A Refuge Journey

Most web visitors may never physically visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because of its remoteness and the expense of getting there. It's a magnificent area with outstanding scenery, wildlife, and wilderness. Join us on a brief journey to explore this special place.

The far northern portion of the Refuge is a low, tundra covered coastal plain. We're now looking south toward the Brooks Range mountains.

Most years, caribou cows of the 123,000 member Porcupine Caribou herd give birth to their calves on the Refuge coastal plain.

The Refuge is sculpted in snow and ice for up to nine months each year.

Tundra plants and permafrost features are found throughout the Refuge coastal plain.

Biologists work throughout the year to study muskoxen within the Refuge. Here they are taking biological samples from a muskox bull they have darted.

Numerous wild flowers help paint the landscape during the long summer days.

Snowy owl numbers in the Refuge fluctuate with the size of the lemming population.

Visitors are captivated by the immensity of the Refuge and the awesome beauty of its features.

The rugged and remote Brooks Range mountains extend for hundreds of miles across the middle of the Refuge.

Most visitors come to the Refuge in the summer, many to float its rivers.

With no established trails in the Refuge, hikers must find their own way.

Dall sheep rams keep a lookout for predators.

Spruce trees dominate the southern part of the Refuge.