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Gates of the Arctic - Alaska
Descriptive:
The name of the Park, the Gates of the Arctic, derives its origin from the two peaks on either side of the North Fork, Boreal Mountain and Frigid Crags, perceived by Robert Marshall as the gates looking into the arctic regions of the north from Brooks Range divide. Six national wild rivers crisscross the Park: the Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk, and the Tinayguk.
Although a National Park, no trails or visitor centers exist in the park. All visitors must arrive completely self-sufficient For visitors seeking solitude in uncompromised beauty, this is the place, where 8,500,000 acres of remote wilderness lay in wait.
Anaktuvuk Pass, a Nunamiut Eskimo village lies just inside the Park's north boundary on the Anaktuvuk River, and is where scheduled flights land from Fairbanks. It is also noted for the ceremonial masks the Eskimos sell here. Scheduled flights also make regular stops at Bettles/Evansville, Kobuk and Ambler.
Much of the lands are covered in relatively sparse black-spruce forests called taiga, a subarctic, evergreen coniferous forest typically dominated by firs and spruces; taiga is Russian for "land of little sticks". White spruce, birch and aspen are also hearty trees in this subarctic climate. Dwarf and resin birch, tussocks, alder and willow exist alongside heath, moss, and lichen. Alpine tundra occurs in the more mountainous areas.
Caribou, the only deer of which both sexes have antlers, make their way through the Park on their yearly migration southward for hundreds of miles.
The Gates of the Arctic region of northern Alaska comprises one of the world's largest parkland areas, if you include adjacent Noatak National Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park. Air taxis are available to rent, providing an aerial view of the Park, as well as pinpoint delivery inside the Park for backcountry exploration: these bush pilots can land on many different types of terrain.
Vegetation:
Taiga
White spruce
Birch
Aspen
Tussocks
Alder
Willow
Heath
Alpine tundra
Wildlife:
Caribou
Grizzly
Black bear
Wolf,
Moose
Dall sheep
Wolverines
Fox
Key locations:
Mount Doonerak is the highest peak in the Park, at just under 7,500 feet.
Walker Lake is known for its fishing for grayling and trout. Fishing is good in other areas of the Park as well.
Since backcountry means just that, there are no marked trails, per se, in the Park. Plotting your course of exploration will largely be your doing; for recommendations on planning backcountry hike, call or write the Superintendent, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Box 74680, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99707; telephone number: 907.456.0281.
The rivers are perhaps the most charted and the most often used routes. The Noatak runs 450 miles from Gates of the Arctic in the central Brooks Range through Noatak National Preserve to end at the sea.
Alatna River is a moderate trip to Allakaket from the desolate Arctic Divide.
Activities:
Backpacking
Rafting
Kayaking
Air taxis
Fishing
Dogsledding
