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Nome | Where to Eat in Nome | Bering Land Bridge National Preserve | Kotzebue | Cape Krusenstern National Monument | Kobuk Valley National Park | Noatak National Preserve | Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve | Barrow | Exploring Barrow | Prudhoe Bay | Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
This is a largely roadless region of long, dark, sunless winters and short, bright summers, when the sun provides nearly three months of perpetual daylight in places like Barrow. The round-the-clock sunshine lasts for only a few days farther south, but the extended twilight hours turn the midnights bright. The Northwest and Arctic are the land of Eskimos and huge caribou herds and polar bears, a place where people still lead subsistence lifestyles and where the Native cultural traditions live on. This region is also a place of gold rushes past and America’s largest oil field, as well as a region with many of Alaska’s most remote parklands—not to mention one of the country’s grandest refuges, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
540 miles northwest of Anchorage.
More than a century has passed since a great stampede for gold put a speck of wilderness now called Nome on the Alaska map, but gold mining and noisy saloons are still mainstays here. This frontier community on the icy Bering Sea once boasted 20,000 people during the gold stampede in the 1890s, but now has only 3,500 year-round residents. At first glance the town may come off as a collection of ramshackle houses and low-slung commercial buildings—like a vintage gold-mining camp; or, because of the spooky, abandoned, monolithic microwave towers from World War II that sit atop Anvil Mountain, the set for an Arctic horror movie—but only a couple of streets back you’ll find tidy, modern homes and charming, hospitable shopkeepers. In fact, Nome is one of Alaska’s greatest places, very much itself, the kind of town where the grocery store sells ATVs next to the meat counter.
Just 165 miles from the coast of Siberia, Nome is considerably closer to Russia than to either Anchorage or Fairbanks. And though you’ll find 300 miles of local road system well worth exploring, to get to Nome you must either fly or mush a team of sled dogs.
For centuries before Nome gained fame as a gold-rush town, nomadic Inupiaq Eskimos seasonally inhabited the area in hunting and fishing camps; an archaeological site south of town has the remains of some round pit houses that prove the locals didn’t much like corners. The gold stampede—far, far richer than the more famous Klondike strike—occurred in the 1890s and was over relatively soon, even though gold is still mined by both prospectors and open-pit mining productions.
Riches of the Past
The region’s golden years began in 1898, when three prospectors—known as the Lucky Swedes—struck rich deposits on Anvil Creek, about 4 miles from what became Nome. Their discovery was followed by the formation of the Cape Nome Mining District. The following summer even more gold was found on the beaches of Nome, a place where no one ever would have expected to find gold—placer gold is usually lying on bedrock, but here thousands of winter melts had washed it down to the sea.
Word spread quickly to the south, right about the same time everybody was discovering all the good spots for gold in the Klondike were staked. When the Bering Sea ice parted the next spring, ships from Puget Sound (in the Seattle area) arrived in Nome with eager stampeders, and miners who struck out in the Klondike arrived via the Yukon River to try again in Nome. An estimated 15,000 people landed in Nome between June and October 1900, bringing the area’s population to more than 20,000. Dozens of gold dredges were hauled into the region to extract the metal from Seward Peninsula sands and gravels; more than 40 are still standing, though no longer operating (if you explore them, be sure to call out regularly, as warning to any bears that might have taken shelter inside). Among the gold-rush luminaries were Wyatt Earp, the old gunfighter from the O.K. Corral, who mined the gold of Nome the easy way: by opening a posh saloon and serving drinks to thirsty diggers. Also in Nome were Tex Rickard, the boxing promoter, who operated another Nome saloon (money made there later helped him build the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden, and helped him found the New York Rangers hockey team); and Rex Beach, whose first novel, The Spoilers, was based on the true story of government officials stealing gold from the hardworking miners (it was a best seller, letting even people warm and cozy down south experience the stampede).
The city of Nome was incorporated in 1901, which means it is now Alaska’s oldest first-class city, with the oldest continuously operating school district. But the community’s heyday lasted less than a decade; by the early 1920s the bulk of the region’s gold had been mined, and only 820 or so people continued to live in Nome.
Although the city’s boom times ended long ago, gold mining has continued to the present; depending on the economy, the size of the mines (and the number of offshore minidredges) fluctuates. Visitors are welcome to try their own luck; you can pick up a gold pan at one of Nome’s stores and sift through the beach sands along a 2-mile stretch of shoreline east of Nome. Visitors can also contact the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau for information on tours that feature gold panning.
What Nome is best known for, however, is the Iditarod Trail. Even though parts of the historic trail from Nome to Anchorage were long used as routes for the Native Eskimos and Athabascans, the full trail gained fame in 1925, when Nome was hit with an outbreak of diphtheria. There was no remedy in town, so the serum was ferried by the Alaska Railroad to Nenana, 250 miles from Anchorage, and then a 20-dog sled team ran it the remaining 674 miles in –50°Fahrenheit temperatures over five days and seven hours; Nome was saved. In 1973, in honor of the original Iditarod (a word derived from the Athabascan word haiditarod, meaning “a far, distant place”), an annual race for dog mushers was started. The race begins in Anchorage and traverses snow and tundra for 1,049 miles, to commemorate Alaska’s being the 49th state (the actual distance is give or take a few miles, of course; dog sleds don’t come with odometers). Thousands of people converge in Nome to watch the dogs and mushers come over the finish line in March. Still more visitors come to Nome in the summer months to take advantage of the beautiful effulgent colors of wildflowers and green grass, its wildlife viewing and birding, and its marvelous end-of-the-world vibe.
Though at first there doesn’t seem to be much to this town on the edge of the Bering Sea, there are many relics of the past in and around the area. There are 44 abandoned gold dredges, enormous constructions of steel that are scattered from the outskirts of town to the surrounding miles of tundra beyond. Just east of town on the road out to Council, a quiet summer fishing village inhabited by many locals during the summer, you’ll stumble across not only fantastic marshlands for birding, but also the Last Train to Nowhere—a railway built to haul gold that was never finished—quietly rusting away. In the opposite direction, northeast of Nome on the road to Taylor, you’ll come to the Pilgrim Hot Springs, the site of an old settlement including the former Our Lady of Lourdes chapel and orphanage for Eskimo children during the 1918 influenza epidemic. And directly north of Nome is the beautiful Native village of Teller, a subsistence village in Grantley Harbor, which may have one of the most perfect locations in the world, set on a buttonhook spit in a sheltered bay. Teller made the world news in 1926, when Roald Amundsen landed his zeppelin Norge here after the first successful flight over the north pole.
The roads to these destinations are unpaved but traversable, and mostly in good shape. From the road you might see herds of reindeer (they like to use the road themselves, since it’s easier than running in tundra), musk oxen, grizzly bears, and moose, and a slew of different birds like the long-tailed jaegers, yellow wagtails, and the bristle-thighed curlew, rarely seen in North America.
Alaska Airlines Vacations packages air tours to Barrow and Nome. Local arrangements are taken care of by ground operators. The Alaska Travel Industry Association can give tips on air travel and flightseeing opportunities throughout the Bush. From Nome visitors can access Serpentine Hot Springs, in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, by charter plane. These hot springs are well maintained despite their location.
If you’re set on doing your own driving, head to Stampede Ventures, which rents cars and vans of various types. TIP Be sure to fill up with gas in Nome, as there are no services once you leave town. And even if the gauge says the tank is full when you rent it, be sure to fill ‘er up anyway—sometimes the gauges lie.
Airline and Visitor Contacts
Alaska Airlines Vacations.
866/500-5511 | www.alaskaair.com.
Alaska Travel Industry Association.
2600 Cordova St., Suite 201 | Anchorage | 99503 | 907/929–2200, 800/862–5275
for vacation planner | www.travelalaska.com.
Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau.
301 Front St. | 99672 | 907/443–6555 | www.visitnomealaska.com.
Banking
Credit Union 1.
406 Warren Pl. | 99762 | 800/478–2222 | www.cu1.org.
Wells Fargo.
109A Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–2223, 800/869–3557 | www.wellsfargo.com.
Emergency
Norton Sound Regional Hospital.
99762 | 907/443–3311 | www.nortonsoundhealth.org.
Police.
907/443–5262.
State troopers.
907/443–2835.
Internet
City Library.
223 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–6628 | www.nomealaska.org.
USPS.
113 E. Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–2401.
Vehicle Rental
Stampede Vehicle Rentals.
907/443–3838, 800/354–4606 | www.aurorainnome.com.
Anvil Mountain.
In the summer months, when the sun stays up late, take an evening drive to the top of Anvil Mountain, near Nome, for a panoramic view of the old gold town and the Bering Sea. Be sure to carry mosquito repellent.
Carrie M. McClain Memorial Museum.
Nome’s Carrie M. McClain Memorial Museum showcases the history of the Nome gold rush, from the “Lucky Swedes’” discovery in 1898 to Wyatt Earp’s arrival in 1899 and the stampede of thousands of people into Nome in 1900. The museum also has exhibits about the Bering Strait Inupiaq Eskimos, plus displays on the Nome Kennel Club and its All-Alaska Sweepstakes. However, the highlight of the
museum is the historical photo collection: thousands of pictures from the early days make it a perfect place to lose yourself on a rainy day. | 223 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–6630 | Free | June–early Sept., daily 10–5:30; early Sept.–May, Tues.–Fri. 1–5.
Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For exploring downtown, stop at the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau for a historic walking-tour map, a city map, and information on local activities from flightseeing to bird-watching. | 301 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–6555 | www.visitnomealaska.com.
Alaska Airlines Vacations.
Alaska Airlines Vacations arranges trips to Nome (such as the “Day in Nome” and “Adventure in Nome” packages), including air travel, hotels, and local tours. | 866/500–5511 | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.
Nome Discovery Tours.
Visitors seeking to learn more about Nome and the surrounding region can join former Broadway showman Richard Beneville, flat-out one of Alaska’s most entertaining guides, who emphasizes Nome’s gold-rush and Inupiaq history of the region in his Nome Discovery Tours. If you only have one day in town, spend it with Richard. | 907/443–2814.
Northern Alaska Tour Company.
This tour company arranges one-day cultural tours to Nome via Fairbanks or Anchorage. | 800/474–1986, 907/474–8600 | www.northernalaska.com.
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race—the Olympics of sled-dog racing—reaches its culmination in Nome in mid-March. Racers start in Anchorage for a trip of nine days to two weeks (the record, set in 2011, is an astounding eight days, 18 hours, 46 minutes, 39 seconds). The arrival of the mushers heralds a winter carnival.
Iditarod Trail Committee. For dates, starting times, and other information, contact the Iditarod Trail Committee. | 907/376–5155 | www.iditarod.com.
Fodor’s Choice | Airport Pizza.
$$ | STEAKHOUSE | This family-friendly pizza joint isn’t like any other. Not only does it make some of the best food in town with a menu boasting great pizza and toppings, but it also features Tex-Mex, sandwiches, and a full breakfast menu. What’s given this restaurant national attention is its delivery service: not only in town, but
also to the surrounding Bush villages. Call up, order a pizza, and it’ll be put on the next plane out, no extra charge. There are 11 beers on tap (many of which are microbrews), an extensive wine selection, and live music on the weekends. It also has a drive-thru coffee shop. | Average main: $18 | 406 Bering St. | 99762 | 907/443–7992, 877/749–9270.
Milano’s Pizzeria.
$$ | PIZZA | This Front Street restaurant has a casual atmosphere and offers dine-in service as well as takeout. Besides pizzas with a wide assortment of toppings, there’s Japanese, Korean, and Italian food. One side of the restaurant has Italian decor and the other has Japanese. Sit on the side that suits your palate. | Average main: $20 | 110 W. Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–2924.
Subway.
$ | AMERICAN | Nome’s only fast-food restaurant has probably the nicest view you’ll ever see from a fast-food chain. Overlooking the Bering Sea through large vista windows, this eatery adjoins the only movie theater in town. When the foreign surroundings and harsh weather start to get you down, a little bit of familiarity can go a long way. Nothing surprising on this menu. | Average main: $8 | 135 E. Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–8100.
Fodor’s Choice | Aurora Inn & Suites.
$$ | HOTEL | Located right in the historic district and in walking distance of shops, eateries, and watering holes, the inn offers clean, modern rooms. Those on the second floor facing west offer a gorgeous view of the Bering Sea. All rooms have their own baths and cable television. Pros:
refreshingly clean; friendly service; sauna. Cons: proximity to the bars means it can get a little rowdy outside; most rooms don’t have a view. TripAdvisor: “nice rooms,” “it is what it is,” “best place to stay in Nome.” | Rooms from: $155 | 302 E. Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–3838, 800/354–4606 | www.aurorainnome.com | 54 rooms.
Nome Nugget Inn.
$ | HOTEL | The architecture and decor of the Nugget Inn combine every cliché of the Victorian gold-rush era. Authentic it’s not, but fun it is. Outside, a signpost marks the mileage to various points, serious and silly, around the globe. Inside, frontier memorabilia abounds in the lobby and lounge. Rooms are small and clean, but not nearly as atmospheric as the public spaces.
Most arctic tour groups stay here. Pros: cool atmosphere in the public areas; great location. Cons: a little less cool in the rooms. TripAdvisor: “super friendly,” “comfortable accommodation,” “caring owners.” | Rooms from: $110 | 315 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–4189,
877/443–2323 | www.nomenuggetinnhotel.com | 47 rooms.
Nome is one of the best places to buy ivory, because many of the Eskimo carvers from outlying villages come to Nome first to sell their wares to dealers.
Arctic Trading Post.
Peruse the extensive stock of authentic Eskimo ivory carvings and other Alaskan artwork, jewelry, and books at Arctic Trading Post, and maybe grab a coffee; this is the place most locals stop for their morning cup of joe. | 302 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–2686.
Chukotka-Alaska.
Stop here to browse for both Native Alaskan and Russian artwork and handicrafts, as well as books, beads, and furs. | 514 Lomen | 99762 | 907/443–4128.
Maruskiyas of Nome.
This shop specializes in authentic Native Alaskan artwork and handicrafts, including ivory, baleen, and jade sculptures, jewelry, dolls, and masks. | 895 Front St. | 99762 | 907/443–2955 | www.maruskiyas.com.
100 miles north of Nome.
The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is pretty much exactly like it was when people first came to this continent from Asia: it has no trails, campgrounds, or other visitor facilities. Access is largely by air taxi, although there is a road leading from Nome that passes within possible hiking distance.
Air Taxi Contacts
Bering Air.
907/443–5464 | www.beringair.com.
Northwestern Aviation, Inc.
907/442–3525 | www.alaskaonyourown.com.
Visitor Information
National Park Service.
907/443–2522 | www.nps.gov/bela.
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.
The frozen ash and lava of the 2.8-million-acre Bering Land Bridge National Preserve lie between Nome and Kotzebue, immediately south of the Arctic Circle, one of the most remote parks in the world. The Lost Jim lava flow is the northernmost flow of major size in the United States, and the paired maars (clear volcanic lakes) are a geological rarity.
Of equal interest are the paleontological features of this preserve. Sealed into the permafrost are flora and fauna—bits of twigs and leaves, tiny insects, small mammals, even the fossilized remains of woolly mammoths—that flourished here when the Bering Land Bridge linked North America to what is now Russia. “Bridge” is something of a misnomer; essentially, the Bering Sea was dry at the time, and the intercontinental connection was as much as 600 miles wide at places. Early peoples wandered through this treeless landscape, perhaps following the musk ox, whose descendants still occupy this terrain, or the mammoths and steppe bison, who are both long gone. Flowering plants thrive in this seemingly barren region, about 250 species in all, and tens of thousands of migrating birds can be seen in season. More than 100 species, including ducks, geese, swans, sandhill cranes, and various shorebirds and songbirds, come here from around the world each spring.
170 miles northeast of Nome.
Kotzebue is Alaska’s largest Eskimo community, home to more than 3,000 people. Most of the residents of this coastal village are Inupiaq, whose ancestors have had ties to the region for thousands of years. For most of that time the Inupiaq lived in seasonal camps, following caribou, moose, and other wildlife across the landscape. They also depended on whales, seals, fish, and the wide variety of berries and other plants the rich tundra landscape offers. Besides being talented hunters, the Inupiaq were—and still are—skilled craftsmen and artists, known for their rugged gear, ceremonial parkas, dolls, caribou-skin masks, birch-bark baskets, and whalebone and walrus-ivory carvings.
Built on a 3-mile-long spit of land that juts into Kotzebue Sound, this village lies 33 miles above the Arctic Circle, on Alaska’s northwest coast. Before Europeans arrived in the region, the Inupiaq name for this locale was Kikiktagruk; that was changed to Kotzebue after German explorer Otto von Kotzebue passed through in 1818 while sailing for Russia. Kotzebue is the region’s economic and political hub and headquarters for both the Northwest Arctic Borough and the NANA Regional Corporation, one of the 13 regional Native corporations formed when Congress settled the Alaskan Natives’ aboriginal land claims in 1971. The region’s other Eskimo villages have populations of anywhere from 90 to 700 residents.
Just as their ancestors did, modern Inupiaq depend heavily on subsistence hunting and fishing. Some residents also fish commercially. This region of the state has few employment opportunities outside of the government and the Native corporation, but in Kotzebue, the biggest private employer is the Red Dog Mine. Located on NANA land, Red Dog has the world’s largest deposit of zinc, and is expected to produce ore for at least 50 years. Local government here, as in many Bush villages, is a blend of tribal government and a more modern borough system. Other facilities and programs include the Maniilaq Health Center and the Northwest Arctic District Correspondence Program.
Kotzebue has long, cold winters and short, cool summers. The average low temperature in January is –12°F, and midsummer highs rarely reach the 70s. “We have four seasons—June, July, August, and winter,” a tour guide jests. But don’t worry about the sometimes chilly weather—the local sightseeing company has snug, bright loaner parkas for visitors on package tours. And there’s plenty of light in which to take in the village and surrounding landscape: the sun doesn’t set for 36 days from June into July. One of summer’s highlights is the annual Northwest Native Trade Fair; held each year after the July 4 celebration, it features traditional Native games, seal-hook-throwing contests, and an Eskimo buggy race.
As with pretty much everywhere else in the Bush, your main mode of transportation into Kotzebue will be via airplane. Alaska Airlines offers regular flights between Anchorage and Kotzebue. Check the website for more details. The main air-taxi services serve Kotzebue, and there’s a daily flight from Anchorage. Cabs will take you anywhere in town for $5 flat, plus $5 per stop.
Airline Information
Alaska Airlines.
www.alaskaair.com.
Banking
Wells Fargo.
360 Lagoon St. | 99752 | 907/442–3258, 800/869–3557 | www.wellsfargo.com.
Emergency
Maniilaq Health Center.
436 5th Ave | 99572 | 800/431–3321, 907/442–3321 | www.maniilaq.org.
Police.
907/442–3351 | www.kotzpdweb.tripod.com.
State troopers.
907/442–3222
in Kotzebue.
Internet Access
Chukchi Consortium Library.
604 3rd St. | 99752 | 907/442–2410.
USPS.
333 Shore Ave. | 99752 | 907/442–3291.
Visitor Information
NANA Regional Corporation (Northwest Alaska Native Association).
907/442–3301, 800/478–3301 | www.nana.com.
Northwest Arctic Borough.
907/442–2500, 800/478–1110
in Alaska.
Brooks Range.
North and east of Kotzebue is the Brooks Range, one of Alaska’s great mountain ranges. Stretching across the state, much of the range is protected by Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Permafrost.
If you’re hiking the wildflower-carpeted tundra around Kotzebue, you are entering a living museum dedicated to permafrost, the permanently frozen ground that lies just a few inches below the spongy tundra. Even Kotzebue’s 6,000-foot airport runway is built on permafrost—with a 6-inch insulating layer between the frozen ground and the airfield surface to ensure that landings are smooth.
Wilderness areas.
Although most people come to Kotzebue on day trips or overnight package tours, for those with time to linger, the town also serves as a gateway for three exceptional national wilderness areas: Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve.
Bayside Restaurant.
$$ | ECLECTIC | One of the few restaurants in Kotzebue, the Bayside is the best place in town for breakfast, and it features a selection of American, Italian, and Chinese food for lunch and dinner. | Average main: $16 | 303 Shore Ave. | 907/442–3600.
Nullagvik Hotel.
$$$$ | HOTEL | Recently constructed to replace the old Nullagvik, this new hotel provides comfort and class with spacious, modern rooms full of amenities and a third-floor observation lounge overlooking the Chukchi Sea. Like its predecessor, the Nullagvik is built on pilings driven into the ground—otherwise, the heat of the building would melt the underlying permafrost and cause
the hotel to sink. The brand-new Nullagvik restaurant on the first floor has a varied menu of American fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pros: great views; comfortable rooms. Cons: the best lodging in town comes at a price. TripAdvisor: “beyond words,” “beautiful new property,” “unbelievable comfort.” | Rooms from: $259 | 306
Shore Ave. | 99752 | 907/442–3331 | www.nullagvik.com | 78 rooms | No meals.
10 miles north of Kotzebue.
Cape Krusenstern National Monument.
Just north of Kotzebue, the 560,000-acre Cape Krusenstern National Monument has important cultural and archaeological value. This is coastal parkland, with an extraordinary series of beach ridges built up by storms over a period of at least 5,000 years. Almost every ridge—more than 100 in all—contains artifacts of different human occupants, representing every known Arctic Eskimo culture in
North America. The present Eskimo occupants, whose culture dates back some 1,400 years, use the fish, seals, caribou, and birds of this region for food and raw materials much as their ancestors did. They are also closely involved in the archaeological digs in the park that are unearthing part of their own history.
Cape Krusenstern is a starkly beautiful Arctic land shaped by ice, wind, and sea. Its low, rolling, gray-white hills covered by light-green tundra attract hikers and backpackers, and kayakers sometimes paddle its coastline. The monument is a marvelous living museum. TIP It’s possible to camp in the park, but be mindful, as are the Native people when they pitch their white canvas tents for summer fishing, that the shoreline is subject to fierce winds. Both grizzlies and polar bears patrol the beaches in search of food, so clean camping is a must.
Check with the National Park Service in Kotzebue about hiring a local guide to the monument, which has no visitor facilities; it’s accessible by air taxi and by boat from Kotzebue. | 907/442–3890 | www.nps.gov/cakr.
65 miles east of Kotzebue.
Kobuk Valley National Park.
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 that stand up to 100 feet high and cover 25 square miles. These are home to interesting relict (remnants of otherwise extinct) flora. The park is bisected by the
west-flowing Kobuk River, a 347-mile-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, back to a time when Asia and North America were still connected by the Bering Land Bridge, 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.
Like most other remote Alaska parks, Kobuk Valley National Park is 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. | 907/442–3890 | www.nps.gov/kova.
20 miles northeast of Kotzebue.
Noatak River.
Adjacent to Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, the 6.5-million-acre Noatak National Preserve encompasses much of the basin of the Noatak River. This is the largest mountain-ringed river basin in the United States; part of it is designated by the National Park Service as a Wild and Scenic River. Along its 425-mile course this river carves out the “Grand Canyon of the Noatak,” and serves as a
migration route between arctic and subarctic ecosystems. Its importance to wildlife and plants has resulted in this parkland’s designation as an International Biosphere Reserve.
The Noatak River also serves as a natural highway for humans, and offers particular pleasures to river runners, with inviting tundra to camp on and the Poktovik Mountains and the Igichuk Hills nearby for good hiking. Birding can be exceptional: horned grebes, gyrfalcons, golden eagles, parasitic jaegers, owls, terns, and loons are among the species you may see. You may also spot grizzly bears, Dall sheep, wolves, caribou, or lynx, as well as the occasional musk ox. The most frequently run part of the river, ending at Lake Machurak, is mostly an easy Class I–III paddle, worth the trip just for the chance to hunt freshwater snail shells as delicate as origami along the shores of the take-out lake (where the river trip ends). The mountains around the river make for excellent hiking, and along the way the geology goes wild a couple of times, including with a massive pingo—kind of a glacial bubble. As with other parks and preserves in this northwest corner of Alaska, no visitor facilities are available and you are expected to be self-sufficient. Do not neglect the bear precautions. Most trips on the Noatak use the inland town of Bettles as a gateway. | 907/442–3890 | www.nps.gov/noat.
180 miles east of Kotzebue.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is entirely north of the Arctic Circle, in the center of the Brooks Range; at 8.2 million acres, it’s the size of four Yellowstones. This is parkland on a scale suitable to the country. It includes the Endicott Mountains to the east and the Schwatka Mountains to the
southwest, with the staggeringly sharp and dramatic Arrigetch Peaks in between. To the north lies a sampling of the Arctic foothills, with their colorful tilted sediments and pale green tundra. Lovely lakes are cupped in the mountains and in the tundra.
This landscape, the ultimate wilderness, captured the heart of Arctic explorer and conservationist Robert Marshall in the 1930s. Accompanied by local residents, Marshall explored much of the region now included within Gates and named 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.
Wildlife known to inhabit the park includes barren-ground caribou, grizzlies, wolves, musk oxen, moose, Dall sheep, wolverines, and smaller mammals and birds. The communities of Bettles and Anaktuvuk Pass are access points for Gates of the Arctic, which has no developed trails, campgrounds, or other visitor facilities (though there is a wilderness lodge on private land within the park). You can fly into Bettles commercially and charter an air taxi into the park or hike directly out of Anaktuvuk Pass. The Park Service has rangers stationed in both Bettles and Anaktuvuk Pass; they can provide information for those entering the wilderness, including the mandatory orientation films and bear-proof canisters for food storage. | 907/692–5494 in Bettles, 907/661–3520 in Anaktuvuk Pass (this station is sometimes unmanned) | www.nps.gov/gaar.
Arctic Treks.
This outfitter guides wilderness hikes and backpacking expeditions, sometimes combined with river trips, in both Gates of the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with new trips into the farthest west reaches of the Brooks Range and the North Slope. | 907/455–6502 | www.arctictreksadventures.com.
Peace of Selby Wilderness.
$$$$ | B&B/INN | On Selby and Narvak lakes within Gates of the Arctic National Park, Peace of Selby is perfectly situated for wilderness adventures. Crafted from white spruce, the main lodge includes a kitchen, small library, bathroom, and loft. Meals, included with some rates, are cooked with fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats. If you want to rough it, you can
bring along your sleeping bags and cook your own meals in one of four remote rustic log cabins, which can accommodate up to four people each. The owners also organize custom guided expeditions. Activities include hiking, fishing, wildlife-viewing and photographing, river floating, and flightseeing. Pros: endless activity options. Cons: small, so reservations and planning are a must. | Rooms
from: $500 | 907/672–3206 | www.alaskawilderness.net | 1 room in lodge, 4 cabins | No credit cards | Closed end-Sept.–mid-June, except for specially arranged expeditions Mar. and Apr. | All meals.
330 miles northeast of Kotzebue.
The northernmost community in the United States, Barrow sits 1,300 miles south of the North Pole. The village is 10 miles south of the Beaufort Sea and Point Barrow, from which it takes its name. Point Barrow, in turn, was named in 1825 by British captain Frederick William Beechey, who’d been ordered by the British Navy to map the continent’s northern coastline. Beechey wished to honor Sir John Barrow, a member of the British Admiralty and a major force in arctic exploration. The region’s Inupiaq Eskimos knew the site as Ukpeagvik, or “place where owls are hunted.” Even today, many snowy owls nest in the tundra outside Barrow each summer, though they’re not hunted as they once were: they are now protected by federal law.
Visiting in Winter
Although many people think visiting Alaska in winter is insane, there are plenty of good reasons for doing so. It just takes a bit of an adventurous spirit and proper clothing.
The northern lights (aurora borealis) are active all year long, but it has to get dark before you can enjoy them. On a clear night these shimmering curtains of color in the sky are absolutely breathtaking: rippling reds and greens and blues that seem to make the entire sky come alive. Weather and solar activity have to cooperate in order to make the aurora performances happen, but when they do, the results are astounding. TIP To check out aurora borealis activity, look up the forecast at www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast.
There are almost no insects in the winter months; if you’ve visited in summer and been subjected to the mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and white socks, this alone might entice you.
For a real Alaska winter experience, dog mushing is the ultimate. Spectators can watch sprint and long-distance races all over the state, capped off by the Yukon Quest and Iditarod races in February and March. There are numerous outfits in the Interior and South Central that will train you to mush your own team. Fodor’s discusses dog mushing and surrounding competitions with the expectation and hope that all the animals are treated with care and respect. And if you hang out with serious mushers, you’ll see that their animals are more pampered than the average Park Avenue poodle.
About 4,000 people inhabit Barrow today, making it easily the largest community on the North Slope. Nearly two-thirds of the residents are Inupiaq Eskimos. Though they remain deeply rooted in their Inupiaq heritage, Barrow’s residents have adopted a modern lifestyle. Homes are heated by natural gas taken from nearby gas fields, and the community is served by most modern conveniences, including a public radio station and cable TV and Internet access. The community recreation center has a gymnasium, racquetball courts, weight room, and sauna, and hosts a variety of social events, from dances to basketball tournaments. In Barrow, as in much of Bush Alaska, basketball is the favored sport, played year-round by people of all ages.
Barrow’s Richness
Barrow is truly the land of the midnight sun. From mid-May until August the sun doesn’t set for more than 80 days. (Conversely, the sun disappears during the dead of winter from November through January—this is called the polar winter.) Despite the season’s unending daylight, summertime temperatures can be brisk—you should even be prepared for snow flurries. Nevertheless, midsummer temperatures can occasionally reach the 60s and low 70s. Despite the region’s abundant wetlands, Barrow—and the North Slope in general—has a desert climate, with annual precipitation averaging less than 10 inches.
Archaeological evidence from more than a dozen nearby ancient “dwelling mounds” suggests that people have inhabited this area for at least the past 1,500 years. A highlight of those mounds is Mound 44, where the 500-year-old frozen body of an Eskimo was discovered. Scientists have been studying her remains to learn more about Eskimo life and culture before encounters with outsiders. Described as members of the Birnirk culture, these early residents depended heavily on marine mammals, a tradition that continues to this day. Combining modern technology with traditional knowledge, Barrow’s whaling crews annually hunt for the bowhead whales that migrate through Arctic waters each spring and fall. If the whalers are successful in their springtime hunts, they share muktuk—whale meat (to the uninitiated, it tastes kind of like really greasy tuna mixed with steak)—with other members of the village and celebrate their good fortune with a festival called Nalukataq. Besides whales, residents depend on harvests of seals, walrus, caribou, waterfowl, grayling, and whitefish.
Barrow is the economic and administrative center of the North Slope Borough, which encompasses more than 88,000 square miles, making it the world’s largest municipal government (in terms of area). The village is also headquarters of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, formed in 1971 through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), as well as the Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, which economically and politically represents the community of Barrow. Several village councils are also headquartered in the town.
Alaska Airlines Vacations packages air tours to Barrow and Nome. Local arrangements are taken care of by Native ground operators. The Alaska Travel Industry Association can give tips on air travel and flightseeing opportunities throughout the Bush.
Contacts
Alaska Airlines Vacations.
866/500–5511 | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.
Alaska Travel Industry Association.
2600 Cordova St., Suite 201 | Anchorage | 99503 | 907/929–2200, 800/862–5275
for vacation planner | www.travelalaska.com.
City of Barrow.
Fax
907/852–5211 | www.cityofbarrow.org.
Banking
Wells Fargo.
1078 Kiogak St. | 99723 | 907/852–6200, 800/869–3557 | www.wellsfargo.com.
Emergency
Police. | 907/852–6111.
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital.
1296 Agvik St. | 99723 | 907/852–4611 | www.arcticslope.org.
State troopers.
907/852–3783 | www.dps.state.ak.us/ast.
Internet
Tuzzy Library.
5421 N. Star St. | 99723 | 800/478–6916 | Fax
907/852–4050 | www.tuzzy.org.
USPS.
3080 Eben Hobson St. | 99723 | 907/852–6800.
Non-Natives established a presence at Barrow in the early 1880s, when the U.S. Army built a research station here. Drawn to the area by the Beaufort Sea’s abundant whales, commercial whalers established the Cape Smythe Whaling and Trading Station in 1893; a cabin from that operation still stands, and is the oldest frame building in Alaska’s Arctic. The station is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (as are the Birnirk dwelling mounds).
By the early 1900s both a Presbyterian church and U.S. post office had been established. Recalling those days, an Inupiat elder named Alfred Hopson once recounted that the famed Norwegian explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson used the church as a base for studies of local residents, including measurements of their head sizes. From then on, Stefansson was known locally as the “head measurer.” Oil and gas exploration later brought more whites from the Lower 48 to the area; even more came as schools and other government agencies took root in the region. Hopson, too, played a role in the area’s development, as he funneled millions of dollars in tax revenues into road building, sanitation and water services, and heath-care services.
Barrow has opened its annual springtime whale festival to outsiders, and there are several historic sites, including a military installation, points of Native cultural importance, and a famous crash site. The Barrow airport is where you’ll find the Will Rogers and Wiley Post Monument, marking the 1935 crash of the American humorist and his pilot 15 miles south of town.
Drawn by both cultural and natural attractions, visitors to Barrow usually arrive on a one- or two-day tour with Alaska Airlines, the only national carrier serving the area. Packages include a bus tour of the town’s dusty roads and major sights. TIP Though Barrow’s residents invite visitors to attend their annual whale festival in spring, summer is the ideal time to survey the town and its historic sites.
Alaska Airlines Vacations.
From mid-May through September you can take an Alaska Airlines Vacations package from Anchorage or Fairbanks to “the top of the world” and get a chance to learn about the natural and cultural history of the area. | 866/500–5511 | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.
Tundra Tours.
Year-round tours are organized through Tundra Tours. Offered from mid-September through mid-May, the winter tours feature visits to a traditional hunting camp, the whaling station, the Distant Early Warning System site, and opportunities to visit Point Barrow and watch northern lights. The summer program is highlighted by visits to local historic sites and opportunities to witness traditional cultural activities
such as Eskimo dances, sewing demonstrations, and the blanket toss. In both winter and summer, visitors can purchase locally made Inupiaq arts and crafts. | 907/852–3900 | www.tundratoursinc.com.
Pepe’s North of the Border.
$$$ | MEXICAN | The warmth of Pepe’s will make you forget that you’re in the middle of the Arctic tundra in the most famous restaurant north of Fairbanks. Murals depicting Mexican village scenes highlight the Mission-style decor, and an extensive selection of Mexican dishes, from soft tacos to burritos and flautas, makes this restaurant a favorite of locals and visitors
alike. The restaurant’s menu is also spiced up with dishes that feature Alaskan seafood and, at the high end of things, steak and lobster. Dinner at Pepe’s is surprisingly refined for being on the very fringe of civilization. | Average main: $28 | 1204 Agvik St., next to Top of the World Hotel | 99723 | 907/852–8200.
Barrow Airport Inn.
$$ | B&B/INN | As the name suggests, this modern and well-appointed property is convenient to the airport (it’s only two blocks away). Pros: convenient; clean; in walking distance of eateries. Cons: must like the odd bit of airplane noise; no restaurant on premises. TripAdvisor:
“more than I expected,” “friendly people,” “so very nice.” | Rooms from: $135 | 1815 Momeganna St. | 99723 | 907/852–2525, 800/375–2527
in Alaska | 16 rooms | Breakfast.
Top of the World Hotel.
$$$ | HOTEL | Built in 1974, this refurbished hotel on the shore of the Arctic Ocean has just about every imaginable modern convenience, including cable TV and Internet access. Still, it retains a frontier atmosphere; the lobby, for example, has one complete stuffed polar bear and the mounted head of another. You can mingle in the lobby or in front of the community
television. Modern, spacious rooms have sitting areas; ask for a room with an ocean view. Pros: every modern convenience, next door to restaurant, quick walk to the beach. Cons: no elevators (which means you’re taking the stairs to the top of the world); a little worn in some places. TripAdvisor: “pretty darn good,” “a fine place to stay,” “very accommodating.” | Rooms from: $235 | 1200 Agviq St. | 99723 | 907/852–3900 | www.tundratoursinc.com | 44 rooms.
Stuaqpak (“Big Store”).
The AC Value Center, or, as it’s known locally, Stuaqpak, is the largest store in town. Though it mainly sells groceries, the store also stocks Eskimo crafts made by locals, including furs, parkas, mukluks, and ceremonial masks. | 4725 Ahkovak St. | 99723 | 907/852–6711 | www.alaskacommercial.com.
250 miles southeast of Barrow.
Most towns have museums that chronicle local history and achievements. Deadhorse is the town anchoring life along Prudhoe Bay, but it could also serve as a museum dedicated to humankind’s hunt for energy and its ability to adapt to harsh conditions to capture that energy.
The costly, much-publicized Arctic oil and gas project is complex and varied. Visitors can survey oil wells, stations, and oil-company residential complexes—small cities themselves—and might get the chance to spot caribou and wildflowers.
In the past, individual travelers rarely turned up in Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay. But now that the Dalton Highway has been opened as far north as Deadhorse, adventurous independent travelers are finding their way north. Still, rather than driving solo on a couple of hundred miles of gravel road filled with semis going faster than you knew semis could go, most people traveling to Deadhorse come on a tour with one of Alaska’s airlines or bus-tour operators. A guided tour is recommended to really explore the area, and is necessary to cross the oil fields to get to the Arctic Ocean. You’ll find no restaurants around the oil fields, though meals can sometimes be arranged through the Prudhoe Bay Hotel; unless you have official business, though, you’re not likely to be invited to linger.
Contacts
Alaska Airline Vacations.
866/500-5511 | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.
Prudhoe Bay Hotel.
$$ | B&B/INN | Located near the end of the road at Deadhorse, this hotel is primarily intended for the workers employed in the Prudhoe Bay oil-field complex, but tourists are also welcome. Some of the rooms are bare-bones dormitory-style, whereas others are slightly more upscale, with TVs and phones. All rooms share baths. The hotel includes a cafeteria–dining hall with
specific hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; meals are buffet style. Food and drinks can be purchased from vending machines around the clock. The hotel is just a short hop from Deadhorse’s airport. Pros: convenient; a great view of icy flats and the occasional polar bear. Cons: sharing a bathroom with someone who just got off a 24-hour oil-rig shift; has bare necessities only. TripAdvisor: “perfect for the end of the road,” “a diamond in the rough,” “great way of staying far up north.” | Rooms from: $110 | 907/659–2449 | www.prudhoebayhotel.com | 270 beds, shared bath | No meals.
70 miles southeast of Prudhoe Bay.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), lying wholly above the Arctic Circle, is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and contains one of the few protected Arctic coastal lands in the United States, as well as millions of acres of mountains and alpine tundra in the easternmost portion of the Brooks Range. This protected region is an area of much dispute, as it
is believed to harbor billions of barrels of oil (statistically, hardly a drop in what the country uses). It is sure to be a hot topic for years to come.
The refuge’s coastal areas also serve as critical denning grounds for polar bears, which spend much of their year on the Arctic Ocean’s pack ice. Other residents here are grizzly bears, Dall sheep, wolves, musk ox, and dozens of varieties of birds, from snowy owls to geese and tiny songbirds. The refuge’s northern areas host legions of breeding waterfowl and shorebirds each summer. As in many of Alaska’s more remote parks and refuges, there are no roads here, and no developed trails, campgrounds, or other visitor facilities. This is a place to experience true wilderness—and to walk with care, for the plants are fragile and the ground can be soft and wet in summer. Footprints in tundra can last a hundred years. You can expect snow to sift over the land in almost any season, and should anticipate subfreezing temperatures even in summer, particularly in the mountains. Many of the refuge’s clear-flowing rivers are runnable, and tundra lakes are suitable for base camps (a Kaktovik or Fort Yukon air taxi can drop you off and pick you up). The hiking is worth it; upon scrambling up a ridge, you’ll look out on wilderness that seems to stretch forever. | Refuge Manager, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,101 12th Ave., Room 236 | Fairbanks | 99701 | 907/456–0250, 800/362–4546 | arctic.fws.gov.
Porcupine Caribou Herd. ANWR is the home of one of the greatest remaining groups of caribou in the world, the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The herd, its numbers exceeding 120,000, is unmindful of international boundaries and migrates back and forth across Arctic lands into Canada’s adjacent Vuntut and Ivvavik National Parks, flowing like a wide river across the expansive coastal plain, through U-shape valleys and alpine meadows, and over high mountain passes.
Arctic Treks.
Guided wilderness hikes and backpacking expeditions in both Gates of the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are available through Arctic Treks. | 907/455–6502 | www.arctictreksadventures.com.
Wilderness Birding Adventures.
The owners of Wilderness Birding Adventures are both experienced river runners and expert birders. | 907/694–7442 | www.wildernessbirding.com.
For those who love vast wilderness landscapes, few places can match the Brooks Range, the “backbone of the Arctic Wilderness”; Alaska’s most northerly mountain chain, it stretches east–west across the state above the Arctic Circle. Fortunately, most of this ultimate wilderness is protected by national parklands and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, it is also a place of great controversy between environmentalists and proponents of oil drilling.
As it stands, you can still go days, and even weeks, without seeing another person. The Brooks are the homeland of grizzlies, wolves, Dall sheep, caribou, moose, musk oxen, and golden eagles. They are also the homeland of Athabascan Indians and Inupiaq and Nunamiut Eskimos, who have lived here for centuries, traveling the mountain pathways and paddling great rivers like the Noatak.
Arctic Treks.
Guided wilderness hikes and backpacking expeditions, sometimes combined with river trips, are available through Arctic Treks in both Gates of the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. | 907/455–6502 | www.arctictreksadventures.com.
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