Canada’s largest community north of the Arctic Circle, Inuvik offers all the comforts of a full-service regional centre. Visitors can experience many cultures here and true northern hospitality.
Getting to Inuvik
Inuvik has a full service modern airport with over 20 flights a week connecting Inuvik to Edmonton or Vancouver with jet service. Inuvik is connected to southern Canada by the Dempster Highway, an all-season road that brings visitors, supplies and local residents north. The Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway opened in November 2017 and now connects Canada to the Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean. The Mackenzie River also provides access for barge service to bring fuel and supplies to Inuvik.
The Largest Freshwater Delta in Canada
Inuvik is located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie River on the Mackenzie Delta which is the largest delta in Canada. The thousands of channels and lakes in the Delta are home to many species of fish and wildlife and many fishing and hunting camps of the local Indigenous people. During the summer, the Delta is a boating haven and in the winter an ice road crosses the Delta from Inuvik to Aklavik and the Richardson Mountains world’s northernmost trout.
Wildlife and Wild Places
Inuvik and the surrounding area are home to many species of wildlife including – caribou, moose, Dall sheep, Musk-ox, grizzly bears, black bears, polar bears, wolves, foxes, lynx, beaver, eagles, hawks, geese, ducks, owls, shorebirds and songbirds. The pristine wilderness surrounding Inuvik is enjoyed by residents and visitors. Inuvik provides access to Canada’s 3 northern National Parks – Aulavik, Tuktu Nogait, and Ivvavik.
Life in Inuvik
Local residents enjoy life in Inuvik with modern programs and services including a full service hospital, incredible recreational facilities (pool, skating rink, curling rink, ski and walking trails, fitness centre, gymnasiums), community greenhouse, churches, mosque, high speed internet and retail outlets. Inuvik is the regional centre for government programs and services. Education facilities include a new kindergarten to grade 12 school, Aurora College, and the Children’s First Centre (early childhood care).
Where exactly is Inuvik located?
Inuvik is located at 68° 21’ 42” N, 133° 43’ 50” W. Situated 200 kilometres above the Arctic Circle. Inuvik is ideally located for ground station service support of polar orbiting satellites, providing many more opportunities for contact than more southern locations.
Who lives in Inuvik?
The population of Inuvik is around 3400 residents comprised of the 2 dominant Indigenous groups the Inuvialuit and Gwich’in and other people from many southern and international locations that have all made Inuvik their home. Inuvik is a modern, friendly community that hosts many festivals and activities throughout the year.
How cold can it get in the winter and how warm does it get in the summer?
The extreme low is -56.7 degrees Celsius (-70.06 degrees Fahrenheit). The extreme high is +31.7 degrees Celsius (89.06 degrees Fahrenheit). The mean average temperature over the course of one year is -9.7 degrees Celsius.
Is it true that the sun does not set in the summertime?
Inuvik enjoys 56 days of 24 hour daylight (late June, July and part of August) and has 30 days without sunlight, mostly in the month of December, with the return of the sun in early January.