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Features

Katannilik's three distinct landscapes were created from a complex series of folds, plunges and shears dating from the formation of the Earth, leaving a rich variety of rock formations and exposed geological domains.

The first starts at the south shore of Frobisher Bay, where the Itijjagiaq Trail begins. Rising 670 metres from sea level to the plateau of the Meta Incognita Peninsula, the landscape is a playground of deep gorges and sloping valleys. Increasing elevation means shelter becomes scarce as the topography flattens out. It also means a corresponding decrease in vegetation, as temperatures drop.

The second, the plateau of the Meta Incognita Peninsula, has changed little since the last glaciers receded. Glacial scars are readily discernible, and the shallow, rolling topography is testament to the force of these frozen behemoths. Rocks and boulders scattered across the smooth surface of the plateau look like they've fallen from the sky in a rock shower.

The third region of the park is the Soper River Valley, a product of receding glaciers, water erosion and the existing thermal oasis. Over the millennia, the water level of the river has fluctuated, leaving terraces throughout the valley floor. These terraces range from three to 30 metres above the current height of the river. The river valley is most impressive at its northern end. To the south, the valley walls start to diminish as the topography rolls gently toward Hudson Strait.

Plant life in Katannilik varies from virtually none on the top of the Meta Incognita, to astoundingly abundant and varied in the valley. However, even where conditions are inhospitable, such as the plateau, plant life can still be found within millimetres of the ground. On the other hand, the Soper Valley, where summer temperatures average some 5°C higher than nearby Kimmirut - itself the warmest community on Baffin Island, plant life is astoundingly abundant. It is this variety that fascinated naturalist Joseph Dewey Soper in the 1930s, after whom the river was named, and whose house is the Katannilik Park Visitor Centre in Kimmirut. Soper explored the area while working for the Canadian government and catalogued much of the valley's plant life, including willow trees as tall as 3.6 metres, the tallest in the region. These uncommonly large willows still grow in well-protected areas of the valley.

Four communities of vegetation have been identified in the valley, each composed of plants with common nutritive needs:

• The dwarf shrub/heath tundra community is primarily made up of willow, dwarf birch, Lapland rosebay, Labrador tea, and arctic heather. This community, which needs more warmth than others, is found in moist areas below 210 metres in elevation.
• The grassland tundra group, with its characteristic tussocks of moss surrounded by shallow water, is the one you want to avoid hiking across. The group includes sedges, arctic cotton, sphagnum moss, bistorts and willows, and is usually found along bodies of water in the river valley.
• The bedrock/hill summit community is in exposed areas that are neither wet nor warm. Generally lacking good soil, this community is characterized by large amounts of lichen, but also comprises purple saxifrage, arctic poppy, mountain avens, broad-leafed willow herb, and chickweed, all of which tend to grow close to the ground and form a mat of color as they bloom.
• The snowpatch community is aptly named for its penchant for late-thawing areas where drifting has slowed the seasonal development of plants. As the snow melts, it permits arctic heather to grow first, followed by dwarf willows, mountain sorrel and finally, mosses. This regimented pattern results in rings of vegetation that distinguish the community.

Mid-July to late August is the best time to see Katannilik's vivid arctic bloom, starting with purple saxifrage, and followed by bluebells and dwarf fireweed. In late summer and early autumn, berries carpet the park. Inuit from Kimmirut flock to the valley to harvest blueberries, crowberries, mountain cranberries and bearberries as they have done for millennia.

Where there is vegetation there is wildlife, and with a terrain as rich as any in the Baffin Region, the Soper Valley is no exception. The most common animal in the park is the caribou. These caribou do not undertake the long overland migrations of the mainland variety, but circulate throughout southern Baffin Island and the Meta Incognita Peninsula. In summer and autumn, caribou prefer the lush vegetation of the valley. Winter and spring sees them moving to the uplands, where wind blows the ground free of snow and exposes lichens.

Wolves and foxes are also abundant throughout the park. Observant summer visitors may find fox dens in well-drained, rolling terrain throughout the valley; evidence of these winsome creatures is easier to spot in winter, as their tracks zigzag across the valley. Katannilik is home to both arctic and red foxes. The number of wolves in the park fluctuates with the availability of prey, though they are not as numerous as foxes.

Lemmings and hares are a favourite food of many larger predators and tend to make themselves scarce when creatures of the two-legged sort are in the vicinity. With some careful observation, however, you may be rewarded with a glimpse of one or both. Hares favour the protection of rocky hillsides. Lemmings can sometimes be seen darting from one tunnel to another.

And, while polar bears generally hunt seals in the coastal areas at the north and south ends of the park, they could enter the valley at any time and have been seen throughout the park.

Peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons are both present in Katannilik. Peregrines are found closer inland while gyrfalcons favour the coast. They are joined in the valley by two other predatory birds: the snowy owl, easily recognizable by its white plumage and unmistakable eyes, and the rough-legged hawk, one of the most common birds of prey in the Arctic.

The most common birds in Katannilik are the rock ptarmigan and snow bunting. The ptarmigan, which resides here throughout the year, is never easy to spot. In summer their mottled brown plumage blends in perfectly with the surroundings; in winter they are pure white. The snow bunting, a member of the finch family, spends all but winter in the area. Black and white males are more easily spotted than brownish females.

Migratory birds such as Canada geese and red-breasted mergansers frequent marshy areas of the river valley, while snow geese can be seen as they migrate in the spring and fall. All three species of loons are often present closer to the coast at the southern end of the park, as are other shorebirds such as murres, terns and black guillemots.

Although there are generally no char in the Soper River, they can sometimes be found at either Soper Falls or at the reversing falls, where Soper Lake drains into the ocean. Landlocked char can be found in the lakes on either side of the Soper Valley, but are not usually eaten because they may contain tapeworm cysts.

Three varieties of cod can be found in Soper Lake: Arctic, Greenland and Atlantic. Inuit catch these in summer and throughout the winter. They are easy to catch, and though they are eaten, the activity is considered mostly a form of recreation.

Minerals in Katannilik are as plentiful as they are varied. Exposed bedrock reveals diopside, marble, low-quality garnet and various other semiprecious gems. Apatite can be found in blue, green and rose hues. Bands of crystalline limestone transect the valley and the river.

Mining has been attempted sporadically in the Soper Valley since 1900, when a Scottish company extracted mica from a number of locales in and around the river. Graphite was also mined in the early 20th century. Outcrops of both are still easy to find.

A deposit of lapis lazuli, a brilliant blue gemstone found in only a few locations in the world, is also located in the valley. Though the stones here are of poor quality, their colour and rarity make them worth seeking. It too was mined, but abandoned in the early 1970s. The mica and lapis lazuli deposits are located on parcels of Inuit-owned land within the park boundaries and require special permission to access. See the section on Accessing Inuit Owned Lands in the Visitor Centre for more information.

As its name suggests, Katannilik is full of waterfalls. The largest is Soper Falls, where the Soper River flows into Soper Lake through a white marble chasm. Farther upstream, just before the Livingstone River flows into the Soper River, is Livingstone Falls; slightly further north, an easy day-hike up the Cascade River brings you to Cascade Falls, the highest waterfall in the park.