Tuktoyaktuk
Latitude: 69°N 27’W Longitude: 133°N 02’W
Population: approximately 950
Average Temperature: January: -25.9 July: 10.
Average Precipitation: January: Snowfall 6.1 cm July: Rainfall 17.9 mm
Looks like caribou
Tuk was once the harvesting site for Tuktu, the caribou. In the past, thousands of Inuvialuit were scattered along the coast from Herschel Island to Cape Bathurst. During the winter from December to March, they gathered at Kittigazuit, 16 miles from Tuk, at the mouth of the East Channel of the Mackenzie River Delta. When there was a need for a suitable harbour for community resupplies for Inuvialuit communities of the area and communities to the east, Tuk was chosen as a sight because of the natural shelter from winds and waves. A Bay trading post was established in 1937. The new community was situated on one of the nicest harbours in the western Arctic.
Pingos, huge ice covered hills, provide a startling backdrop to the community. Formed by a combination of frost and abundant water, pingos are an unusual feature of this coastal area. Numerous pingos surround Tuk. Two of the largest have been used as landmarks by the Inuvialuit for centuries. The proposed Pingo Park is well worth visiting on a local tour.
Tuk is easily accessible by regular flights from Inuvik. From Inuvik, fly out by bush plane to visit an Inuvialuit family camp or to a nearby lodge for great lake trout fishing. Experienced Inuvialuit guides from Tuktoyaktuk offer exclusive polar bear hunts in winter, by dog team.
Community Facts
Tuktoyaktuk is the largest Inuvialuit community in the Beaufort-Delta region. Kitigaaryuit, just south of Tuktoyaktuk, was a traditional gathering location for the nomadic Inuvialuit prior to European settlement.
Tuktoyaktuk, often referred to as “Tuk”, has been the center for oil exploration since the 1970s.
The terminus of the Trans Canada Trail at its most northerly point is Tuktoyaktok. A marker was erected to commemorate a Trans Canada relay arriving in Tuk.
Tuktoyaktuk is home to the highest concentration of pingos in the world.
Tuktoyaktuk is the most northerly point in Canada accessible by road (via ice road on the Mackenzie River from mid-December to mid-April only).
Community Access: Tuktoyaktuk is serviced by daily scheduled flights from Inuvik throughout the year. Tuktoyaktuk is accessible by ice road from approximately mid-December to the end of April.
For information, contact:
Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk
Ph: 867.977.2286 • Fax 867.977.2110
Box 120, Tuktoyaktuk, NT, X0E 1C0
