Kobuk Valley National Park
Caribou, sand dunes, the Kobuk River, Onion Portage - just some of the facets of Kobuk Valley National Park. Half a million caribou migrate through, their tracks crisscrossing sculpted dunes. The Kobuk River is an ancient and current corridor for people and wildlife. For 9000 years, people came to Onion Portage to harvest caribou as they swam the river. Even today, that rich tradition continues.
Kobuk Valley National Park is very remote. There are no roads to provide access, so planes take care of most transportation needs. Commercial airlines provide service from Anchorage to Kotzebue, or from Fairbanks to Bettles. Once in Kotzebue or Bettles, you must fly to the park with authorized air taxis.
- Boating
- Camping
- Backcountry Camping
- Fishing
- Freshwater Fishing
- Flying
- Fixed Wing Flying
- Hands-On
- Arts and Crafts
- Hiking
- Backcountry Hiking
- Paddling
- Canoeing
- Canoe or Kayak Camping
- Junior Ranger Program
- Wildlife Watching
- Museum Exhibits
- Shopping
- Bookstore and Park Store
- Archeology
- Migrations
- Animals
- Arctic
- Dunes
- Night Sky
- Aurora Borealis
- Unique Species
- Rare
- Watersheds
- Wilderness
Kobuk Sand Dunes
The setting sun casts shadows of black spruce on the dunes and colors the water of Ahnewetut Creek a deep blue.
Mountains as Far as the Eye Can See
The peaks of the Baird Mountains stretch far into the distance and are so remote that many of them have not been named.
Left Behind
Caribou migrate across the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, heading north in the summer and south in the fall. Some survive and some don't, which is a reality of life
Lone Rangifer tarandus
A single caribou of the 240,000+ strong Western Arctic herd on its fall migration south across Kobuk Valley National Park.
Kobuk Locoweed
Oxytropis kobukensis (Kobuk Locoweed) is a member of the pea family and adds a splash of pink to the sand dunes. The blossoms have that typical pea/ bean flower shape that many gardeners know.