One of the biggest reasons that people from all around the world fall in love with the mighty last frontier is because of the ability to get away from it all. As the least inhabited state in America, Alaska is home to hundreds of millions of acres of utterly nothing. Yet, the hidden places that are the hardest to reach are almost always the most enthralling. The Kobuk Valley National Park, a unique national park to visit in Alaska, is no exception. What you'll find here will completely blow your mind and make you look at (and appreciate) the state in a whole new light.
The remote town of Kotzebue with a population of roughly 3,000 residents is the gateway to Kobuk Valley National Park.
The stunningly beautiful and incredibly underrated Kobuk Valley National Park is in northwestern Alaska, roughly 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In fact, the entire park sits above the Arctic Circle.
This 1,750,716 acre wonderland became an official National Park in 1980. Because there is no road system and no designated trails, the only way to access the area is by foot, dogsled, snowmachine, boat or the quickest route, small bush plane.
The treeless ecosystem known as tundra offers incredible contrasts from winter to summer. Known as an 'arctic desert' this land is flat and dry with average temps that are very low (with the exception of a couple months during the summer). This arctic desert gets minimal precipitation yet it is incredibly rich in wetlands due to the permafrost (permanently frozen under-layers). It's a wild contrast that is just part of what makes the last frontier such a raw and diverse place.
This fascinating place is probably most well known for its Great Kobuk Sand Dunes. Visitors love to hike around these soft dunes for miles on end and camp overnight for a truly Alaskan experience.
The sand dunes cover about 20,500 acres in the park. Wind from a predominately eastern direction coupled with ground rock from ancient glaciers creates sand dunes up to 150 feet high throughout the park. The last thing you want to do is visit during a windy day, you won't be able to see a thing and the sand blowing at vast speeds can be quite dangerous.
The approximately 400,000 caribou of the Western Arctic herd is another very popular attraction in this isolated park.
The huge herd migrates between winter and summer breeding grounds south of the Waring Mountains and north of the Baird Mountains.
Aside from caribou, other animals that can be found in the park include moose, gray wolf, black bear, grizzly bear, Canada lynx, wolverine and red fox.
The 174-mile Kobuk River also offers an abundance of salmon and trout.
The 'orange creek' in the park is quite the bizarre and completely mesmerizing sight to see. The natural minerals in Anaktok Creek coat every rock the water touches and it's incredibly beautiful.
The most popular activities in the park include hiking, mushing (dog sledding), backcountry camping and wildlife viewing. This is predominately a summer destination as temps can range in the 80s in many areas. In the wintertime, the common below 0 temps make it too frigid to fully enjoy.
In the late summer months after the countless days of midnight sun, visitors have excellent opportunities to view the northern lights (aurora borealis). We recommend late August and September for the best viewing opportunities.
What are your thoughts on this fascinating destination? Isn't it an incredibly unique national park to visit in Alaska? If you are fascinated by permafrost, check out this unbelievable natural phenomenon that happens just once a year in Alaska. The way the bright red hues illuminate the enormous valleys and towering mountainsides is beautifully breathtaking and truly must be seen to be believed!
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