Alaska is one of the few places in the United States that has large, intact natural landscapes, this is particularly true in the Arctic. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve together have over 13 million acres of designated wilderness. Across the Arctic parks (including the sub-Arctic Bering Land Bridge), there is an additional 6 million acres that is eligible for wilderness status. These large areas allow ecosystems to function naturally. This includes mass migrations of caribou and the natural disturbance of fire that creates a mosaic of vegetation communities. Large, naturally functioning ecosystems are also more resilient to and allow species to better adapt to climate change, which is important, since the Arctic is warming at more than twice the global rate.
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Wild and Scenic RiversExperience wild and scenic rivers.
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SoundscapesSome places in Arctic parks are the quietest in the whole National Park System.
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Night SkiesIn the land of the midnight sun, summer skies are anything but dark. In the winter, night skies come alive.
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- Type: Things To Do
- Subtype: Canoe or Kayak Camping
- Reservations: No
- Pets: Yes
- Season: Summer, Fall
From wide glacial valleys to sweeping vistas in the headwaters, to rolling tundra, the wild rivers of Gates of the Arctic can take you on an adventure you’ll never forget. Rivers have been byways for wildlife and humans for centuries. They are the veins and arteries through the heart of the Gates of the Arctic wilderness.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
- Offices: Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
North of the Arctic Circle lies a wild land barely changed from time immemorial, a park whose name invites adventure and exploration—Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Even amidst the grand landscapes of Alaska, the 8-million acre Gates of the Arctic remains a treasured destination for wilderness exploration.
- Noatak National Preserve
Noatak National Preserve Wilderness Character Narrative
- Type: Article
- Locations: Noatak National Preserve
This expansive landscape extends from the western terminus of the Brooks Range to the headwaters of the Noatak River in the east – over 300 miles of unaltered, untamed landscape. Mountain spines frame the river’s path as it flows to the Chukchi Sea in meandering arcs. In this remote landscape, the Noatak Wilderness serves as an icon of diversity, complexity, and naturalness, and represents an opportunity for subsistence lifeways to live on.
- Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park Wilderness Character Narrative
- Type: Article
- Locations: Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley is part of a 17 million acre contiguous expanse of arctic and subarctic wildlands preserved as wilderness, bordered by the Noatak and Gates of the Arctic Wildernesses to the north and the Selawik Wilderness to the south. Still, the future of Kobuk Valley is uncertain. Imminent threats from climate change, developing technologies, changing use patterns, and potential regional developments make preserving the wilderness character of Kobuk Valley challenging.
- Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Cape Krusenstern National Monument Wilderness Character Narrative
- Type: Article
- Locations: Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Cape Krusenstern contains almost 597,000 acres of eligible wilderness, managed in accordance with NPS policy as wilderness in order to preserve its wilderness character. While it is just west of the larger, contiguous wilderness areas of the Noatak, Kobuk, Gates of the Arctic, and Selawik, it is an island unto itself with a unique set of threats and management challenges.
Last updated: August 15, 2019