State Parks and National Parks

The Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska's Brooks Range is a vast and untouched area of superlative beauty. It is a maze of glaciated valleys and gaunt, rugged mountains covered with boreal forest and arctic tundra vegetation.

The remoteness and rugged nature of the Brooks Range discourage many visitors, but those who venture here are richly rewarded. Six national wild rivers, the Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk and Tinayguk, are among the hundreds of waterways threading through the park.

The park contains major portions of the Western Arctic caribou herd's range. Grizzly and black bears, wolves, moose, Dall sheep, wolverines and foxes also live in the park.

In spring, the few resident bird species are joined by migratory species from Europe, South America, Asia, tropical archipelagos and the continental United States.

Backpacking and river trips are the predominant recreation activities. There are no facilities, roads or trails. All visitors must be self-sufficient and practice leave-no-trace hiking and camping. Visitors are also required to store their food in an approved bear-resistant manner.

Most people come to the park by scheduled flights from Fairbanks to Bettles where they charter small aircraft. Charters are also available from Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Coldfoot and Ambler. Scheduled flights are available from Fairbanks to Coldfoot and Anaktuvuk Pass. Some visitors drive the Dalton Highway and hike into the park from the road, or hike out of Anaktuvuk Pass.

Hunting is permitted in the Gates of the Arctic Preserve, which is divided into two units, one in the northeast corner and one in the southwest corner.

For more information, visitors can also write to the Bettles Ranger Station, P.O. Box 26030, Bettles, AK 99726