Pingos Dot the Landscape

Some 1400 pingos (unusual ice-cored hills) dot the coastline near Tuktoyaktuk. The largest is 16 stories high - a real landmark on the flat coastal plain. Besides acting as landmarks and lookout points, pingos have been used as natural freezers in the warm summer months.

Pingos grow in drained lakes, where groundwater seeps below the frozen surface, and forces it upward. The largest pingo is growing at the rate of about two centimeters a year.

Visit a pingo on a town tour and dip your toe in the Arctic Ocean. Sample northern delicacies like maktak and pipsi on your tour.