Sam Ford Fjord

Sam Ford Fjord

The Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti, formerly known as the Sam Ford Fiord, is a remote, elongated Arctic fjord on the northeast coast of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut, Canada. This fjord is renowned for the rugged beauty of its landscape, with cliffs rising steeply from the shore, and is a popular destination for climbers. Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti was a traditional hunting ground for the Inuit. For a time, it was known as Sam Ford Fiord, renamed in memory of the Inuk linguist who died in a helicopter crash, but the fjord has now been given back its original name. The Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti runs from north-north-east to south-south-west for about 110 km. The fjord mouth is more than 18 km wide, then gradually narrows to an average width of 3 km, about 50 km inland. The Sam Ford Fiord is famous for its glaciers and stunning, stark granite cliffs that rise steeply from its shores, towering up to 1,500 meters above sea level near Swiss Bay. Some of the most impressive summits along the fjord include Beluga Mountain, Rock Tower, Walrus Head Mountain, Broad Peak, Ottawa Peak, Sikunga Mountain, Turnagain Peak and Paalik Peak. On the east coast, 49 km from the mouth of the fjord, there is a massive cliff at a bend in the fjord, with a vertical wall that drops 1368 m into the fjord water.