Aulavik National Park, which means "place where people travel" in the Inuvialuktun language, is located on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is known for its access to the Thomsen River, one of the most northerly navigable rivers in North America. The park is a fly-in park, and it protects about 12,274 square kilometers (4,739 square miles) of Arctic Lowlands at the northern end of the island. The most practical way to visit the park is to charter a plane, and the park currently has four landing sites. Aulavik is considered a polar desert and often has strong winds. The park receives about 300 mm (12 inches) of precipitation each year. In the southern parts of the park, a sparsely vegetated upland plateau reaches a height of 450 meters (1,480 feet) above sea level.

The park has the highest number of muskoxen in the world, with estimates of 68,000 to 80,000 animals on the island, about 20% of which live in the park. It is also home to the endangered Peary caribou and the more common barren-ground caribou. Ptarmigan and ravens are the only birds that live in the park year-round, though 43 other bird species visit seasonally. The park has no trees and is home to 150 species of flowering plants. Arctic foxes, brown and northern collared lemmings, Arctic hares, and wolves live in the area. Marine mammals along the north coast include polar bears, ringed seals, bearded seals, beluga whales, and bowhead whales. Birds of prey in the park include snowy owls, rough-legged hawks, gyrfalcons, and peregrine falcons, which hunt lemmings.

Before the Thule culture arrived on southern Banks Island, some Pre-Dorset people lived in what is now Aulavik National Park. Due to the colder climate caused by the Little Ice Age, Banks Island was likely uninhabited until the Inuvialuit arrived in the 17th century.

Aulavik National Park has two major bays, Castel Bay and Mercy Bay, and is located south of the McClure Strait. Captain Robert McClure spent two winters in Mercy Bay on the HMS Investigator while searching for the lost John Franklin expedition between 1850 and 1853. McClure’s team abandoned their ship in Mercy Bay and walked across the sea ice to reach another ship, the HMS Resolute. Nangmagvik Lake is located within the park.

The Mercy Bay area was visited by the Copper Inuit of Victoria Island to retrieve materials left by McClure’s group. They also hunted caribou and muskoxen, as shown by the many food caches in the area. In the 20th century, the region was popular with Inuvialuit because of the large number of foxes. Until the fur trade declined, fox trapping provided income for people from as far away as the Mackenzie Delta and the North Slope of Alaska. This influx of people led to the creation of Sachs Harbour, the only community on the island.