Given it’s small size, Iqaluit has a small urban inner city center. Beyond the city limits, there are some beautiful parks and trails. I had access to a vehicle and was able to get out beyond the city limits after seeing what a Iqaluit’s “city center” had to offer. I highly recommend getting access to a car for at least one day during any visit to Callie.

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A Day Sightseeing Around Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada.

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On this trip, I had two days in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. While I was staying at a friend’s house and was able to save on hotel costs, he had taken a trip to Greenland for the week. He kindly gave me access to his car in order to drive around and self guide myself around the city.

Although it cost about $250 to rent a car for the day, I would recommend at least renting a vehicle for part of your time in a Iqaluit. Having access to a car will allow you to get out beyond the inner city and experience some of the more remote areas like Sylvia Grenell Park showcased below.

In addition to this, you can find my posts on Shopping in Iqaluit and Hiking the Apex trail as activities to experience, when visiting Iqaluit.

Starting at the Black Heart Café:

I started my sightseeing adventures at the Black heart Café. It’s located just off the main street in town. It is an exceptionally popular place full of visitors and locals. For breakfast places, it’s pretty much this or the more luxurious Frobisher Inn hotel that also does a buffet on the weekends.

I was able to pick up the very best coffee in town along with the best crock miss year that I’ve had in a while. Breakfast came to about $37 Canadian Dollars. While it wasn’t the most filling breakfast, it hit the spot and allowed me to get going with some energy.

Walking Around Iqaluit:

I left the car near the Black Heart Café. It was a Saturday and the weekend on my self guided walking tour date. As a result, many of the government offices that were located in the heart of Iqaluit were closed.

The town had a bit of an isolated and eerie feeling as a result. The town that would normally be the heartbeat of the territory was silent and empty.

I passed by the government of Nunavut territory buildings that were marked with the territory and Canadian flags outside. There was a rock that proudly announced the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.

I further walked on to Iqaluit’s largest intersection. It’s a four-way stop intersection that marks the de facto centre of town. There are no stoplights in the entire territory of Nunavut. This four-way stop intersection which marks the scale of things at latitude “North of 60”.

I walked over to the Saint Judes Cathedral in Iqualuit. This is also sometimes known as the igloo church for its unique shape. It is an Anglican church which has the largest surface territory of any Anglican diocese in the world. Unfortunately, I was not able to get inside a small sign on the door. Encourage me to call a number for a visit given that it was later on Sunday, I figured I had missed my opportunity.

Wandering through the streets, there were a lot of abandoned bikes lying around near playgrounds. Some of these were in workable condition, but I found it a bit unfortunate that kids were able to just leave their toys lying around.

On the other hand, perhaps, on the bright side, it’s a positive sign that kids can leave their things out and return to them later without anybody actually taking them.

There is a slight slope to the town. After a completing a giant loop. I found myself walking back down the slopes back towards the car.

The infrastructure here is minimal. There’s virtually no paved sidewalks, with gravel roads everywhere you go.

Visiting Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park:

One of the benefits of having a rental car is that you’re able to visit areas there are further field from town. I am headed out to Sylvia Grinnell Territorial park, which is located just south of the Iqaluit International Airport.

I would end up making two trips to the park on the same day. I first visited in the late afternoon where I came across some letters out on the water getting their last sledding in for the year.

There were also some views of the distant tundra, from some of the highest hills in the area. Despite it being June, my co-worker showing me around was able to take some photos of me fully experiencing the cool arctic air of Iqaluit.

I would later come back to Sylvia Grinnell at sunset. On my visit, sunset was occurring at 10:43 PM. It was very quiet coming back through town on a weekend, with even less people around than during the day.

Heading into the park, t was a gravel road experience. While there are a few people out, most people are on their own, just appreciating the view.

The sunsets over melting tundra, however, were most remarkable. Seeing the sun go down so far north across a shallow landscape was exceptionally amazing.

Wow – what a terrific experience being able to get out and enjoy a day in one of Canada’s most unique territorial capitals.

My Thoughts Visiting Iqaluit:

There was a lot to take in when visiting Iqaluit for two days. Given the fact that the site is so remote, a visit here will likely involve a lot of personal reflection.

While there aren’t a whole lot of sites to see, there is a unique beauty to the place. Having access to a car will greatly assist getting out beyond the inner city, towards some of the more remote sites.

Having had the ability to walk the Apex trail and get out to Sylvia Grinnell Territorial park where among the unique highlights. Experiencing the sunset at 11 PM over beautiful tundra water was a unique experience.

Overall, getting to Iqaluit is a great Aeroplan redemption award, if you can make a visit for nearly free, like I did.

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If you’ve visited Iqaluit, what were your highlights of your visit ?

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