Timeline
14:30
Start at the visitor center in Churchill's train station. Since Wapusk is difficult to visit due to its remoteness, use this time to check logistics, maps, and safety briefings before heading south toward Cape Churchill. The station is your gateway to the park.
15:15
Head south of Cape Churchill on Hudson Bay to find a safe vantage point. The landscape is vast and open, so you will want to be settled well before the light changes. Keep an eye out for arctic hare, snowy owls, and the occasional fox.
16:00
Watch the sun set toward the SW at 16:00. The golden light starting around 14:42 will have already bathed the tundra in a rare, low-angle glow. This is the moment to appreciate the silence and the scale of the park that houses grizzlies and polar bears.
17:00
After the light fades, return toward the town. The temperature drops quickly in the Arctic, so head back to the relative warmth of Churchill to warm up and reflect on the experience of being on the edge of the polar bear habitat.
Local tip
Wapusk is difficult to visit owing to its remoteness. Ensure you have arranged transport and permits well in advance, as the visitor center is the only official entry point in town.
Check before you go
- The visitor center is located in Churchill's train station.
- Sunset on 15 January is at 16:00 local time.
- Golden light begins around 14:42.
Built from places in the Wikivoyage guide to Churchill (CC BY-SA 4.0), with open map data from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).