Mammals

Caribou, wolves, and bears oh my! Kobuk Valley is home to a wide array of wild mammals. Caribou are often seen trotting across the sand dunes and swimming the Kobuk River while making their migration each spring and fall. While the caribou are migrating, the moose are wading in the swampy areas feeding and keeping a close eye out for their biggest predators, the grey wolf and brown bear. If you head into the upland areas you might find a few Dall's Sheep hangout out on the mountain tops. For the lucky visitor, you might even catch a rare glimpse of one of the solitary wolverines calling Kobuk Valley their home. Total, there are 32 mammals found in Kobuk Valley national park.

Kobuk Valley is home to one of the last great migrations left on the planet. Every spring and fall, the Western Arctic Caribou Herd –a quarter of a million animals –passes through the valley on the 600 mile trek between their summer and winter grounds. In our rapidly urbanizing world, many of the great migrations have disappeared, and Kobuk Valley National Park protects this millennia-old journey that is vital to both the caribou and the people who live in their path.

_{***Please note that due to contiguous habitats and ecosystems throughout our parks, there is considerable overlap in flora and fauna between then. When you click some links below, you will be taken to the Kobuk Valley National Park version of that page.***}