Walker Lake, on the south slope of the Brooks Range, provides a striking example of the geographical and biological relationship of a mountain lake at the northern limit of forest growth. It is typical of the many glacial lakes formed in rock basins or behind moraine dams along both flanks of the Brooks Range. The plant assemblages around Walker Lake illustrate a wide range of environmental controls that emphasize the harshness of the subarctic climate. A full range of ecological communities from dense white spruce forest on its shores to the barren talus slopes 2,000 feet above the lake document the rapid biological change in a markedly compressed linear distance. Some of the dominant habitat forms are open spruce forest, tall shrub, dry tundra, bluffs-slides-outcrops, and standing waters.
The natural landmark includes all of Walker Lake and its principal tributary, Kaluluktok Creek, with a total area of about 144,900 acres. The lake is nearly 14 miles long and averages more than 1 mile in width. Elevations range from 600 feet above sea level at the lakeshore to over 4,000 feet on many of the surrounding peaks.
