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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 many of Alaska’s most remote parklands, most notably the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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Nome

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. “There’s no place like Nome” is the city’s slogan for good reason.

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 branching out from the town that are 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 quickly, even though gold is still mined by both prospectors and open-pit mining productions.

Nome is best known, however, for 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°F 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 now world-famous race begins in Anchorage and traverses snow and tundra for 1,049 miles, the odd 49 miles being added to commemorate Alaska’s being the 49th state (the actual distance is give or take a few miles, of course; dogsleds don’t come with odometers). Thousands of people converge in Nome each and every year (for some Lower-48ers, it’s an annual tradition) 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. There is also still a steady flow of those looking to strike it rich panning for gold.

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 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, is 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 remote 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.

Getting Here and Around

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 gauge lies.

Essentials

Internet
City Library. | 223 Front St. | 907/443–6628 | www.nomealaska.org.

Mail
USPS. | 113 E. Front St. | 907/443–2401.

Vehicle Rental
Stampede Vehicle Rentals. | 907/443–3838, 800/354–4606 | www.aurorainnome.com.

Exploring

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. As the city’s lone peak, anyone in town will be able to direct you there. TIP Be sure to carry mosquito repellent.

Carrie M. McClain Memorial Museum.
In the same building as Nome’s library, the quaint 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. | 907/443–6630 | www.nomealaska.org | 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. Ask to watch the “Welcome to Nome” video—it’s surprisingly informative and does an excellent job capturing Nome’s historic and current role as a gateway to the vast expanses of Western Alaska. | 301 Front St. | 907/443–6555 | www.visitnomealaska.com.

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 no one ever would have expected to find it. Ordinarily, placer gold sits on bedrock, but here thousands of winter melts washed it down to the sea.

Word spread quickly to the south, right about the same time everybody was discovering that 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.

Outdoor Activities and Guided Tours

Local Tours

Alaska Airlines Vacations.
Trips to Nome, such as the “Day in Nome” and “Adventure in the Arctic” packages, include round-trip air travel, lodging, and local tours. | 866/500–5511 for general reservations, 907/786–0192 in Alaska | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.

Fodor’s Choice | 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. Tours available all year. | 907/443–2814.

Sled-Dog Racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The end of the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race—the Olympics of sled-dog racing—happens in the heart of Nome each March. Racers start in Willow, about 90 miles north of Anchorage, for a cold, snowy, self-supported trip. The standing record for the 1,049 mile winter journey was set in 2011: John Baker and his lead dogs, Velvet and Snickers, finished in an astounding eight days, 18 hours, 46 minutes, 39 seconds. The arrival of the exhausted yet excited mushers and their super-athlete dogs heralds a winter carnival in downtown Nome. Visitors travel from around the state and world to partake in these festivities.

Iditarod Trail Committee.
For dogsled-race dates, starting times and viewing locations, and anything else relating to “The Last Great Race,” contact the Iditarod Trail Committee. | 907/376–5155 | www.iditarod.com.

Where to Eat

FAMILY | Airport Pizza.
ECLECTIC | This family-friendly pizza joint isn’t like anything else in Nome. Its extensive menu goes well beyond pizza and offers, arguably, the best food in town. Breakfast specials galore, Tex-Mex, burgers, and sandwiches, in addition to an extensive assortment of pizzas with jazzy (or the standard) toppings will please every palette. What’s given this restaurant national attention is the scope of its delivery service: Around the corner or in a neighboring Bush village, call up, order a pizza, and it’ll be on the next plane out, no extra charge. There are at least 6 tasty beers on tap at any one time—many of which are Alaska-made brews—an extensive wine selection, and live music on the weekends. It also has a drive-thru coffee shop. | Average main: $18 | 406 Bering St. | 907/443–7992, 877/749–9270.

Fodor’s Choice | Bering Tea.
This little coffee shop, in a repurposed old A-frame house, is an adorable place and the perfect spot for a light breakfast or mid-day coffee (and boardgame) break. Its homey atmosphere is helped along by soft benches, bookshelves full of magazines, books, and games, stained-glass lamps, and original wood floors. Better still, its warming beverages and delicious homemade scones, cinnamon rolls, and muffins are a welcome respite from Nome’s wind and industrial surroundings. | 301 Bering St. | 907/387–0352 | Daily 10–2. No dinner.

Milano’s Pizzeria.
PIZZA | This popular 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 (including sushi), Korean, and Italian food. One side of the restaurant has an Italian theme and the other a Japanese style. Sit on the side that suits your palate. | Average main: $20 | 2824 Front St. | 907/443–2924.

Polar Café.
DINER | If diner fare with a side of true Nome life is what you’re after, this is the spot. It’s the type of place where old men gather for coffee or lunch at the same time, at the same table each day. Traditional hearty breakfast options are served all day, plus steak, chili, a modest salad bar, and unexpectedly delicious burgers, with everything clearly made to order. A fairly economical soup and sandwich special is offered daily. While you eat, get the complete Nome experience: endless views of the vast Bering Sea and local radio playing in the background. | Average main: $14 | 224 Front St. | 907/443–5191.

Where to Stay

Aurora Inn & Suites.
HOTEL | Right in Nome’s historic district and in walking distance of shops, eateries, and watering holes, this relatively new inn offers modern rooms, and those on the second floor facing west have a gorgeous view of the Bering Sea. All rooms have their own baths and cable television, some have kichenettes. Pros: refreshingly clean; friendly service; sauna; some rooms have sea views. Cons: proximity to the bars means it can get a little rowdy outside. | Rooms from: $165 | 302 E. Front St. | 907/443–3838, 800/354–4606 | www.aurorainnome.com | 54 rooms | No meals.

Nome Nugget Inn.
HOTEL | The architecture and kitschy interiors 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; central downtown location; Bering Sea views. Cons: dated rooms. | Rooms from: $110 | 315 Front St. | 877/443–2323 | www.nomenuggetinnhotel.com | 47 rooms | No meals.

Shopping

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.

Chukotka–Alaska.
This small, family-owned shop is crammed with interesting Native Alaskan and Russian artwork and handicrafts, as well as books, beads, and furs. | 309 Bering Street | 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. You can also pick up your standard tourist stuff—postcards, magnets, and Nome T-shirts galore. | 895 Front St. | 907/443–2955 | www.maruskiyas.com.

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

100 miles north of Nome.

Certainly off the beaten path, time in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve will set any trip to Alaska apart. This expanse of historic tundra contains coastal beach environments, sand dunes, mountains, and lakes created by ancient lava flows. Be sure to pack a good camera with your hardcore outdoor gear: a great diversity of animals, birds, and plants, many with origins in Asia, has been identified. Travelers to this park need to be equal parts adventurous and self-reliant. Across nearly 3 million acres, a mere six cabins offer shelter during emergencies, if you can find them.

Getting Here and Around

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 and sometimes by small boat, although there is a road leading from Nome that passes within possible hiking distance. Winter access is possible by planes on skis, but usually via snowmachine or dogsled.

Essentials

Air Taxi Contacts
Bering Air. | 907/443–5464 in Nome, 800/478–5422 in Nome, 907/478–3943 in Kotzebue | www.beringair.com.
Northwestern Aviation, Inc. | 907/442–3525 | www.alaskaonyourown.com.

Visitor Information
National Park Service. | 907/443–2522 | www.nps.gov/bela.

Exploring

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 in places. Early peoples wandered through this treeless landscape, perhaps following musk oxen, 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. | www.nps.gov/bela.

Kotzebue

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 Alaska 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-color 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 4th celebration, it features traditional Native games, seal-hook-throwing contests, and an Eskimo buggy race.

Getting Here and Around

As with pretty much everywhere else in the Bush, the main mode of transportation into Kotzebue is 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.

Essentials

Airline Information
Alaska Airlines. | 800/252–7522 | www.alaskaair.com.

Banking
Wells Fargo. | 360 Lagoon St. | 907/442–3258, 800/869–3557 | www.wellsfargo.com.

Internet Access
Chukchi Consortium Library. | 604 3rd St. | 907/442–2410.

Mail
USPS. | 333 Shore Av. | 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 | www.nwabor.org.

Exploring

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.

Outdoor Activities and Guided Tours

Northern Alaska Tour Company.
This tour company arranges year-round cultural and nature tours of Kotzebue via Fairbanks or Anchorage. | 800/474–1986, 907/474–8600 | www.northernalaska.com.

Where to Eat and Stay

Bayside Restaurant.
ECLECTIC | One of the few restaurants in Kotzebue, this is the best place in town for breakfast, and it features an extensive menu of American, Italian, and Chinese food for lunch and dinner. Free Wi-Fi, too. | Average main: $16 | 303 Shore Ave. | 907/442–3600.

Nullagvik Hotel.
HOTEL | A relatively recently construction, this hotel provides comfort and class with spacious, modern rooms full of amenities and a third-floor observation lounge overlooking the Chukchi Sea. It’s 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 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. | Rooms from: $259 | 306 Shore Ave. | 907/442–3331 | www.nullagvikhotel.com | 71 rooms, 7 suites | No meals.

Cape Krusenstern National Monument

10 miles north of Kotzebue.

A must-do for archaeology buffs, this park includes an archaeological district comprising 114 beach ridges along the Chukchi Sea. First named a National Historic Landmark in 1973—one of the largest in the United States—and then declared a national monument in 1978, these shorelines document more than 5,000 years of Inupiat civilization in the region.

Cape Krusenstern National Monument.
Just north of Kotzebue, this 560,000-acres of coastal parkland has important cultural and archaeological value, with an extraordinary series of beach ridges—more than 100 in all—built up by storms over a period of at least 5,000 years. Almost every ridge contains artifacts of different human occupants, representing every known Arctic Eskimo culture in North America. The present Native 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, just as the Native people are 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.

Kobuk Valley National Park

65 miles east of Kotzebue.

Anything is possible in Alaska’s wildlands, even deserts. Kobuk Valley National Park is home to three sets of sand dunes, remnants of retreating glaciers from the Pleistocene epoch. But, as with everything else in Alaska, don’t expect the ordinary sandy scenery: Kobuk Valley’s dunes are now covered with the short trees, shrubs, and lichen typical of the tundra. An aerial tour of the Delaware-size park will display the beautiful winding Kobuk River, endless speckles of lakes, and perhaps also a wandering herd of caribou.

Exploring

Kobuk Valley National Park.
Lying entirely north of the Arctic Circle, along the southern edge of the Brooks Range, this park’s 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 waterway 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 rivers, the Ambler and the Salmon, that provide delightful river running. 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 Native 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 Northwest Arctic Heritage Center | www.nps.gov/kova.

Noatak National Preserve

20 miles northeast of Kotzebue.

For well-organized and self-reliant adventurers, Noatak National Preserve is an endless playground. Otherworldly opportunities for hiking, paddle sports, fishing, birding, and wildlife viewing (plus sport hunting) abound in the park’s alpine tundra. Bring bug spray, along with everything else you need to camp and explore without access to visitor facilities.

Exploring

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 for camping 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, and 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.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

180 miles east of Kotzebue.

The most northern national park in the country is a mountain-gazer and trekker’s dream. Even by Alaska standards of beauty, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve offers truly epic scenery of endless, cragged peaks (once ancient seabed) and six different “Wild and Scenic” rivers. For instant respect with locals, hike the famed and arduous Anaktuvuk Pass.

Exploring

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Entirely north of the Arctic Circle, in the center of the Brooks Range, this park, at 8.2 million acres, is the size of four Yellowstones. 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 (sometimes unmanned), 907/678–5209 in Coldfoot (seasonally) | www.nps.gov/gaar.

Outdoor Activities and Guided Tours

Alaska Alpine Adventures–Gates of the Arctic.
In the experienced hands of this award-winning, year-round adventure outfitter, your outdoor options are many: hiking, kayaking, climbing, skiing, multisport, and even family wilderness trips. They have been showing off the best the Gates of the Arctic has to offer since 1999 and offer 5- and 10-day excursions into the park each summer. Adventure tours in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, Aniakshak, and Katmai National Park are also available. | 877/525–2577 | www.alaskaalpineadventures.com.

Fodor’s Choice | Arctic Treks.
Guided wilderness hikes and backpacking expeditions, sometimes combined with river trips and bird watching, are available in both Gates of the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This well-respected and highly-experienced tour operator also offers trips (all depart from Fairbanks) within Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. | 907/455–6502 | www.arctictreksadventures.com.

Where to Stay

Peace of Selby Wilderness.
RENTAL | 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 photography, river floating, and flightseeing. Pros: endless activity options; outdoor, wood-fired hot tub. Cons: small, so reservations and planning are a must; toilets are outhouse or chemical type. | Rooms from: $500 | 907/672–3206 | www.alaskawilderness.net | 1 room, 4 cabins | No credit cards | Closed late Sept.–mid-June, except for specially arranged expeditions in Mar. and Apr. | All meals.

Barrow

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 now protected by federal law and no longer hunted.

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, 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 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.

Getting Here and Around

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.

Barrow’s Richness

Barrow is truly the land of the midnight sun. From mid-May until August the sun doesn’t set. (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, mid-summer 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.

Essentials

Banking
Wells Fargo. | 1078 Kiogak St. | 907/852–6200, 800/869–3557 | www.wellsfargo.com.

Internet
Tuzzy Library. | 5421 N. Star St. | 907/852–1720 | www.tuzzy.org.

Mail
USPS. | 3080 Eben Hobson St. | 907/852–6800.

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 for the aurora performances to happen, but when they do, the results are astounding. TIP To check out aurora borealis activity, look up the forecast at www.gi.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, Kuskokwim 300, and Iditarod races in February and March. There are numerous outfits in the Interior and Southcentral 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.

Exploring

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 the U.S. Post Office had been established here. Recalling those days, an Inupiaq 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 people 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.

Outdoor Activities and Guided Tours

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 learn about the natural and cultural history of the area. | 866/500–5511 for general reservations, 907/786–0192 in Alaska | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.

Tundra Tours.
Year-round tours can be organized through Tundra Tours. The winter tours, offered from mid-September through mid-May, feature visits to a traditional hunting camp, the whaling station, the DEWS 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.

Where to Stay

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). Accommodations are pretty basic, but staff is welcoming, and use of a kitchenette is available. Pros: convenient; clean; walking distance of eateries and airport. Cons: the odd bit of airplane noise; no restaurant on premises. | Rooms from: $135 | 1815 Momeganna St. | 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 modern conveniences (such as cable TV and Internet access) perhaps not anticipated this far north and yet, retains a frontier atmosphere. A life-size stuffed polar bear and the mounted head of another greet visitors in the lobby. Adjacent to these critters is the community television, a great spot to mix and mingle with locals and guests alike. Modern, spacious rooms have sitting areas; ask for a room with an ocean view. Pros: relatively modern amenities; restaurant on site; 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. | Rooms from: $235 | 1200 Agviq St. | 907/852–3900 | www.tundratoursinc.com | 44 rooms | No meals.

Shopping

AC Value Center/Stuaqpak (“Big Store”).
The largest store in town mainly sells groceries, but it does also stock Eskimo crafts made by locals, including furs, parkas, mukluks, and ceremonial masks. AC Stores have transformed supply-chain logistics and life in Bush Alaska. For many people, they are lifelines to the most basic food and clothing supplies that make the extreme reaches of Alaska habitable. If you have time to visit one, you should do so, if for no other reason than to see first-hand the price of milk and bread in the Polar North. | 4725 Ahkovak St. | 907/852–6711 | www.alaskacommercial.com.

Prudhoe Bay

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 in themselves—and might get the chance to spot caribou and wildflowers.

Getting Here and Around

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 here. 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 if you have official business, meals can sometimes be arranged through the Prudhoe Bay Hotel.

Essentials

Contacts
Alaska Airline Vacations. | 866/500–5511 for general reservations, 907/786–0192 in Alaska | www.alaskavacationsalaska.com.

Where to Stay

Prudhoe Bay Hotel.
B&B/INN | 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 bathrooms. The hotel includes a cafeteria–style 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. | Rooms from: $110 | 1 Deadhorse Dr. | 907/659–2449 | www.prudhoebayhotel.com | 170 rooms, 30 shared bunk rooms | No meals.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

70 miles southeast of Prudhoe Bay.

Enormous, even by Alaska standards, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR to locals) encompasses six different ecozones that support a vast diversity of plants and wildlife. While ANWR is one of the most difficult of all national refuges to reach, eco-tours within this remote northeast corner of Alaska are available, most with a distinctly pro-conservation stance toward resource development in this controversial area.

Exploring

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The 19-million-acres of this refuge (ANWR), which is 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. The billions of barrels of oil underneath a small segment of this protected region make the entire refuge an area of much dispute between proponents of resource development and environmentalists. Currently, all of ANWR is closed to oil exploration and drilling.

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 oxen, 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 have your survival skills put to the test. Counterintuitively, for such a notoriously brutal geography, ANWR’s plants and permafrost are quite fragile. The ground can be soft and wet in summer months. Walk with care: footprints in tundra can last 100 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; scramble up a ridge to find wilderness vistas that seem to stretch forever. | 101 12th Ave., Room 236 | Fairbanks | 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 169,000, 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.

Brooks Range

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 is the homeland of grizzlies, wolves, Dall sheep, caribou, moose, musk oxen, and golden eagles. It is also the home to Athabascan Indians and Inupiaq and Nunamiut Eskimos, who have lived here for centuries, traveling the mountain pathways and paddling great rivers like the Noatak.

Outdoor Activities and Guided Tours

Fodor’s Choice | Arctic Treks.
Guided wilderness hikes and backpacking expeditions, sometimes combined with river trips and bird watching, are available through Arctic Treks in both Gates of the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This well-respected and highly experienced tour operator also offers trips (all depart from Fairbanks) within Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. | 907/455–6502 | www.arctictreksadventures.com.

Wilderness Birding Adventures.
The Homer-based owners of Wilderness Birding Adventures run a six-day wildlife-watching tour in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge over the Summer Solstice weekend in late June. Bringing passionate birders and wilderness enthusiasts to remote locations across Alaska (plus Bhutan) is their specialty, so you’re in very good hands. WBA’s experienced guides also offer private trips combining birding, hiking, and river rafting. | 40208 Alpenglow Circle | Homer | 907/299–3937 | www.wildernessbirding.com.

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