Access is by air by the Kugaaruk Airport, by annual supply sealift, and by sea ice.

Other wildlife includes narwhal, beluga, bowhead whale, polar bears, wolverine and peregrine falcons.

There are a few Inuit artists in Kugaaruk, including the world-renowned Emily Illuitok,[22] (1943-2012), who worked mostly in walrus ivory and bone; and Nick Sikkuark, whose works are mainly in whale bone, caribou antler, and walrus ivory, and are characterized by "droll, macabre wit".

However, one challenge faced by educators in this community is that most students read at about 3 or 4 grade levels lower than their Albertan counterparts (as of 2007).

Sites visited in Ontario included the CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame, Queen's Park, Square One Shopping Centre, MuchMusic, Niagara Falls, Great Wolf Lodge, and the two exchange schools: Clarkson Secondary, and Hillside Senior Public School.

This is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone.

Kugaaruk is the location of the lowest wind chill ever recorded in Canada, of −79[27] On 16 February 2018, the Human Weather Observation System (HWOS), a type of semi-automated weather observing system, reported an unreviewed new minimum temperature for the month of February at −51.9 °C (−61.4 °F) at 06:00 MST.

[29] Kugaaruk has a tundra climate (Köppen: ETf) with short but cool summers and long cold winters.

[32] In 1935 Father Pierre Henry established a Roman Catholic mission at Pelly Bay.

[33][31] In 1955, the Pelly Bay DEW Line Station was built near the hamlet, making the traditional campsite of nomadic Inuit into a permanent settlement.

[31] In 1968, the local airport was built, and the Canadian government imported prefab housing to build out the town site.