Contact Information
P.O. Box 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
907-442-8300
Kobuk Valley is not your ordinary national park. You'll find no roads, no snack shacks, and no parking facilities within the park. Trails don't exist, neither do campgrounds. Not even Kobuk Valley's park headquarters is in Kobuk Valley; it's in Kotzebue, Alaska, an airplane ride away. Daunting as these limitations sound (as well they should), there is no limit to the untouched beauty and peace you will find there.As the park's southernmost border lies 26 miles above the Arctic Circle, it goes without saying that Kobuk's few visitors aren't your average tourist. They tend to be skilled backcountry explorers familiar with surviving high winds, rain, and snow - and that's in the summer months. Winter visits are recommended only to outdoorspeople experienced in arctic camping and survival techniques. No trip should be undertaken without consulting the park's ranger staff (among their recommended essentials: a signal mirror and smoke flares). That said, the Kobuk Valley is a remarkable place to experience. Nestled between the Baird Mountains to the north and the Waring Mountains to the south, it is full of geological anomalies and unusual plant life, relics from the days when Asia and North America were one. The valley and surrounding terrain will facilitate almost any outdoor activity. You can backpack, boat, camp, fish, observe wildlife, and stargaze under a sky like no other you have seen. No matter where you roam, your footsteps will likely be the first to tread this virgin territory.
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