Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

Understand

History The park's name comes from a nature activist named Robert Marshall who, while exploring the North Fork of the Koyukuk River, saw two mountains (Frigid Crags & Boreal Mountain) flanking the river on each side and gave this portal the name "Gates of the Arctic". The region was first protected as a national monument in 1978 and was upgraded to a national park in 1980.

Landscape The majority of the park is located within the Brooks Range mountains. Arete-topped mountains and glacier-carved valleys are the predominate landscape.

There are six national "Wild and Scenic Rivers" in the park:

Alatna River 83 miles (134 km) John River 52 miles (84 km) Kobuk River 110 miles (177 km) the North Fork of the Koyukuk River 102 miles (164 km) part of the Noatak River Tinayguk River 44 miles (71 km)

Flora and fauna There is little in the way of vegetation as most of the land is Arctic tundra. Mosses and grasses survive and bloom in the summer months. Spruces survive in the southern Brooks Range, while in the North there are almost no trees beyond shrub birches. Fauna include moose, barren-ground grizzlies, Dall sheep, black bears, wolves, muskox, ground-squirrel, and caribou. Birders can find a wide variety of birds common to Alaska within the park, such as ptarmigan, grouse, loons, terns, and raptors. A total of 145 species of birds have been observed in the Park and Preserve over the past 30 years.

Climate The entire park lies north of the Arctic Circle, thus the park has a short, cool summer (June-August) and a long, harsh winter (September-May). Temperatures in the summer, when most people visit the park, average around 50°F (10°C) while winters average around -30°F (-35°C) with temperatures below -60°F (-55°C) very possible... even before factoring the wind chill! The best (and certainly safest) time of year to visit is June-August, while April-May & September are bearable for hearty souls. Snow can fall at any time of year!

Visitor information Park websi

Getting there

By road There are no established roads or trails leading to nor within the park. However, the Dalton Highway passes within 5 miles of the park's eastern side. The National Park Service maintains a small visitor's center in Coldfoot (which lies on the Dalton Hwy) between Memorial Day and Labor Day (i.e. end of May–beginning of September). It is possible to park far off the highway and hike into the park or you can perhaps make special arrangements to be dropped off and picked up by the Dalton Highway Express bus service.

By air There are several Native Alaskan villages within the park which all have small airstrips, which can be reached by air taxi (regular service or charter). The largest village and most used airstrip is located at Anaktuvuk Pass, which has regular air taxi service. The village is used to tourists visiting the park and some services as well as a NPS office can be found here. Air taxi services generally fly from Fairbanks, Coldfoot, or Bettles (although just getting to the latter two generally requires travel by air taxi). Some air taxi services also offer fly-overs of the park, flying a route such as Deadhorse-Anaktuvuk Pass-Bettles-Coldfoot at 2,000 ft and perhaps spending the night in the Inupiat village of Anaktuvuk Pass. This is a great option for the time-pressed or less-adventurous and, compared to other options into the park, is not terribly expensive. It is also great for spectacular photography! Another option for remote locations is by bush planes which may either use the airstrips or land on a remote lake. By hiring a bush plane, you have greater flexibility (at a price). You will typically organize a custom trip where you are dropped off on a lake on a specific day and the plane returns to a specific rendezvous point a couple days or a couple weeks later to pick you up. Thus for most wilderness backpackers in the park, this is your best (but certainly not cheapest) option to explore the wild side of the park. Many outfitters based

See

Viewing the Northern Lights or experiencing the Midnight Sun are sometimes possible.

Do

Popular activities include backpacking, hiking, rafting, canoeing, birding, photography and hunting.

Buy

The park is a wilderness, so anyone expecting stores will be sorely disappointed.

Sleep

There are no developed lodgings or campsites in the park, but camping is allowed. Because this is remote wilderness, be sure to be prepared with supplies and pack everything out that you take in, including garbage. Also keep in mind that, like the rest of Alaska, this is bear country... take appropriate precautions.

Go next

Bettles Dalton Highway Fairbanks Kobuk Valley National Park — a similar Arctic park in northwestern Alaska