Kobuk Valley National Park
Home to North America's largest active Arctic dune fields, where caribou migrate across vast wilderness.
Park Overview
Hidden 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle in northwest Alaska, Kobuk Valley National Park protects 1.75 million acres of boreal forest, caribou habitat, and North America's largest active Arctic dune fields—the Great Kobuk, Little Kobuk, and Hunt River Sand Dunes. With no roads, no trails, and fewer than 3,000 annual visitors, this remote park offers true wilderness adventure for experienced travelers.
Fun Facts
The park's latitude (~67° N) means 24-hour daylight June 3 – July 9 and 24-hour darkness mid-December.
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are the largest active sand dunes in the Arctic, covering 25 square miles.
Caribou herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands migrate through the park twice annually.
The park has no roads, trails, or visitor facilities—pure wilderness experience.
Best Time to Visit
Summer (June 15 – July 31): 24 hours sun. 45–75 °F. Warm sand-dune hikes, wildflowers, boating. Mosquito peak, soft dune heat.
August: 20 hours daylight. 35–65 °F. Caribou migration (southbound), fall colors, aurora start. Early frost, storms delay flights.
September: 14 hours → 10 hours daylight. 25–55 °F. Peak tundra reds, fewer bugs, aurora strong. Diminishing charter availability.
October – May: Less than 9 hours to polar night. −40 – 25 °F. Aurora, ski-joring, wolf tracks. Extreme cold, limited services, short runway daylight.
Things to Do
Experienced Adventurers:
- Backpack the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes: 3-day dune traverse, barefoot on warm sand by day, northern lights at night
- Packraft the Kobuk River: 80-mile float from Walker Lake to Kiana (Class I–II) through boreal forest and dune backdrops
- Caribou watch at Onion Portage: Charter drop-camp late August to witness one of Earth's great migrations
Photographers & Naturalists:
- Midnight-sun shadows on dune ridges (late June)
- Aerial shots of serpentine Kobuk River oxbows from bush plane
- Aurora dancing over boreal spruce reflected in Walker Lake (Sep – Mar)
Entry Points & Classic Routes
Kotzebue (OTZ): Charter floatplane to Onion Portage (caribou crossing). 1.5-hour flight; weight 40 lb pp.
Bettles → Walker Lake: 8-day packraft Kobuk River through park. Requires flight relay via Bettles & refuel at Ambler.
Kiana Gravel Airstrip: 3-day up-river jet-boat drop → hike dunes. Arrange local boaters; tides + river stage dependent.
Family-Friendly?
This park is recommended only for experienced families with Arctic wilderness skills. The remote location, lack of facilities, and challenging logistics make it unsuitable for most families with children.