In establishing Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska's Brooks Range, Congress reserved a vast and essentially untouched area of superlative natural beauty and exceptional scientific value. It's a maze of glaciated valleys and gaunt, rugged mountains covered with boreal forest and arctic tundra vegetation, cut by wild rivers, and inhabited by far-ranging populations of caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, and brown bears (barren-ground grizzlies). Congress recognized that a special value of the park and preserve is its wild and undeveloped character, and the opportunities it affords for solitude, wilderness travel and adventure.

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General Information

Visitation

Visitation averages 4,000 recreational visits per year. One Alaska Native community is located within the boundary of the park, and its residents and those of eight other adjacent communities use the park for subsistence hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering.

Location

Central Brooks Range, about 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks

Address

Gates of the Arctic Field Operations
Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station
P.O. Box 21102
Anaktuvuk Pass, AK 99721

Bettles Ranger Station
P.O. Box 26030
Bettles, AK 99726

Fairbanks office
P.O. Box 74680
Fairbanks, AK 99707

Marion Creek Ranger Station (Coldfoot)
P.O. Box 9072
Coldfoot, AK 99701

Telephone

Gates of the Arctic Field Operations,
Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station: (907) 661-3520
Bettles Ranger Station: (907) 692-5494
Coldfoot Visitor Center: June-August (907) 678-5209
Fairbanks office: (907) 456-0281
Marion Creek Ranger Station: (700) 353-5315

Operating Hours & Seasons

The Park and Preserve are open year-round.

Headquarters (Fairbanks): Open Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Bettles Ranger Station: Open 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. from mid-May to mid-September. From mid-September to mid-May open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Coldfoot Visitor Center: Open June through August 7 days a week, 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Transportation

There are no roads in the park, although the Dalton Highway comes within about 5 miles of the park's eastern boundary. Other than hiking in from the Dalton Highway between milepost 190 to milepost 276, access is generally by air. Scheduled air taxis from Fairbanks serve Anaktuvuk Pass, Bettles, and Coldfoot. Charter flights may be arranged. Contact Bettles Ranger Station for the list of licensed air taxi operators: (907) 692-5494.

Trails & Roads

There are no roads or established trails within the Gates of the Arctic NP&P. Hikers should practice Leave No Trace techniques, be aware of backcountry safety guidelines and remain aware of the fragile ecosystems and private land within the park.

Climate & Recommended Clothing

The central Brooks Range has long severe winters and relatively short cool summers. The entire region receives continuous sunlight during the summer for at least 30 days

The south side of the Brooks Range below 2500 feet is generally a subarctic climate zone. Precipitation is low, averaging 12-18 inches in the west and 8-12 inches in the east. The average maximum and minimum July temperatures are 70°F and 46°F, respectively. Thunderstorm activity is common during June and July.

Generally June through September is the wettest time of year. Prevailing winds are out of the north. Freezing temperatures may occur at any time of the year, but particularly from mid-August on. July may be the only month that snow does not fall.

Winter is extreme, long and cold. Snow falls 8 or 9 months of the year, averaging 60-80 inches. Average minimum and maximum January temperatures are -10°F and -30°F.

Additional Information

The Visitor Center at Coldfoot is an interagency service, operated cooperatively by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&S), and the National Park Service (NPS).

Reservations & Permits

There is a backcountry orientation program that is required for all recreational travelers. The backcountry orientation will be offered at the Bettles Ranger Station, Coldfoot Visitor Center, and Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station. Backcountry users that don't pass through one of these locations should call the Bettles Ranger Station.

Adjacent Visitor Attractions

The Dalton Highway Utility Corridor is administered by BLM. Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve are administered by the National Park Service.

Programs & Activities

The Coldfoot Visitor Center offers evening programs during the summer. While in Coldfoot check out the ruins and cemetery of "Old Coldfoot" or visit the historic village of Wiseman just 13 miles up the road.

Recommended Activities & Park Use

Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of several conservation units located in the Brooks Range. Many of these units were established for wilderness recreation activities such as: backpacking, river running, mountaineering, dog sledding, and others. The remote location and extreme climate of the Brooks Range requires travelers to have strong wilderness skills and flexibility to adjust plans. The Dalton Highway offers a Brooks Range experience for those not prepared for a rugged wilderness journey.

Special Events & Programs

As part of National Park Week there is a special program. Call (907)-456-0527 for more details.

Lodging & Camping Facilities

There is no commercial lodging in the park. Commercial facilities exist in Anaktuvuk Pass, Bettles, Coldfoot, and Wiseman. There is also a campground managed by BLM at Dalton Highway Milepost 180 (5 miles north of Coldfoot). The campground is open from June through mid-September. It is the responsibility of the visitor to obtain all of the necessary information and avoid private property.

Facilities & Opportunities

The Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station, Bettles Ranger Station, and Coldfoot Visitor Center have backcountry orientation displays. Bettles Ranger Station has an interactive CD-ROM program on site. The Coldfoot Visitor Center has scheduled evening programs during the summer.

Food & Supplies

Supplies are generally not available within the Park. Visitors must plan to be self-sufficient.

Other Concessions

There are numerous commercial opportunities offered at Gates of the Arctic.

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History

To most Americans, Northern Alaska is seen as an inhospitable and uninhabited wilderness, however the area has been continuously explored for over 10,000 years. The existence of "Beringia," or the Bering Land Bridge, allowed for waves of human interaction between Asia and the Arctic. Even following a global rise in sea level, the narrow Bering Strait allowed for cultural exchange between North America and the Asian landmass.

There are many debates over the earliest occupation of the area that today is identified as Gates of the Arctic National Park. The earliest inhabitants were most likely nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived off the land and fed off the large caribou populations. The debate over their existence focuses on when they arrived - between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. Some examples of this culture include the Akmak and Kobuk peoples from the Onion Portage of the Kobuk River, estimated to have originated between 8,000 and 9,500 years ago.

A subsequent culture to arrive approximately 6,500 years ago in this arctic region was the Northern Archaic people. These inhabitants lived farther inland and hunted and fished for survival. They are linked more commonly with Native American cultures rather than Eskimo culture.

The development of the Western Thule culture about 1,000 years ago marked the beginning of the modern Eskimo culture. The groups associated with this culture include the Arctic Woodland culture and the Arctic Tundra culture. The descendents of these groups - the Nunamiut Eskimos - resided in the mountains and on the tundra. One Nunamiut Eskimo village, Anaktuvuk Park, lies within the park boundaries.

The Athabaskan peoples have also inhabited the area for over 1,000 years. They survived on the south side of the Brooks Range in the spruce and taiga forests.

In the late 1800s, several military expeditions brought American explorers to the Brooks Range. In many cases, native populations guided these groups, which led to the discovery of gold in 1893 along the Koyukuk River. This discovery led the USGS (United States Geological Survey) to the region for extensive study and mapping, which exposed the rich resources and beauty of this wilderness to the rest of the nation.

The name Gates of the Arctic originated from an Arctic explorer named Robert Marshall. In the 1930s, Marshall led extensive exploratory trips into the Brooks Range, and eventually wrote several books about his experiences, which were instrumental in establishing wilderness preservation in the United States.

The area was proclaimed Gates of the Arctic National Monument on December 1, 1978, and two years later was reestablished as a national park and preserve.

The area was internationally recognized in 1984 as a Biosphere Reserve in the United Nations "Man and the Biosphere" program, an effort aimed at improving the management of natural resources and the environment.

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Reservation Information

There is a required backcountry orientation program for all recreational travelers. The backcountry orientation is offered at the Bettles Ranger Station, Coldfoot Visitor Center, and Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station. Backcountry users not passing through one of these locations should call the Bettles Ranger Station. Please call (907) 456-0281 for more information.

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