Fodor's Expert Review Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

The most northern of national parks, in the central Brooks Range, Gates of the Arctic encompasses 8.4 million acres and six National Wild and Scenic Rivers: the Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk, and Tinayguk. To the north are both Arctic foothills, with colorful tilted sediments and pale-green tundra, and tundra mountain terrain that cups lovely, albeit buggy, lakes. Whereever you go, prepare for dense vegetation, tussocks, boggy ground, and frequent stream and river crossings that significantly slow your progress. Experienced hikers consider 6 miles a good day.

People have lived amid this landscape for thousands of years. Private and Native Corporation lands within the park, along with cairns and other signs of prior inhabitants, demonstrate how much life still thrives in the area. Once you get into the park, you will understand why the landscape caught the attention of Robert Marshall in the 1930s. Known as an early conservationist, Marshall explored much of the region with local guides, and he gave Western names to many of its features, including Frigid Crag and Boreal Mountain, two peaks on either side of the North Fork Koyukuk River. These were the original "gates" for which the park is named.

The park nourishes wildlife like caribou, grizzlies, wolves, musk oxen, moose, Dall sheep, wolverines, and smaller mammals and birds. The communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Bettles, and Coldfoot are access points for Gates of the Arctic. Park rangers stationed in these communities can provide information and guidance for those going into the park, including the mandatory orientation films and bear-resistent canisters.