Torngat Mountains National Park of Canada

On December 1, 2005, Torngat Mountains National Park of Canada was officially established along the northeast coast of Labrador after decades of study and land claim settlements. Labrador’s spectacular first national park includes Arctic Cordillera and Tundra ecozones and a rugged coastline of mountains, towering cliffs, fjords, and ice floes. There are traces to be found of Inuit, pre-Inuit/Thule, and European explorers throughout the park along with featured archaeological sites.

The landscape is formed primarily from the Torngat Mountains and the George Plateau. The Torngats provide a major record of mountain forming cycles over geologic time. The plateau is a fairly level plain of bedrock scraped by glaciers and cut by deep river valleys. High perches abound for watchful peregrine falcons and golden eagles. Barren-ground black bears and wolves follow small herds of woodland and barren-ground caribou.

The park protects coastal islands that provide breeding grounds for the common eider and staging sites for migratory populations like the harlequin, a small, brightly marked sub-arctic sea-duck. The park’s coast provides a conservation area for marine species. Prehistoric deposits of marine sediments are found at the head of the fjords. Just offshore, ringed and hooded seals, minke and humpback whales chase abundant fish and krill. Polar bears move on and off the ice, chasing seals, small mammals, sea or shorebirds.

The Inuit use these lands throughout the year to hunt, fish, and travel. For park visiting backpackers and kayakers, Torngat is a wilderness challenge.

B Bondar / Real World Content Advantage