Tundra vegetation has developed on the plateau above this and varies from small areas of coniferous forest and stunted forest to bare rock. Wet meadows between rock outcrops include grasses, sedges, mosses, pitcher plant Saracenia purpurea , sundew Drosera sp. However a number of species scarce in Canada are found, including lynx Lynx lynx ssp. Dendroica striata , common tern Sterna hirundo , and arctic tern S. paridisaea, a nesting site for bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephala , rock ptarmigan Lagopus mutus and American tree sparrow Spizella arborea , and a stopover for migrating shore birds. Europeans settled the area from the late 18th century and initially relied upon fishing, and from the 1900 upon commercial logging.
Principal occupations are seasonal inshore fishing, subsistence agriculture, logging and hunting.
In recent years the local employment base has diversified to include tourism. An estimated 125,000 people visited the park in 1994, although revenue figures are not available. In addition to 120km of paved roads, a system of hiking trails allows access to more remote areas. A number of campsites, with a total of 282 site emplacements, are located in the park, and hotels and other services are available in the adjacent communities. Information is available at a number of sites, including the administrative and visitor reception centre in Rocky Harbour.