Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/81685
ST AR A T TR A C TION S the tides and weather permitting. Access by boat or helicopter. Fee for guided tour. p: 204-675-8863 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada. gc.ca/princewalesfort Sloop Cove was a safe harbour and winter haven for Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) sloops in the 18th century. Due to post glacial land uplift, it is now a meadow surrounded by rocks with iron mooring rings. The rocks bear signatures of HBC men, the most famous being Samuel Hearne, northern explorer and HBC governor. Tour arrangements can also be made with private boat tour operators. Access by boat or helicopter. Fee for guided tour. p: 204-675-8863 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/ princewalesfort location: 4 km/2.5 mi upriver from Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada bear, is home to one of the world's largest known polar bear maternity denning sites. As well as protecting vital habitat for polar bears, Wapusk National Park provides critical habitat for hundreds of thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds that nest along the Hudson Bay coast in summer and gather to feed during spring and fall migrations. As Wapusk National Park of Canada is located in a remote region, access to the park is limited. Visitors can enter the park through the services of tour operators. location: 45 km southeast of Churchill, no road or trail access p: 204-675-8863 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/wapusk Town Centre Complex houses a health centre, high school, library, swimming pool, indoor playground, curling rink, theatre, hockey arena, cafeteria, gymnasium and fitness centre. Interior walkways, lit by overhead skylights, are lined with brightly coloured Inuit wall hangings and prints, and a big carved-wood polar bear invites children to slide through his benign mouth. p: 204-675-8871 e: townofchurchill@mts.net w: www.townofchurchill.ca b Wapusk National Park of Canada is an immense lowland area of 11,475 km2 south and east of Churchill. This impressive park represents the features of the Hudson-James Lowlands Natural Region in Canada's system of national parks. Wapusk, the Cree word for white York Factory National Historic Site of Canada features remains of the great Hudson's Bay Company fur trade post, including a depot built in 1832, the oldest wooden structure still standing on permafrost. Across Sloop Creek are the ruins of a stone gunpowder magazine and a cemetery with markers dating back to the 1700s. Access is limited to charter planes or by canoe down the Hayes River. Weather conditions are unpredictable at York Factory NHS and can force a longer than anticipated stay. York Factory NHS is situated in polar bear country, and visitors should be aware of the possibilities of an encounter with a bear. Camping is now allowed at York Factory NHS. Visitors must contact the Parks Canada office for accommodations and safety information. Guided interpretive tours are available in summer. Fee for guided tour. location: 250 km/155 mi southeast of Churchill, 8 km/5 mi upstream on the Hayes River p: 204-675-8863 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/yorkfactory HERITAGE NORTH MUSEUM The Museum consists of two log structures and an open-air blacksmith shop. See mounted animals native to the area, a boreal forest diorama with authentic caribou hide tipi, First Nations and fur trade artifacts, fossils, a woolly mammoth tusk, travelling exhibits and Inco and mining related artifacts. Blacksmith demonstrations occur periodically throughout the summer. The museum also houses an Institutional Archives and a Visitor Information Booth. Admission charged. Open year-round, Monday to Saturday 1 – 5 p.m. (winter), daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (summer). location: 162 Princeton Dr., Thompson p: 204-677-2216 e: hnmuseum@mts.net w: www.heritagenorthmuseum.ca b YORK FACTORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA 53