September in Alaska #5 -- Gates of the Arctic (NOT)

Finally, our much awaited trip to Gates of the Arctic National Park. As I mentioned before, I have only eight more national parks to visit. Gates of the Arctic is one, as is Kobuk Valley, Both are in Alaska and both are hard to reach. 

Brooks Range

I was squeezing the Gates of the Arctic trip into Scott’s schedule and found that one day would work – there was a one-day fly-in/fly-out trip to the small town of Anaktuvuk Pass, which sits in the middle of the park. The trip included time in the park and the chance to meet a ranger and get a national park stamp. It was pricey, but I am on the home stretch.  I also knew I didn’t have time to visit Kobuk Valley, so that would have to be another trip.

It’s somewhat of a misnomer to say I haven’t been to Gates of the Arctic, because I have flown over it at rather low altitude on air tours several time. 

You cannot drive there

Since it is not accessible by road, I had seen far more of it than you would see if you had hiked in. I had also stayed in Wiseman before and that just a few miles from the park boundary.  But, I had not set a foot on the ground. So, it doesn’t count.

Technically Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, it is the northernmost National Park in the U.S. (the entirety of the park lies north of the Arctic Circle) and the second largest at 8,472,506 acres, slightly larger than Belgium. It consists primarily of portions of the Brooks Range, the Endicott Mountains and part of the Schwatka Mountains. During the winter, temperatures can reach −75 °F, but can reach 90 °F for a short time in summer. It was first protected as a U.S. National Monument in 1978, before becoming a national park and preserve two years later.

Alaska's National Parks

There are no roads in Gates of the Arctic, making it one of the less visited in the U.S. National Park system, welcoming less than 15,000 people a year. Its headquarters is in Fairbanks and it has ranger stations in Bettles and Anaktuvuk.

Fauna include Moose, Brown Bears, Dall Sheep, Black Bears, Wolves and Caribou. Caribou are common in the park, and one of Alaska's best known populations, the Porcupine herd, may spend some time in the Park.

Snowy peak

The earliest Inupiat people appeared about 1200 AD at the coast and spread to the Brooks Range, becoming the Nunamiut. The Nunamiut people, who had returned to their traditional homelands following a crash in the caribou populations in the early 1900's, were still living a relatively isolated subsistence way of life into the late 1940's. In 1949 the last two bands came together in the valley of the Anaktuvuk River, and over the next decade established the community of Anaktuvuk Pass. The word Anaktuvuk means “place of many caribou droppings) because the herd migrates through the pass. I was hoping that the fall migration would be on progress (they come through in September and October, but I could find nothing online that discusses their progress).

When I booked the trip, all the materials I got said the flight (on Warbelow’s, a bush airlines that travels all over Alaska) left at 8:00 a.m. The tour company had called a few days earlier to confirm the trip and said it would leave at 9:00 a.m. Oh, well.

Plane interior

Even though the weather was overcast, we were told by Warbelow’s that that thought we could make it. Our flight was also stopping in Coldfoot and Bettles, so it was unclear if it would take 1 ½ or 2 ½ hours to get there. There were several moose hunters on board as well.

A representative from Alaska Tours met us at the airport and explained that we would be met in Anaktuvuk by Darryl, a local who would show us the town, take us to the museum and take us to meet the ranger. She also told us that the weather tends to be the worst in the morning, so if we made it, we would probably have a good day.

Our plane was a small two-engine nine-passenger that apparently could fly on instruments. 

Instrument panel

The pilot told us that Coldfoot was socked in, so we would be going to Anaktuvuk first. We took off in heavy clouds and had no visibility for the first 30 minutes or so. 

On the way

Then, the clouds started to open up and we got some very nice views of the pass as we landed.

Anaktuvuk Pass

I was getting excited because it looked like we were going to have a pretty day.

Anaktuvuk Pass

It was partly cloudy and a bit windy with snow flurries.

Sun and fog

We deplaned and the hunters bolted for the restroom in the “terminal” (a small corrugated metal building). Darryl wasn’t there yet, which seemed to cause some confusion, so the pilot placed a call and I headed for the restroom, only to find the guy in charge “had to leave” and had locked it. No big deal, Darryl would be here soon.

The "terminal"

Next thing I knew, Scott was yelling at me to hurry back because we had to get back on the plane because “weather was coming in and they wouldn’t be able to get back to pick us up.” I asked the pilot about notifying Darryl and she muttered, “Darryl has issues.” A local policeman offered to drive me to the ranger station, but the pilot said we had to leave. Everyone seemed a little perturbed. I don’t think we had a weather problem. I think we had a Darryl problem. But, I will never know and I had to get back on the plane.

Scott

I enjoyed more scenery on the way back ...

Free views

... including good views of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline ...

Bettles

We stopped in we flew to Bettles (no restroom except “the bushes) ...

Another "terminal"

... and Coldfoot (same deal) and then back to Fairbanks. Five hours with about three hours of scenery and no potty break. 

The good news: we got a full refund, so it was essentially a free air tour. 

The bad news: I still haven’t set foot in Gates of the Arctic because, although the town is surrounded by the park, the airport is technically native corporation land, not National Park land.

So, I have to plan another trip!

Here we are coming ...

... and going ...

Trip date: September 10-21, 2015