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Kobuk Valley National Park Review

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All Alaska National Parks

Kobuk Valley National Park

Mailing: National Park Service, Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK, USA, 99752
Phone: 907/442-3890
www.nps.gov/kova

Category: Parks
Location: Kobuk Valley National Park

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Fodor's Review:

65 mi east of Kotzebue.

Kobuk Valley National Park lies entirely north of the Arctic Circle, along the southern edge of the Brooks Range. Its 1.14 million acres contain remarkable inland deserts and the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and are home to interesting relict (remnants of otherwise extinct) flora. The park is bisected by the west-flowing Kobuk River, a 347-mi-long stream born in the foothills of the western Brooks Range. The Kobuk, whose native name means "big river," has been a major transportation and trade route for centuries. Besides the Kobuk, this park contains two smaller streams that provide delightful river running, the Ambler and the Salmon. These brilliantly clear rivers are accessible by wheeled plane, and each provides a good week's worth of pleasure (if the weather cooperates).

Another place of special interest is the Onion Portage. Human occupation here dates back 12,500 years and the region is rich in archaeological history; herds of caribou that fed the Woodland Eskimo centuries ago are still hunted at Onion Portage by present-day Eskimo residents of the region.

Kobuk Valley National Park is, like most other Alaska parks, undeveloped wilderness with no visitor facilities. If you come prepared, it can be a good place for backpacking and river trips. In nearby Kotzebue, the National Park Service has a visitor center where staff can provide tips for travel into the park. The villages of Kobuk and Kiana both provide immediate take-off points and have air service.

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