Pingualuit National Park in Quebec, Canada - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-24. Check linked official notices before travel.

Parc national des Pingualuit protects a meteorite crater and tundra on Québec's Ungava Plateau. A visit combines northern air travel with hiking around the crater or a winter expedition. Organize the route and camps through Nunavik Parks before leaving for the interior.

Crater views and tundra travel

• Look into the circular crater containing Pingualuk Lake.
• Explore the Puvirnituq River canyon on a planned backcountry itinerary.
• Learn about inland Inuit travel and the remains of former camps.

Prepare before flying north

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Review the access and fee information before requesting your full trip price.

Uneven ground and Arctic weather

Crater paths are undeveloped, with loose or slippery stones. Walking poles can help on the uneven terrain. Open tundra provides little shelter, and fog can obscure navigation landmarks. Plan communications and weather contingencies with the park team.

Protect the crater and old camps

Do not remove impact rocks or disturb tent rings and rock shelters. Recreational drones are prohibited. Keep wildlife at a distance. Beneficiaries of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement retain rights that differ from ordinary visitor restrictions.

Register the excursion and return

For visitors outside the beneficiary provisions, authorization and registration are required before an excursion. Check out at the visitor center when you return to the host village. Consult the Nunavik visitor rules and arrange camp use, transport and current booking conditions with staff.

Kangiqsujuaq and the inland transfer

Kangiqsujuaq is the park's host village. Arrange the flight connections and onward transfer before traveling; its PO box is a mailing address, not a crater trailhead. The official Pingualuit page supplies downloadable navigation files for planning with your guide or the park team.

Match the crater walk to your itinerary

The published crater-trek program offers several walks from Manarsulik Camp. Its camp-to-crater route is 5 km round trip, while the full crater tour returns to camp after about 18 km. Ask which route fits your ability and the day's weather. These are backcountry distances, not paved sightseeing loops.

A longer itinerary can reach the Puvirnituq canyon and Sangummaaluk Camp. Winter travel uses a different plan, with equipment and support suited to snow and cold.

Serviced and rustic camps differ

The park's crater-trek itinerary describes Manarsulik's sleeping buildings, indoor toilets, showers and communal meal building. Sangummaaluk is a rustic dormitory camp. Confirm the camp sequence and included supplies for your departure before packing.

About the crater landscape

An impact and an inland way of life

The crater formed in a meteorite impact about 1.4 million years ago. Stone shelters and tent rings also record use of this inland landscape by Nunamiut hunters who followed caribou. Leave those remains undisturbed.

Life beyond the treeline

Lichens, mosses and low plants grow across the treeless plateau. Geese migrate through the area, and snowy owls, Arctic hare and foxes inhabit the park. Polar bears can occasionally occur inland, so the crater's distance from the coast does not remove the need for wildlife planning.

Contact Pingualuit park staff

Telephone 819-338-3282 or write to [email protected]. The Nunavik Parks mailing address is PO Box 130, Kangiqsujuaq, Québec J0M 1K0. The Kativik Regional Government operates the park.