challenging. Sample Trip Itinerary Day 1: camp set up and small hike to Sheep Slot - easy 2 km, 30 minutes or on the ridge behind the camp - moderate 6 km, 1 and 1/2 hour Day 2: hike to Inspiration Point and Wolf Tor moderate 10km, Day 3: 5 to 6 hours long hike Halfway to Heaven strenuous 11 km, 6 to 8 hours long Day 4 or 5: pack up camp and short hike if the plane is delayed (along the river or to the mining remains, or north past the landing strip) - easy 2 km, 30 minutes.
Please consult the Sheep Creek Hiking Guide for more details regarding area hikes. Itineraries are subject to change due to unforeseen causes. During your stay you may decide to undertake activities outside of this program. Please communicate your plans to a Parks Canada staff on site before leaving the base camp. Parks Canada staff are experienced wilderness travellers and can provide advice to help you prepare for your excursion. Make sure you are well prepared to hike and travel in the wilderness; and be self sufficient during any medical or weather emergency. We strongly recommend hiking and travelling in a group. Trip Planning Details All visitors to Ivvavik National Park are required to attend a safety orientation session. The orientation is about an hour and includes a safety briefing and background information that will enhance your experience in the park. Parks Canada staff will coordinate with the group to book a date and a time for your park orientation. The session is typically done on the day prior to departure. Trips depart from the Parks Canada office in Inuvik, and include shuttle transportation back to the Parks Canada office following the trip. Trips usually depart the Inuvik Office at 08:15h for charter flight departures at 09:00h. Return charter flights usually leave Sheep Creek Station at 12:00h, to return to Inuvik by 13:30h. These times often vary due to weather or other factors. Meeting point: Parks Canada office at 187 Mackenzie Road above the Post Office. (Meeting time will be confirmed with your group and included in pre-trip info) Maximum of 10 participants per trip. Group size is limited by charter aircraft capacity. Each participant is allowed to bring 40 lbs/18 kg of luggage. To help participants to keep their luggage within the weight limit, tents and sleeping pads are available for use at Sheep Creek Station. For self-catered visitors, cooking sets, stoves and fuel are available for use. We encourage participants to share common food supplies where possible (oil, butter, salt sugar, coffee, etc.) If you wish, Parks Canada can put you in contact with other members of this trip. A planning and gear list is available for your information Parks Canada provides bear safe storage at Sheep Creek Station.
For those wishing to fish in the park, a Parks Canada fishing permit is required. Permits are available from the Parks Canada office: an annual permit for $34.30 or a daily permit for $9.80. Your Safety is Important to us! A few words of caution for travelling in a backcountry setting: Weather conditions can change quickly. Always bring extra warm clothing and food. (Gear list is available) Navigation and route finding is generally easy, but orientation in the vast landscape can be difficult. Pack a map, compass and GPS unit and make sure you know how to use them. Maps of the Sheep Creek area and GPS waypoints for routes are available from Parks Canada. Be bear aware. Consult with Parks Canada staff and refer to the Parks Canada brochure Safety in Grizzly and Black Bear Country for minimizing risk while visiting the park. Always travel in groups and follow best practices for staying safe in bear habitat. Although there have not been any reported human cases of giardiasis in Ivvavik, Giardia microbes are present in the park visitors are advised to filter, treat or boil all drinking water. Small creek crossings are a common part of any hiking trip and should be done with caution and appropriate footwear. The Firth River has significant rapids and very low water temperature. Exercise caution near the riverbank. Do not attempt to cross the Firth River. Ivvavik NP is a mountain wilderness. Cliffs, slopes, unstable terrain and highly variable weather and surface water conditions can present significant hazards in some areas.
Trip Cancellation Policies The following policies apply when booking a backcountry trip. Please ensure that you have read and understand the conditions of these trips and don t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Traveller Cancellations If a reservation is cancelled by the traveller, the following policy and guidelines apply: More than 90 days prior to departure date = Full refund From 90 to 14 days prior to departure date = 50% refund Fewer than 14 days prior to departure date = No refund Parks Canada Cancellations Weather delays and flight cancellations are possible when travelling in the Arctic. Although every effort will be made to reschedule should these situations arise, the following policy applies: If a flight is delayed due to weather or other circumstances, the trip will be placed on standby, travellers notified, and the next available flight will be utilized. Trips will not be extended if days are missed, however the backcountry use fee will be reduced accordingly. Trips will be cancelled and refunds issued if the group has not been able to enter the park by 36 hours prior to noon on the trip end date. When a group is prevented from leaving Ivvavik because of flight delays, they will not be charged additional backcountry use fees for additional days in the park. If the Ivvavik-to-Inuvik flight is delayed to within 36 hours of noon on the planned start date of the next scheduled trip, the group in Ivvavik may be required to wait for the flight associated with the next scheduled trip. This 36 hour policy is intended to manage some of the difficulty of weather delays by ensuring all participants experience a minimum of one full day in the park between travel days, while avoiding empty charter flight legs that would increase costs to all participants. Multiple-day weather delays are very rare in June and July. We hope to never have to invoke this policy, but we need to ensure appropriate expectations for all visitors, in order to share charter flight costs and manage trip costs. When flights are delayed, Parks Canada staff will keep visitors informed about trip status. When flight delays prevent visitors from leaving the park as planned, Parks Canada staff will provide assistance, including access to communication equipment when possible, to enable visitors to contact airlines and modify their flight bookings as needed. However, Parks Canada assumes no responsibility or liability for any fees or losses associated with flight delays.