Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

Canada's Most Northerly Wilderness Adventure
Extraordinary region of wildlife

Introduction: Quite simply one the of the greatest adventure lodge achievements in the Canadian Arctic. Canada's most northerly wilderness adventure lodge is located on Somerset Island in Nunavut. The owners have developed a facility that opens a portal to an extraordinary region of wildlife, stark beauty and arctic adventures. Positioned on Cunningham Inlet, Arctic Watch is a permanent facility that offers a level of high arctic comfort unheard of a few years ago.  

Location: Arctic Watch is located 50 miles south of the community of Resolute Bay. The lodge sits virtually on Lancaster Sound – ‘The Northwest Passage’ at latitude 74 degrees north and 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The Lodge: The Lodge consists of a main complex of almost 5000 square feet with a kitchen, dining room, audio-visual projection room, lounge, bathing room (hot showers), equipment room and mud room. For accommodation (double occupancy) there are 16 heated cabins 12 feet by 12 feet, each with a marine toilet and cold running water. As well, there is a pump house, garage and freezer/ pantry. The Lodge can accommodate up to 32 guests. There also is a lounge, meeting room and natural interpretation center.

The owners Richard and Josee Weber are well known North Pole explorers. Richard is a former Canadian cross-country ski champion, is the first person to have reached the Pole from both sides of the Arctic Ocean. He and friend Misha Malakhov, in the spirit of the early explorers, completed the first and only journey to the North Pole and back with no outside assistance. They lead the world’s first commercial North Pole trip in 1993. Today they lead ski trips to the geographic North Pole and remote areas of the High Arctic. Most of these areas are seldom, if ever visited by man. They and their staff are passionate about the Arctic and work hard to make their guests feel the same.

Accommodation: This is the most comfortable facility in the High Arctic. Guests enjoy personalized service under the motto:  "We make you feel that this is your High Arctic home." The food is excellent; everyday starts with fresh gourmet coffee and hot muffins; it ends with a hot shower, a great dinner and a glass of wine.

Meals: The food is hearty, tasty and varied. Northern food such as muskox, caribou and Arctic char are served along with regular menus.  Special diets can be accommodated.

Family Friendly: Children are encouraged to visit. With it’s unique location, wildlife sightings and activity choices Arctic Watch can offer children an experience that will literally last a lifetime. See full details of child program below.

Weather: The weather is traditionally good in the summer. Temperatures average about +10 deg. C (54 deg. F) to +12 deg.  C (59 deg. F). Nighttime/ bad weather temperatures can go down to 0 deg. C (32 deg. F). The highest temperatures are +18 deg. C ( 65 deg. F) Winds can be high at times. The sun is above the horizon 24 hours per day .

How to get there: First Air has jet service on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Ottawa through Iqaluit. Flights leave Ottawa early in the morning and arrive in Resolute Bay early in the afternoon of the same day. First Air has jet service on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Edmonton, through Yellowknife.

Resolute: This Inuit community has a population of about 200. All visitors to Arctic Watch will spend a night in Resolute Bay. The lodge is working with local people to organize cultural activities such as carving, seal skin preparation, drum dancing etc. There is a beautifully-restored Thule (ancient Inuit) site. Inuit art such as carvings may be purchased locally.Arctic Watch Activities; Beluga Whale Watching, Sea Kayaking, Rafting, Historical Site Viewing, Hiking, Fishing, Birding, Mountain Biking, ATV Touring and Arctic Wildlife Observation

Activity Outline:

Kayaking day trips. Options include (1) start at the Lodge, paddle the few hundred yards downriver into Cunningham Inlet. Floating sea ice is a maze of shapes and colours, from the kayaks you can sea whales, seals and sea birds. (2) paddle the lower canyon of the Cunningham River. Water is blue and crystal clear and there are views of a Rough-legged hawk nest where the parents keep guard, never going far from the nest. The river rock is fascinating and full of fossil shells, sea anemones and trilobites; water is swift, but there are no rapids. The easy paddle takes about three hours. Arctic Watch provide Current Designs fibreglass kayaks and Seavivor folding kayaks as well as paddles, life jackets and dry suits for guests.

Rafting: Two 17 foot inflatable rafts are used at Arctic Watch. We paddle (or drift) the lower canyon of the Cunningham River, a remarkable geographic spot. Water is so clear you can see every rock. Muskox graze on the top of the cliffs. Trip is 3 hours. Arctic Watch also offer two and three day rafting trips through the canyons of Cunningham River. Guests fly up river and raft back to Arctic Watch. Water is class I and II and the canyon is up to one thousand feet deep.

Hiking: and walking are prime activities at Arctic Watch. Guests can hike from the lodge or by  ATVs or Unimog truck to get to a starting point for farther afield trips. A moderate walk is the best way to see wild flowers, birds or find fossils. It is also the best method to approach wildlife. There are mountains to climb and canyons to explore.

Historical Sites: Somerset Island is rich in historical and archeological sites. Along the coast are tent rings and remains of camps from Thule culture (AD 1000 - 1400) and paleo-Eskimos. These sites can be visited on foot, by ATV, mountain bike, or kayak. Cape Anne has some of the best preserved Thule (ancient Inuit) ruins in the Arctic. You can sit in one of their tiny houses where walls still stand 4 feet high. This ancient culture hunted the giant bowhead whales and today numerous bones still lie scattered about.

Fishing Inukshuk Lake is located a two hour scenic drive by ATV from Arctic Watch. The lake is home to a healthy population of arctic char; “the best tasting fish”. Char is a true game fish running 3 to 8 pounds. Creswell Bay, located at the southern end of Somerset Island has world class char fishing. Here the char can get over twenty pounds.

Birding: Arctic Watch is a special location, trips can be made on foot, by sea kayak and ATV. Northern Somerset Island is the summer home to a wide variety of land and sea birds and detailed listings are supplied on request. Prince Leopold Island Wildlife Sanctuary has huge bird colonies with thousands of birds: thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes. A paradise for bird lovers and Arctic Watch has the necessary wildlife permits for you to visit the tiny, protected island.

Vehicle Travel: Somerset Island has rolling terrain, with hard gravel - like surfaces. ATVs are the ideal vehicle for travelling in a land with no formal roads. ATV’s are used to access all activity sites and for exploring the vastness of Somerset Island. Easy to drive, guests follow established trails and instruction is provided. Experienced ATV riders will discover a new world on Somerset Island and will feel very much at home.

Wildlife viewing: wildlife abounds! Thousands of beluga whales and varieties of seals thrive in these waters. Muskox and arctic foxes roam the tundra and nearby baby foxes spend the days playing. While the occasional polar bear can be spotted, innumerable birds nest annually in the Arctic to rear their young. All this is within easy reach of the guests at Arctic Watch Lodge. 

Main Wildlife Species:

Beluga Whales: About 3000 beluga whales make their way to Cunningham Inlet from mid-July through the first week of August. They roll around in the shallow water of the Cunningham River estuary to shed their skin and enjoy the warmer river water. The Bay is also a nursery for the young whales. It is possible to approach the whales from the shore to within a few feet.

Polar Bears: A sighting occurs on average on the Cunningham River delta every two weeks. Polar bears never came into the Lodge compound. There are however, many bears on the pack ice in the Northwest Passage between Somerset Island and Resolute Bay. It is possible to see bears regularly on the north shore of Somerset, about 10 kilometers from Arctic Watch.

Muskoxen: Recently a family group of 18 muskoxen stayed a few kilometers from the Lodge all summer long. The group included a chief bull, lesser males, females, immature animals and calves. Muskoxen wander the valleys of northern Somerset Island looking for green vegetation. The chance of seeing them during a day’s outing by mountain bike, ATV or foot is excellent.

Caribou: The caribou of Somerset Island are the endangered Peary caribou plus the barren ground caribou.

Walruses: These huge creatures can normally be seen sitting on ice floes off the northern coast of Somerset Island. Once a walrus was spotted swimming near Cunningham Inlet, about five kilometres from the Lodge.

Narwhals: Narwhal move along Lancaster sound, north of Somerset. It would be difficult to get a good view of them from the land. They are shy creatures.

Full Itinerary available on request.

Children & Young Persons Program: Arctic Watch welcomes families with children or young adults. The owners children (Nansen and Tessum, age 10 and 12) looking forward to making new friends and introducing new children to their special Arctic. While, no doubt young guests will want to participate with their parents, this may not always be possible or desirable. When you want to do adult activities there will always be a responsible staff member to ensure that your kids have a safe, exciting and educational stay.