Vuntut National Park - Canada

About Vuntut National Park

RV quick facts for Vuntut National Park

Best time to visit Vuntut National Park

The short visitor season runs from late June through early September, when daylight is nearly continuous, tundra wildflowers bloom, and rivers are ice-free for paddling and float-plane landings. July typically offers the warmest temperatures and the best window for backcountry travel, while August brings fewer mosquitoes and the first hints of fall colour on the tundra. Shoulder seasons in May and September can deliver migrating caribou and aurora viewing, but cold snaps, snow, and limited charter availability are common. Winter access is for experienced expedition travellers only.

Things to do at Vuntut National Park

• Old Crow Flats Wetland Viewing Moderate

  The Old Crow Flats are the cultural and ecological heart of Vuntut. Van Tat, the Old Crow Flats, is a network of more than two thousand shallow lakes that supports vast populations of migratory waterfowl and muskrats and is best experienced by float plane or guided paddling trip.

• Porcupine Caribou Herd Viewing Moderate

  Vuntut lies on the migration corridor of the Porcupine caribou herd, one of the largest barren-ground caribou herds in North America. Spring and fall migrations can bring tens of thousands of animals across the park's tundra and river valleys.

• Backcountry Hiking in the British Mountains Strenuous

  The northern edge of the park rises into the rolling British Mountains, offering trail-less tundra hiking with sweeping Arctic views. Routes are unmarked and require strong navigation, bear-aware practices, and full self-sufficiency.

• Paddling the Old Crow River Strenuous

  Experienced paddlers can run sections of the Old Crow River through and near the park during the short open-water season. Most trips combine charter flights from Old Crow with multi-day wilderness camping.

• Cultural Visit to Old Crow Village Easy

  Old Crow is the only Yukon community north of the Arctic Circle and the gateway to Vuntut. For countless generations the Vuntut Gwitchin have lived in the Old Crow Flats and Porcupine River areas in the northern Yukon, and visitors can learn about this living culture before flying into the park.

• Birdwatching in the Arctic Wetlands Easy

  The park's wetlands are an internationally recognized staging and nesting area for migratory birds, including swans, loons, ducks, and shorebirds. June and July deliver the highest diversity and around-the-clock light for observation.

• Ice Age Paleontology Landscape Moderate

  Vuntut preserves unglaciated Beringian landscapes rich in Ice Age fossils of mammoths, lions, and bison. Fossil sites are protected and accessed only with Parks Canada and Vuntut Gwitchin guidance.