It takes nearly 190 kilometres of fjord to reach Kangerlussuaq, and this long approach between brown rock walls and milky waters sets the stage for a stop like no other in Greenland. There's no fishing village here: Kangerlussuaq was born in the 1940s as an American air base, before becoming the hub of Greenlandic air travel. Ships anchor at the head of the fjord and tender their passengers ashore, at the foot of a tundra landscape where an attraction without equal waits just a few dozen kilometres away: the ice sheet that covers four-fifths of Greenland.

The Only Road to the Ice Sheet

The settlement holds a distinction unique in the country: a drivable track of about 37 kilometres leads right to the very edge of the ice sheet, at a spot known as Point 660. Nowhere else in Greenland can you drive all the way to the ice. Excursions by off-road vehicle follow this gravel road through valleys and hills, until the mineral ground gives way to a white wall stretching out to the horizon. Walking a few steps onto this ancient ice, guided every step of the way, remains for most passengers the absolute high point of their Arctic journey.

Russell Glacier

About 25 kilometres from the settlement, Russell Glacier pushes an ice face roughly sixty metres high above the outwash plain. It's approached on foot from the track, close enough to hear it crack and, with a little luck, see a section collapse with a deep rumble. The contrast is striking: all around, the summer tundra unrolls Arctic cotton grass and dwarf birches, while the bluish wall advances at its own geological pace. Photographers could spend the whole day here.

Muskoxen and Reindeer

The region is home to one of the country's densest muskox populations, and excursions regularly cross paths with them, massive, woolly shapes grazing on the hillsides. Reindeer, Arctic hares, and Arctic foxes round out the picture, and the guides know exactly where to look for each. The continental climate, exceptionally dry and stable for the Arctic, favours good sightings: clear days are the rule here rather than the exception.

A Functional Outpost

The settlement itself, a few hundred residents clustered around the airstrip, keeps the look of a base: hangars, repurposed dormitories, a supermarket, a cafeteria. People don't come here for the architecture, and it would be unfair to judge it on that score. Kangerlussuaq is a gateway, the best-run one in the country, and its interest begins where the asphalt ends. Passengers between excursions will still find a post office, a few souvenir shops, and the distinctive atmosphere of an Arctic crossroads where scientists, hikers on the Arctic Circle Trail, and crews from around the world all cross paths. You'll see more hiking boots here than rolling suitcases.

Good to Know

• Excursions to Point 660 and Russell Glacier last three to five hours on a bumpy track: not recommended for those with back trouble.
• Dress in layers and bring sunglasses: glare off the ice and snow is intense.
• Mosquitoes can be fierce in July; a head net helps anyone with sensitive skin.

Leaving the End of the Road

As the ship heads back down the long fjord, everyone carries away their own measure of the country: a wall of ice touched with the flat of a hand, a muskox spotted in a nameless valley, the dust of a road that leads only to the essential. Kangerlussuaq is nothing like a pretty harbour, and it never claimed to be. It offers something better: direct contact with the force that shapes all of Greenland, and a glimpse of the world's true scale.