Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve - Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

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Wilderness Adventure

The floatplane disappears, leaving you on the lakeshore. For the next two weeks you must survive using the knowledge, skills and gear you bring with you. Traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers. You will walk or float through intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for thousands of years. You will experience solitude, self reliance and nature on its own terms. Are you prepared?

Caribou in Gates of the Arctic National Park

Caribou and People

In Northern Alaska, people and caribou have lived in a close, intricate relationship for at least 11,000 years.
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Bob Marshall (center) and friends, ca. 1932

Creating a Vast Northern National Park

The early inspiration for what is now called Gates of the Arctic National Park can be traced back to a man named Bob Marshall, who arrived in Alaska in 1929 looking for what he called "blank spaces on maps."
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Common Loon

The common loon has come to symbolize the vast, pure, undiminished, unspoiled wildness of the North Country. The loon's remarkable plumage and haunting voice have enchanted people of the Brooks Range for thousands of years.
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		Wild and Scenic Rivers Gates of the Arctic is home to six Wild and Scenic Rivers that offer opportunities for unparalleled wilderness experiences. more...

Write to

Visitor Information
P.O. Box 30
Bettles, AK 99726

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Information
(907) 692-5494

Fax

(907) 692-5400

Climate

The central Brooks Range has long, severe winters and relatively short summers. During the winter, long nights prevail, while the summer has thirty days of continuous sunlight. Visitors traveling in the park move through a variety of climatic zones and experience highly variable and unpredictable weather. Snow can fall during any month of the year.
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