Think of a national park in Alaska and what comes to mind? Glaciers? Mountains? Volcanoes? Tundra? Sand dunes? Yes, sand dunes. Ok, maybe not as tall as the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, but still, the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Kobuk Valley National Park are nothing to sneeze at. These dunes, combined with two other dune areas in the park, cover 30 square miles (77.7 square kilometers), and are located 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) above the Arctic Circle, making them the largest active sand dunes in the Arctic.
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Kobuk Valley National Park: Digging Into Mother Nature's Sandbox
Living in Alaska for the past 38 years gave me a unique opportunity to visit some exceptionally cool and out-of-the-way wilderness in our 49th state. When I started with the National Parks Conservation Association in 2002, I quickly embraced the need to visit all 16 of Alaska’s national park units. That included Kobuk Valley National Park, located about 35 miles north of the Arctic Circle and only accessible by small plane or river boat. Kobuk Valley has been a park since the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was signed by President Carter in 1980.
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Located way up north, along Noatak National Preserve’s southern border and within spitting distance of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, not only is Kobuk Valley a land of sand dunes in addition to rivers, forests, and mountains, but it’s also where 250,000 caribou pass twice a year on an annual migration between their summer and winter grounds. One of the least-visited national parks (less than 20,000 people visited annually for each of the past five years), this place does take a little effort to visit. Once you arrive, however, you can enjoy a host of activities, from wildlife viewing (including 32 mammal species) to backpacking, camping, floating and boating, fishing, and even flightseeing.
So, how do you get to this far northern national park and preserve? By plane. Because it’s so remote, there are no roads to provide access.
According to park staff:
Commercial airlines provide service from Anchorage to Kotzebue, or from Fairbanks to Bettles. Once in Kotzebue or Bettles, you must fly to the park with authorized air taxis. From Kotzebue, commercial airlines provide regularly scheduled flights to villages near the park.
Summer access may include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by foot. Some visitors bring their own packable boats and have pilots drop them off to start a float through the park. Study a topographic map, then talk with a pilot to decide on a feasible backcountry landing spot. Or plan to fly the boat as cargo on a small commercial plane to the villages of Kobuk, Shungnak or Ambler to start a trip on the Kobuk River. The take out and flight home can be from the villages of Kiana or Noorvik. Hiking into the park from Kotzebue or Bettles is possible, but it's a wilderness trek over rough terrain that requires many weeks to complete.
Winter access may include aircraft, snowmobiles or by foot. Small commercial planes fly to the local villages year-round, weather permitting. Chartered aircraft may be able to land at backcountry sites on skis when the weather is clear.
Once you’ve arrived, where will you overnight? The Kobuk River Lodge located in Ambler, Alaska, one of 12 Inupiaq villages comprising the North West Arctic Borough and about 40 miles from the park’s southeast boundary, offers brick-and-mortar lodging. For the most part, though, you will be backcountry camping beneath the stars. There are no designated campsites, so not only will you be hiking where ever you please in this national park, you’ll also be choosing your own campsite. Just make sure you have planned well and are prepared for this unique Alaska adventure.
Visiting Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska is a bucket list chance to experience true solitude in a remote environment practically at the top of the world.
Traveler’s Choice For: Backpacking, camping, photography
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