If I Were Going...: Alaska #11: Utqiaġvik

Scott and me in Utqiaġvik

When I set up this trip, I decided that I wanted to go to off-the-beaten-path places. Both Scott and I have been to Alaska a lot, why not something different? So, I set up an overnight excursion to Utqiaġvik, which was known from the 1800s to 2016 (and still appears on many maps) as Barrow.

We took a tour with the North Alaska Tour Company. They offer both a one-day fly -up-and-back trip and an overnight trip. I signed up for the latter because I wanted some time to go looking for wildlife, especially the Snowy Owls that live there. I knew the timing was bad for Polar Bears and Walruses. Of course I wanted to see Polar Bears again -- I saw them back in 2008 in Kaktovik, Alaska, about 150 miles away -- and I really want to see Walruses. But that timing doesn't mesh with the trips to the National Parks (click here and here).

Polar Bear in Kaktovik, 2008

I tried -- and failed -- to find a birding guide, so I reserved a rental car to pick up after the included tour.

The plan looked like this:

Fly up from Anchorage in the early morning with a stop in snowy Prudhoe Bay to drop off and pick up passengers. Unlike the trip to Bettles, this flight was on Alaska Airlines rather than a bush plane.

Flying to Utqiaġvik

Quick lunch on our own (we ate at the Niġġivikput Restaurant at the Top of the World Hotel, where we would be staying for the night).
Van Tour of Utqiaġvik.
Dinner on our own (back to the Niġġivikput -- I am not sure there are any additional restaurants in town -- the famous Mexican place burned down).

Whalebone arch

Pick up the rental car and explore until sunset.
Get up early the next morning and explore until we needed to go to the airport for our return flight around noon.

The airport hasn't caught up with the name change

As with most things, it didn't go quite that way. I'll get back to that after I provide some background on Utqiaġvik.

Utqiaġvik signpost

One of the northernmost public communities in the world and the northernmost city in the U.S., Utqiaġvik is 327 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Nearby Point Barrow is the country's northernmost point.

Utqiaġvik is so far north that only 2.6 percent of the earth's surface is farther from the Equator. But it is still 1,300 miles south of the North Pole. That's pretty amazing.

Utqiaġvik ‘s population is 4,000, of which the majority are Iñupiat, an indigenous Inuit ethnic group.

Utqiaġvik, which means "a place for gathering wild roots," has been home to the Iñupiat for more than 1,500 years.

The city came to be known as Barrow, a name that was derived from Point Barrow, because non-native Alaskan residents found it easier to pronounce than Utqiaġvik (oot-kay-ahg-vic). Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow of the British Admiralty in 1825.

The U.S. acquired Alaska in 1867 and the Army established a meteorological and magnetic research station at Point Barrow in 1881.

Whaling Supply and Rescue Station

A whaling supply and rescue station built in 1889 still stands. The modest white clapboard building is the oldest wood-frame structure in Utqiaġvik and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1901, a U.S. Post Office was opened.

Will Rogers and Wiley Post

In 1935, the famous humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post made an unplanned stop at Walakpa Bay 15 miles south of Barrow while on route to the city. When they took off again, their plane stalled and crashed in a river, killing them both.

In 1940, the indigenous Iñupiat organized as the Native Village of Barrow Iñupiat Traditional Government, a federally recognized Alaska Native Iñupiat tribal entity.

The town was incorporated in 1958.

In 1972, the North Slope Borough was established and, with millions of dollars in new revenues from the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and later oil revenues, it has created sanitation facilities, water and electrical utilities, roads, hospitals, fire departments and health and educational services in Utqiaġvik and the villages of the North Slope.

New hospital (notice that it is on stilts)

In 1986, the North Slope Borough created the North Slope Higher Education Center. Renamed Iḷisaġvik College, it is an accredited two-year college providing education based on the Iñupiat culture and the needs of the North Slope Borough.

Iḷisaġvik College

Original movie poster

In 1988, the town became the center of worldwide media attention when three California Gray Whales became trapped in the ice offshore.

After a two-week rescue effort (Operation Breakthrough), a Soviet icebreaker freed two of the whales.

It was detailed in the 1989 book Freeing The Whales by Tom Rose, which was made into the movie "Big Miracle," starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, in 2012.

The town also boasts an unusual sight for the Arctic -- a blue-and-gold Astroturf football field -- the only high school football field in the Arctic. It was donated by a Florida woman named Cathy Parker who heard that the high school team had no place to practice and play.

The Barrow Whalers play four home games a year on Cathy Parker Field

Now, the Seattle Seahawks also support the team, hosting a barbecue in town each year.

The predominant land type in Utqiaġvik is tundra, which is formed over a permafrost layer that is as much as 1,300 feet deep.

Aerial view of Utqiaġvik

Utqiaġvik ‘s climate is cold and dry, averaging less than five inches of "rainfall equivalent" per year, which usually includes about 29 inches of snow. Temperatures are moderated by the surrounding topography; the Arctic Ocean is on three sides and flat tundra stretches some 200 miles to the south. Winter can be extremely dangerous, however, because of the combination of cold and wind, while summers are cool to cold.

The morning of departure

There are no wind barriers or valleys where dense cold air can settle or form temperature inversions, as commonly happens in the interior of Alaska. The day we arrived, it was cool-to-cold and breezy-to-windy. The next morning was very windy and rainy.

Several days before we arrived a storm had washed out the gravel road that heads towards (but not to) Point Barrow. Apparently, this happens all the time because of poor road quality, lack of berms along the entire length of the road (some is bermed) and lots of high winds. So, on the official tour, we couldn't even get close enough to see Point Barrow. But, we did make it there and I will talk about that later.

Point Barrow in the distance

The high temperature is above freezing for only a third of the year and there are 160 days of sub-zero temperatures; freezing temperatures and snowfall can occur during any month.

Utqiaġvik is one of the cloudiest places on earth -- it is completely overcast slightly more than 50 percent of the year and at least 70 percent overcast 62 percent of the time. Dense fog occurs an average of 65 days per year, mostly in the summer months. For that reason, we weren't even expecting Aurora Borealis -- and we didn't get any. Beginning around May 11 or 12, the sun remains above the horizon the entire day and does not set for about 80 more days. Conversely, the sun does not rise from November to January.

Tour Company logo

Utqiaġvik is the economic center of the North Slope Borough, with many businesses supporting oil field operations and another group supporting tourism.

Because transporting food to the city is expensive, many residents continue to rely upon subsistence food sources, including whale, seal, polar bear, walrus, waterfowl (especially Eider ducks), caribou, fish and spring berries.

Our tour guide, Frank, was an Athabaskan from the Interior who, after living all over the world with his military family, ended up in Utqiaġvik married to an Iñupiat. He is deeply involved in the community, serving on one of the local whaling crews.

Yes, Iñupiats still legally hunt whales, a right granted specifically to Native groups.

Harpooning the Bowhead Whale by Ken Lisbourne

Native villages are given a number of whale "strikes" based on their population.

A "strike" is an OPPORTUNITY to hunt, meaning a harpoon throw.

If you get a whale and the crew can bring it in, it is shared with the entire community.

If you fail to get a whale on a strike or if you kill one but fail to bring it in, which happens fairly often because whales can sink if not harvested quickly, you do not get another chance.

The preferred quarry is the Bowhead Whale, which should be, according to Frank, longer than 23 feet.

Scott and I saw a whale harvest when we were in Kaktovik in 2008.

Kaktovik Bowhead Whale harvest, 2008

Frank showed us the town, which, like all the Arctic villages, is not a place of beauty.

Utqiaġvik

There is virtually no vegetation except marsh grasses and the roads and many of the yards are bare sand and gravel. It gets everywhere. I do not know how people keep their cars or homes clean. Many of the buildings date back to the WWII and Cold War military installations. But, there are some new buildings, including a hospital and nice housing for doctors and nurses.

Cache; Photo: Scott Stevens

All buildings in town are built on pylons -- some hidden and some obvious. If the buildings sat on the ground, the heat they generate would melt the permafrost and the buildings would sink.

Climate change is creating issues with permafrost, including melting and collapsing many of the caches dug into the ground for storing game.

One of our first stops was the iconic Utqiaġvik whalebone arch, where everyone gets their picture taken. It's the huge ribs of a Bowhead Whale sitting next to two small whaling boats.

You can see us there at the top of this post.

Later, we stopped by a display of the jawbone of a Bowhead, just to get an idea of the size of these beasts.

Bowhead Whale Skull

We visited the remains of 16 sod dwelling mounds from about AD 800 that can be seen on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. They are rather quickly eroding into the sea and, where they are falling off the ledge, you can see the whale bones that supported the structures. Frank said there where lemmings in the mound area, but we never saw any.

Left, boardwalk to the remains of mound dwellings; right, whale bone supports

We drove as far as we could along the ocean (Utqiaġvik sits at the intersection of of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas) and Frank offered us the opportunity to stick our feet in. I declined simply because it would be a pain to take shoes and socks off and then to dry the sand off. On some tours, people actually go all the way in the water. The ocean looked a bit too rough for that. But, a few people in our group did dip their toes in.

At the edge of the sea

We visited the Iñupiat Heritage Center, which houses exhibits, artifact collections, a library, a gift shop and a traditional room where local artisans demonstrate and teach traditional crafts. The Heritage Center is one of several partners associated through the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in Massachusetts that tell the story of commercial whaling in the United States.

Scott at the Iñupiat Heritage Center

The displays include depictions of whaling and whales, plus carved artifacts reflecting life in the Arctic. Scott spent some time in the tradition room and bought a carved knife.

Iñupiat Heritage Center

Most of what they had for sale were far more rustic than the items on display in the museum. In other words, not really very good. I was excited to see some of the Ken Lisbourne artwork on display was the same as prints we bought several years ago and have hanging in our basement.

Frank took us two places to see Snowy Owls -- and we weren't disappointed. All together, we saw eight.

I was excited about getting a rental car and going back to take better pictures. It was fairly overcast and the Owls were far away, so it was difficult to get good shots.

Male Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl is a large, white owl native to Arctic regions in North America and Eurasia. A ground nester that primarily hunts rodents and waterfowl, Snowy Owls opportunistically eat carrion. Most sleep during the day and hunt at night, but are active during the day, especially in the summertime.

Male Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl is one of the largest species of owl and, in North America, is the heaviest. It has yellow eyes, a black beak, is 20-28 inches long with a 49-59-inch wingspan and can weigh anywhere from 3.5 to 6.6 lbs. The average lifespan in the wild is 10 years. The adult male is almost pure white, but females and young birds have some dark spots.

Female Snowy Owl

The young are heavily barred or spotted.

Juvenile Snowy Owl

Snowy owls' thick plumage, heavily feathered taloned feet and coloration are well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.

Notice those legs as the Snowy Owl comes in for a landing

Snowy Owls nest in the Arctic tundra of the northernmost stretches of Alaska, Northern Canada and Eurasia. They winter south through Canada and northern Eurasia, with irruptions occurring further south in some years.

Male Snowy Owl

Last year was a huge irruption. I photographed two in Colorado and heard about Snowy Owls showing up as far south as downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

Snowy Owls in Colorado

Out on the marshes, we also saw some Greater White-Fronted Geese ...

Greater White-Fronted Geese

... and a lone Sandhill Crane ...

Sandhill Crane

Our final stop was a community center were we saw a demonstration of Iñupiat dancing.

Photo: Scott Stevens

It was a much less formal presentation that where we saw dancers from Utqiaġvik at the World Eskimo and Indian Olympics that we attended in 2001 in Fairbanks.

Barrow dancers, 2001

Despite the informal setting, the dancers -- and accompanying singer/drummer -- were entertaining. Scott even got involved in the dancing.

Scott joins in the dancing

As we were leaving, Charlie, the drummer, said that his uncle, Henry, would take us out to Point Barrow in his truck for $50 each. Scott and I and another couple signed up to go. It seemed a bit sketchy to me, but Frank, who was entrusted with our care, seemed to think it was OK.

Henry's truck

I was a bit concerned about getting back in time to pick up our car, but it seemed like a good chance to go somewhere truly unique -- the northernmost point in the United States.

The truck looked a little worse for wear, but that's typical in the Arctic where getting supplies is extremely difficult.

After all, everything must come by barge or air.

Henry drove us -- often in first gear and 4WD through the deep, deep gravel, making a few stops on the way.

We saw lots of very simple fishing huts that locals go to in the summertime to get away from the "big city" of Utqiaġvik.

Summer fishing shacks; photo: Scott Stevens

Further on, there is nothing on the beach except shells ...

Shells on a gravel beach

... driftwood, whale baleen, a few odd plants ...

Baleen and plants on the beach

... and lots and lots of Whale and Walrus bones.

Bowhead Whale backbone on the beach

Scott even collected some to bring home (since it is not a National Park, it was OK to bring them).

Scott's Whale and Walrus bones plus the knife he bought; Photo: Scott Stevens

Plus, there were a fair amount of birds -- most far off and all difficult to photograph in the low light.

But, I did see Red Phalaropes ...

Red Phalaropes

Long-Tailed Ducks (in transitional plumage that left them without long tails) ...

Long-Tailed Duck

Glaucous-Winged Gulls ...

Glaucous-Winged Gull

An immature male King Eider (I sure wish I could have seen an adult) ...

King Eider

Plus some Canada Geese and giant flocks of ducks or geese that I couldn't see well-enough to identify ...

One of many flocks on the wing

As we chugged toward Point Barrow, Henry's truck began to smoke. Despite both Scott and our travelmates telling him that it wasn't necessary to drive ALL the way to the point marker when we could easily walk, he kept going. Then he blew a gasket. Not euphemistically. He literally blew a gasket on the truck.

There we were in one of the most remote areas you can image with cell phones that didn't work and weather that kept fluctuating from a little glint of sunlight to cloudy to sprinkles to even a snow flurry or two. It was a little scary.

But, Henry's phone did work and he called his son to come pick us up.

While we waited, we explored the area ...

Point Barrow birds

The pole that officially marks Point Barrow ...

Scott and me at Point Barrow

Whale bones on the beach ...

Bowhead Whale bones

Flocks of Glaucous-Winged Gulls ...

Glaucous-Winged Gulls

More whale bones on the beach ...

Bowhead Whale jawbone

Waves ...

Seaside

And, big vistas ...

Point Barrow beach

Henry's son arrived (in seemingly much less time than it took Henry to get us there) and he took us back to the hotel. All was good, except we didn't make it back in time to get the rental car. So, no exploring. No bird-watching. But, fortunately, we didn't get charged for the cancelled reservation. And, I think the trip to Point Barrow was far more exciting than what we would have done.

Plus, the weather went downhill fast, so the car probably would not have been worth it.

Utqiaġvik was interesting. It has the same rundown, junky vibe you get in all Arctic villages and I am not sure how much time I could spend there. But, we saw the town ...