Gates of the Arctic National Park

🌲 Park Overview

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve encompasses 8.4 million acres of pristine wilderness in Alaska's Brooks Range—America's northernmost national park with no roads, trails, or visitor facilities. This vast landscape of jagged peaks, rolling tundra, and wild rivers offers true wilderness adventure for experienced backcountry travelers. The park's name comes from two peaks, Boreal Mountain and Frigid Crags, that form a "gate" into the central Brooks Range.

🌟 Fun Facts

Gates of the Arctic is the northernmost national park in the United States, entirely above the Arctic Circle.

The park has no roads, trails, or visitor facilities—pure wilderness experience.

Caribou herds numbering in the tens of thousands migrate through the park annually.

The Brooks Range is one of the world's most remote mountain ranges, with peaks reaching over 9,000 feet.

📅 Best Time to Visit

Summer (June 15 – July 31): 24 hours of daylight, 45–70 °F. Wildflowers, endless paddling daylight. Mosquitos peak—head net essential.

August: 18–22 hours of daylight, 35–65 °F. Fall tundra reds, first auroras, caribou herds. Cooling temps, frontal storms.

September: 12 hours of daylight, 20–50 °F. Golden larch, fewer bugs, rutting moose. Snow possible, icy rivers.

October – April: Less than 10 hours to polar night, –40–20 °F. Northern lights, ski expeditions. Extreme cold, no plane access mid-winter.

🎯 Things to Do

Skilled Wilderness Travelers:

• Backpack Arrigetch Peaks cirque valleys—granite spires rival Patagonia
• Packraft the Noatak, Alatna, or John Rivers (Class I–III) for 5–14-day wilderness floats
• Traverse the Brooks Range crest from Boreal Mountain to Anaktuvuk Pass (80 mi, off-trail)

Photographers & Naturalists:

• Midnight-sun alpenglow on Mount Doonerak (7,400 ft)
• Caribou crossing the Kobuk–Noatak divide (late Aug)
• Aurora dancing over Walker Lake reflection (late Aug – Sep)

Cultural Encounters:

• Visit Anaktuvuk Pass Iñupiat village (park headquarters) for Nunamiut cultural museum & guided tundra walks

🥾 Entry Points & Classic Routes

Anaktuvuk Pass (ATK): 3-7-day loop into Ernie Creek & Cathedral Mts. Scheduled flights from Fairbanks.

Bettles / Brooks Range Aviation: Fly-in to Arrigetch Peaks → hike/packraft Alatna River 10–12 days. Charter only; weight limit 40 lb.

Dalton Highway (mile 136): Hike Koyukuk River valley 8 mi into park. Steep tussocks, no bridges.

Ambler or Kobuk villages: Access via scheduled flights from Kotzebue.