- Alaska’s Arctic National Park and Preserve Gate spans 8.4 million acres and lies north of the Arctic Circle.
- America’s northernmost national park, described as “essentially pristine” wilderness
- There are no trails, roads, established campsites, and no cell phone service.
- National Park Service says only people “proficient” in outdoor survival skills should go hiking
- Other visitors can avail the services of guides and outfitters, or take an air taxi tour of the national park
Alaska’s Gate of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is so remote that it can only be reached by plane or hiking.
Designated a park and nature reserve in 1980, Gate of the Arctic is the northernmost national park in the United States, covering 8.4 million acres north of the Arctic Circle.
of National Park Service stated that the “essentially pristine” wilderness had “no roads, trails, or established campsites,” and that “no services were established within the boundaries of the park,” and that mobile phones did not work. increase.
The closest road to the park is the Dalton Highway (also known as Alaska State Route 11), five miles (5 miles) from the park’s eastern boundary. However, you still have to cross the river to get to the park from the highway.
The park’s terrain is classified as “challenging” and is filled with dense vegetation, grass, and swamps. There are no official walking trails in the park, but there are “promenades” made by animals walking around.
The frequent need to cross streams and rivers can “significantly slow down” progress for hikers as they move through the park.
Even experienced hikers consider 6 miles (about 6 kilometers) to be “enough for a day,” according to NPS.
By comparison, walking a mile on a flat surface at a moderate pace takes about 15-20 minutes.
Because of the remote and pristine parks, NPS states that anyone who wants to visit the parks must be “proficient” in outdoor survival skills and “ready to take care of their lives and their partners.” There is.” An emergency arises.
For those without specialized outdoor survival skills, NPS recommends visiting the park through a guide service or air taxi operator.
One of NPS’s top tips for making your trip to the park and “once-in-a-lifetime experience” is to bring extra food in case you need to stay at the park longer than expected, and plan your route in advance. and have the necessary maps on hand.
Visitors are asked to minimize their impact on the pristine environment, which includes walking in a fan shape to avoid creating paths, but not participating in activities such as fishing or bird watching. Sport hunting and trapping are permitted and in the reserve of place you can also participate.
Hunting is prohibited in national park areas.
The park protects grizzly bears, wolverines, and Western Arctic caribou and is located in Alaska’s Brooks Range.
The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is said to be the least visited of all the national parks in the country because it is so difficult to access and navigate.
Only about 11,000 visitors have visited the Grand Canyon since 2017, compared to about 6.4 million in 2018 alone.