Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve

About Gates Of The Arctic

This vast landscape does not contain any roads or trails. Visitors discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for over ten thousand years. Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails, endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Virtually unchanged, except by the forces of nature.

Hours

Getting there

Gates of the Arctic is a wilderness park, with no roads or trails into the park lands, so visitors must fly or hike into the park. Access begins in Fairbanks, Alaska & there are several small airlines that provide daily flights into the communities of Bettles, Anaktuvuk Pass, and Coldfoot. Most visitors access the park by air taxi or hike in from the Dalton Highway or from the village of Anaktuvuk Pass. River crossings are necessary from both locations.

Weather

The climate of Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve is generally classified as arctic and sub-arctic, with exceptionally cold winters, relatively mild summers, low annual precipitation, and generally high winds. The weather is influenced by many different systems, and can change rapidly.!!

Things to do

Backcountry Camping, Backcountry Hiking, Camping, Canoe or Kayak Camping, Canoeing, Climbing, Hiking, Hunting, Hunting and Gathering, Junior Ranger Program, Kayaking, Mountain Climbing, Off-Trail Permitted Hiking, Paddling, Rock Climbing, Whitewater Rafting.