Visitors should be prepared to enjoy a non-traditional National Park Service experience. There are no roads, trails, campgrounds or regularly attended ranger stations in Kobuk Valley National Park. This is truly a wild area. Access is typically by small aircraft, which can cost several hundred dollars per flight hour. Licensed air transporters are available in Kotzebue and Bettles.

The number of National Park Service staff in Kotzebue is small and the acreage of the park is large. Visitors may not be able to contact a ranger if they have an emergency. Backcountry experience and self-sufficiency are vital. Your safety is your responsibility. Along with this come tremendous opportunities for peace and solitude on a vast landscape.

Visitors are not required to check in with staff at the headquarters office in Kotzebue or get a permit before starting a trip in the park. However, rangers are happy to document itineraries if travelers wish to provide that information. Cell phones often do not work in the backcountry. Satellite phones do work, however, and some travelers choose to carry them for added safety.

Kobuk Valley National Park is bear country. It is important to keep human food and scented items away from bears or any wild animals. Animal - resistant food containers are available for loan from the rangers in Kotzebue. Please practice Leave No Trace skills to maintain the healthy and wild nature of this area.

Only local residents are allowed to hunt in the national park. All hunters are required to follow federal regulations. These regulations are available at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm. Please respect all local subsistence hunting and gathering and give people a wide berth so they may finish their work without interruption. Visitors to Alaska are welcome to fish in the park. Anglers need to have an Alaska state fishing license, which can be obtained in Kotzebue or online at www.adfg.state.ak.us.