Kobuk Valley

Overview

Kobuk Valley National Park sits entirely above the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska, protecting a vast sweep of boreal forest, Arctic tundra, and the surreal Great Kobuk Sand Dunes — a 25-square-mile field of active dunes rising up to 100 feet high in the middle of the Arctic wilderness. These dunes, remnants of glacial outwash from the last Ice Age, feel impossibly out of place surrounded by spruce forest and tundra, and they can reach surface temperatures over 100°F in summer. The park straddles the Kobuk River, a critical corridor for the Western Arctic caribou herd. Twice each year, roughly 250,000 caribou cross the river during their migration between summer calving grounds and winter range, one of the largest land mammal migrations remaining on Earth. For thousands of years, Inupiat people have hunted caribou at traditional crossing points like Onion Portage, an archaeological site within the park containing 10,000 years of continuous human habitation. Visiting Kobuk Valley requires a bush plane charter from Kotzebue. There are no roads, trails, or facilities of any kind. Most visitors float the Kobuk River by packraft or canoe, camping on gravel bars and exploring the dunes on foot. This is raw, unmediated wilderness for experienced adventurers.

Things to Do

• Hike the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes
• Float the Kobuk River by canoe or packraft
• Observe the caribou migration at river crossings
• Explore Little Kobuk Sand Dunes
• Fish for sheefish and Arctic char
• Visit Onion Portage archaeological site

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Short, cool Arctic summers with 24-hour daylight in June. Highs reach 50-70°F. Winters are brutal with temperatures dropping below -40°F and near-total darkness.