Lady Franklin Island is truly breathtaking in its appearance! The rock here is some of the oldest on Earth, having been formed some 2.5 to 4 billion years ago. Barren, rocky and exposed to the full wrath of the weather, the island is home to breeding seabirds, ducks and walrus. With a bit of luck, it's possible to see Atlantic puffins and even the rare Sabine’s gull.
Monumental Island is home to nesting black guillemots and is a favorite resting spot for walrus as they may be viewed at numerous haulouts around the island. The elusive Polar bear patrols the ice-floes here in search of seals while a variety of whales feed offshore.
In 1845, British Royal Navy explorer Sir John Franklin, on the most technologically advanced expedition to date, vanished in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Both islands were named by fellow Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall as a tribute to the wife of Franklin and as a natural monument in memory of Franklin himself.