Alaska #6: Gates of the Arctic

On the ground at Gates of the Arctic

On to my next quarry, the northernmost National Park in the U.S., Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle, it is significantly larger that Kobuk Valley, which we had just visited, at 13,238 square miles. It is the second largest National Park in the  U.S. (Wrangell-St. Elias, also in Alaska, is the largest) and it is slightly larger than Belgium. 

I have flown over and been near Gates of the Arctic on several occasions, once flying all the way to Anaktuvuk Pass, a Native village located within the boundaries of the Park, only to have to turn back when our tour guide failed to appear. 

Anaktuvuk Pass, 2015

Wiseman, 2004

When our family visited Wiseman in 2001, we flew over portions of the Park and were on the ground no more than five miles from the border. I also stayed in Wiseman in 2004 when Scott and I participated in the Aurora Borealis photography workshop.

So close, but so far. I don't count fly-overs. Ya gotta have feet on the ground!

This trip was, in my opinion, a little bit of a cheat, because we barely even flew over the actual Park, landing on Walker Lake in the far south of this big, rugged area. But, since I have seen other parts of it before, I felt ok. This time, we passed over lots of tundra-covered and bare rock peaks, some ablaze with fall colors, some shrouded in mist and some incredibly jagged. 

Gates of the Arctic peaks

We also saw lakes, rivers and even a few roads and structures. 

Mountains, lakes, rivers and roads

Back in 2015, the mountains I flew over were snow-covered. so, I now I have seen some really good variety.

Photos taken in 2015

We saw almost no wildlife, just a few Tundra Swans and an Alaskan Moose cow and calf grazing in a pond.

Look closely to see the Moose

To see the flight over, click here.

Gates of the Arctic was initially designated as a National Monument in 1978, before being re-designated as a National Park and Preserve upon passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. 

Wilderness

A large part of the Park has additional protection as the Gates of the Arctic Wilderness, which covers 7,167,192 acres. 

The wilderness area adjoins the Noatak Wilderness and together they form the largest contiguous wilderness in the U.S. 

As I said, Gates of the Arctic has no roads to it or in it, making it exceedingly difficult to reach. 

One of the least visited National Park in the U.S., Gates of the Arctic gets less than 15,000 visitors a year. Compare that to  Grand Canyon, which gets nearly 6 million visitors a year. Interestingly, I was in BOTH of those Parks this year, although I was in two of the lesser-frequented parts of Grand Canyon National Park -- on the Colorado River and on the North Rim.

Map: National Park Service

Gates of the Arctic centers on the Brooks Range, covering the north and south slopes of the mountains. The Park includes the Endicott Mountains and part of the Schwatka Mountains. The eastern boundary generally follows the Dalton Highway, which comes within five miles but requires a river crossing to reach the Park from the road. 

Clear river

The westernmost part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is 10 miles farther east. Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge is near the park's southeast boundary. Noatak National Preserve adjoins the western boundary, and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska adjoins the northwest corner of the park. Almost all of the Park is designated as wilderness, with the exception of areas around Anaktuvuk Pass. A detached portion of the park surrounds Fortress Mountain and Castle Mountain to the north of the Park.

About 259,000 acres of the Park and Preserve are owned by Native corporations or the State of Alaska.

Mountains and muskegs

The Park’s mountains include the Arrigetch (Inupiat for “fingers of the outstretched hand”) and Mount Igikpak. It also features six Wild and Scenic Rivers: the Alatna, the John, the Kobuk, the North Fork of the Koyukuk, the Noatak and the Tinayguk. It straddles the Continental Divide, and, therefore, has drainages to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

A boreal forest extends to about 68 degrees north latitude, characterized by black and white spruce mixed with poplar. North of that line, coinciding with the spine of the Brooks Range, is the cold, arid "arctic desert." During the long winters, temperatures can reach −75°F; in the summer, it can get as hot as 90°F.

Approaching fall

Geologically speaking, much of the landscape rises above a crystalline basement into a band of partially metamorphosed and sedimentary layers. The top layer is the Kanayuk Conglomerate, a river delta deposit 30 miles wide, 500 miles long and 8,000 feet deep. 

Only some mountains have trees

Those layers were repeatedly and heavily carved by glaciers, recent enough that the edges are still dramatically sharp. Upland regions are primarily tundra and exposed rock. Valleys have conifers and shrubs, but once the valleys exit the mountains, tundra takes over again.

Nomadic peoples have inhabited the Brooks Range for as many as 12,500 years, living mainly on Caribou and other abundant wildlife. 

The earliest Inupiat people appeared about 1200 AD at the coast and spread to the Brooks Range, becoming the Nunamiut. They left their traditional homelands following a crash in the Caribou populations in the early 1900s, but returned to the mountains in the late 1930s. 

Photo taken in 2015

In 1949, the last two semi-nomadic groups came together in the Anaktuvuk River valley and, over the next decade, established the community of Anaktuvuk Pass. The Gwich'in, a Northern Athabaskan group, lived in the area in the last 1,000 years and then moved south of the Park.

The Park's name dates to 1929, when wilderness activist Bob Marshall, exploring the North Fork of the Koyukuk River, encountered a pair of mountains (Frigid Crags and Boreal Mountain), one on each side of the river. He names them "Gates of the Arctic." 

Our landing in Gates of the Arctic was on Walker Lake, which, as I mentioned, is in the far southern part of the Park. The source of the Kobuk River, Walker Lake was also known as "Big Fish Lake," because Inupiaq legend in the area told of giant fish that inhabited the waters. 

Walker Lake

A National Natural Landmark, the glacier-formed lake is nearly 14 miles long and averages over a mile in width. The gravel shore is bordered by dense white spruce forests and talus slopes that rise 2,000 feet above the lake.

The Kobuk River, which drains from the lake, has been a fishing site and travel corridor for thousands of years. It is rich in Lake Trout, Arctic Char and Grayling and the shores are full of berries in the fall. Walker Lake is a popular drop off point for visitors floating the Kobuk River. 

Circling over, we could see the shallow edges and discern patterns of silt. 

Walker Lake

When we landed, rocks prevented Mark from pulling the plane into water shallow enough for us to disembark without getting any in our high boots (and I did end up getting a small splash in one boot). He carried over a very large rock to help us step down. I was worried Mark would strain his back and we would be stuck there until we could be rescued -- which really wouldn't be all that bad (except for Mark).

You can see our landing here.

Notice Mark carrying the giant rock

Mark then hauled out chairs, a table and a bag full of ham sandwiches, fruit and  candy bars. We settled down for a nice lunch and took some pictures, including our "official" shot. Somehow, we didn't get as many as we did at Kobuk, so we just have the one together with no individual portraits. Oh, well, no matter.

Success again!

The Lake was gorgeous and, when we were there, it had a dreamy, misty look. I imagine it looks quite different ion a sunny day.

Walker Lake

Then, it was time to head home, we loaded up and followed a slightly more northerly route back to Bettles. Unfortunately, because the weather was getting progressively worse, we couldn't swing up to see the actual "gates." Mark indicated he might take us there the next day, but, alas, that was not to be. This was the only time we got in the Park.

The trip back was a bit bumpier than the earlier part of the day. We saw some more impressive peaks (no doubt creating some of the bumps) ...

Misty mountains

... and some beautiful fall colors ...

More fall colors

To see our flight back, click here.

Once back in Bettles, we had just enough time to get to the National Park Visitor Center to stamp my National Park Passport. Two down, just two to go!

Another stamp!

I am a bit sad that we didn't get more time in Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic National Parks. But, our spectacular day and evening in Denali National Park and Preserve when we got back south made up for everything! 

Denali

More on that later.

Trip date: August 17-September 4, 2018