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Home to famous mummified forests, glacier-hewn fjords and vast icefields, Ellesmere Island is rife with possibilities for the adventurous traveler. Its name in the local Inuktitut language, Quttinirpaaq, means “top of the world,” a nod to the island’s far northerly location off the northwest coast of Greenland in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. This remoteness has kept Ellesmere pristine even into the modern era and makes it a compelling stop to add to any Arctic itinerary.
What to Expect on an Ellesmere Island Tour
Thanks to 24-hour daylight during the high-summer months, you’ll enjoy long days and plenty of time to explore among Ellesmere's spectacular fjords, maritime glaciers and blooming tundra.
Located in the Arctic territory of Nunavut, Canada, Ellesmere Island also boasts vast ice fields, rolling hills and abundant wildlife that thrives on land, in the sea and the sky. Along with endless summer days, Ellesmere also provides the chance to see the northern lights between September and April (weather permitted, of course), with notably short transitional seasons between.
There are no connecting roads on the island, which comprises an area of 75,767 square miles or 196,236 square kilometers at 79°50′N 78°00′W. This makes an expedition cruise the best way to tour Ellesmere, ideally via a small icebreaker that can venture into the bays, fjords and inlets, stopping in to see scenic highlights or pushing through the early season pack ice to access the rugged coastline.
When visiting the northernmost island in Canada, travelers can also witness two incredible natural wonders: Quttinirpaaq National Park and Lake Hazen. The park encompasses nearly 15,000 square miles of pristine tundra, glaciers and black, jagged mountains in the island’s northern reaches. Giant herds of Peary caribou and musk oxen can be found roaming the vast landscape.
The glacier-fed freshwater Lake Hazen sits within the park where it is covered by ice 10 months of the year. It's the largest lake, by volume, entirely north of the Arctic Circle, providing a spectacularly scenic base camp for hikers and backpackers spending time in the park.
How to Get to Ellesmere Island
Since Ellesmere is up in the Arctic Ocean and part of Canada’s remote Arctic Archipelago, it can be complex to access. Your quickest way in will be by air, by boat or a combination of the two.
Traveling to Ellesmere Island by Cruise Ship
Exploring on a small expedition ship will give you a front-row seat to Ellesmere’s abundant natural offerings. Most cruises that sail to Ellesmere also include surrounding Arctic islands, allowing you to encounter multiple treasures of the north.
For example, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions pairs Ellesmere with stopovers in Greenland, Baffin Island and Disko Bay on its High Arctic Archipelago itinerary. Beginning with a flight from Iceland to Greenland’s capital city Nuuk, this 24-day small ship adventure heads ever northward, sailing along the fjord-studded east coast of Ellesmere as part of the journey and cruising along scenic Smith Bay (a.k.a. Skog Inlet, which is named for Leif Skog, Lindblad Expeditions’ very own renowned ice captain!)
Flying to Ellesmere Island on a Plane
The only public airport on Ellesmere Island can be found in the tiny community of Grise Ford, which is accessed via a 1.5-hour flight from Resolute Bay on Canadian North airlines. Alternatively, you might hire a charter flight from Resolute Bay directly into Quttinirpaaq National Park, though the price can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. These charter flights are typically aboard Twin Otter airplanes, which can carry up to nine people and 2,600 pounds of gear, so the cost could be shared among a group of friends or family.
Can You Get to Ellesmere Island by Car?
There are no roads or bridges to take you onto Ellesmere or any connecting roads anywhere on the island. That means even if you could bring your car, you’d have nowhere to drive. The locals use ATVs and trucks to get around the island in summer, and snowmobiles in winter.
The farthest north airport you could drive to en route to Ellesmere would be in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories. From there you could fly to Iqaluit International Airport and then Arctic Bay Airport en route to the Arctic hub of Resolute Bay.
Best Time to Visit Ellesmere Island
According to Steve Backus, a naturalist with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, the best time to visit is mid- to late July, for the peak tundra bloom and breeding wildlife. “This also aligns with when you get near 24-hour daylight,” he says, “which is a highlight of visiting the Arctic regions.”
To give the sea ice time to melt, many companies including National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions typically run trips to Ellesmere in late August into September, which is the perfect time to witness the tundra turning its rich autumn pastels.
What Wildlife Can You See on Ellesmere and When Is the Best Time to See Them?
There’s a surpising diversity of charismatic wildlife on Ellesmere so you’re almost guaranteed to have a memorable sighting come summer when the animals are most active.
“Polar bears are the main target on a voyage with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions,” says Backus. The ships will cruise around searching for a patch of “polar bear ice,” the mixture of first-year and multi-year sea ice that is the preferred habitat of these ursine as they hunt for seals.
Other large creatures you might see include caribou and musk oxen bounding through the tundra, as well as walruses, which come ashore along the east coast in summer. Aboard a ship, there’s always a chance to spot whales, including beluga, bowheads and if you’re very lucky, maybe the elusive narwhal.
For bird enthusiasts, the dovekies and murres are active from late June to early August. Long-tailed jaegers are around in the summer months as well, nesting on the tundra where you might encounter them on an inland hike, whereas Arctic terns can be found nesting in marshy areas.
“There’s nothing like standing by a seabird colony,” says Backus. “Even if you’re not a bird enthusiast, the sheer abundance of wildlife is jaw-dropping.” Typically found on dramatic rocky cliffs or slopes, these colonies teem with the sounds and activity of thousands of avians, making for true sensory overload.
Two final iconic creatures to keep an eye out for are the arctic hare, with its white fur contrasting against the green of blooming tundra, and the arctic fox which roams the expansive tundra far and wide in search of lemmings and other small prey.
Do People Live on Ellesmere Island?
Incredibly, humans have inhabited this remote island for the past 4,000 years, with archaeological evidence of our earliest presence found in the fjords of the Hazen Plateau. The Dorset people inhabited the east coast until 1,400 CE, while the Thule—the ancestors of the Inuit—arrived in the twelfth century. As of 2024, the population of Ellesmere Island was just 144 people across three settlements: Alert, Eureka and Grise Fiord.
Visiting Alert on Ellesmere Island
Alert is a Canadian Armed Forces military facility located just 500 miles from the North Pole. Since its founding in 1950 as a joint US/Canada weather station, it has been the northernmost continuously inhabited place in the world—though it has no permanent residents. Visitors coming to work at Alert must arrive via military aircraft and usually stay in three- to six-month stints.
Visiting Eureka on Ellesmere Island
Located on the Fosheim Peninsula in central Ellesmere, this small research base is best accessed via its airstrip (charter planes can fly in), though ships can also approach via Eureka Sound. Eureka is not a town so much as a collection of buildings housing personnel, however, the area is known for its abundant flora and fauna which earned it the nickname, “The Garden Spot of the Arctic.”
Visiting Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island
This tiny hamlet along Ellesmere’s southern coast is Canada’s most northerly community and it’s the only permanently inhabited one on the island. Along with the public airport, you’ll also find a hotel and some B&Bs on the island. Walking around town you’ll likely be greeted by the warm and welcoming Inuit residents whose handmade jewelry, prints and carvings are sold at the local co-op.
While Ellesmere is remote, it’s also one of the Arctic’s most spectacular places, a magical wilderness of snow, ice, rock and sea teeming with fascinating wildlife. This bucket-list destination in the Far North has something to inspire every type of adventurer—whether you’re a birder hoping to check new species off your life list, a photographer in search of striking photo ops, or a curious traveler who enjoys seeing daily life in far-flung communities.
