Kobuk Valley National Park
Arctic sand dunes north of the circle, crossed twice a year by a caribou herd that has used the same river crossings for millennia.
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The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes cover about sixty square kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, left from glacial outwash ground to sand and blown into dunes that reach thirty metres and reach summer surface temperatures around thirty-eight degrees - which is not what people expect of the Arctic. The Western Arctic caribou herd, which has numbered in the hundreds of thousands though it has declined sharply in recent years, crosses the Kobuk River twice annually on migration, and the crossing at Onion Portage has been used by people hunting them for around nine thousand years, making it one of the longest continuously used sites in the Arctic. There are no roads, trails or facilities. Access is by bush plane or boat only, and visitor numbers are among the lowest of any park.
What you actually see
- Arctic sand dunes - about sixty square kilometres, up to thirty metres high.
- Twice-yearly caribou crossings - of the Western Arctic herd.
- Onion Portage - used by hunters for around nine thousand years.
- No roads, trails or facilities - access by air or water only.
When to go
June to September; caribou cross in late summer and spring. Several days.
Honest expectations
Access is expensive bush flying and weather cancels regularly. There are no facilities, trails or rescue infrastructure. The caribou herd has declined substantially and crossings are less certain than they were. Mosquitoes are severe.
Nearby
Kotzebue is west; Gates of the Arctic is east.
What to pack for Kobuk Valley National Park
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
