Herschel Island Yukon Canada
9
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Lindblad Expeditions (3 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
By Zodiac, onto the shingle beach at Pauline Cove, one of the few natural anchorages on this whole coast. There is no wharf, no road and no permanent population on the island.
In the northern Yukon, 5 km off the coast, where the tundra slides into the Beaufort Sea. The Inuvialuit call it Qikiqtaruk, which simply means 'island'.
Walk among the historic buildings at Pauline Cove with the territorial park rangers, then take a slow walk on the tundra to look at its flowers and wildlife. The island is covered on foot, and there is nothing else to do — that is the point.
From 1889, bowhead whaling drew fleets from San Francisco that wintered here. In 1893-94 nearly 1,500 people lived on the island, making Herschel the largest community in the Yukon at the time.
Officers' houses, warehouses and the Anglican mission from the whaling era, carefully maintained. They are among the oldest structures anywhere in the Yukon.
Caribou that sometimes swim across from the mainland, Arctic foxes hunting lemmings between the tussocks, seals and belugas in the surrounding waters. Arctic terns dominate the soundscape.
Yes, grizzlies and occasionally polar bears. You must stay with the guides at all times: this is bear country, and that instruction is not negotiable.
Waterproof boots, supplied or recommended by the expedition, since the landing is onto a beach. Even in July the wind off the sea can bite: keep a hat and gloves in your bag.
No. Pick nothing and take nothing: every object and plant belongs to Herschel Island-Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park, created in 1987, which protects 116 km² of tundra, beaches and human memory.
Yes. Thawing permafrost and retreating shorelines threaten the historic buildings, which are shored up and moved as needed. The site has become an observatory of northern change, and scientists stay there in summer.
