Gates of the Arctic National Park

Welcome to Gates of the Arctic National Park, nestled in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. This is the northernmost National Park in the United States and second largest with an area roughly the size of Switzerland.

Park History: The first human inhabitants of this region were Native Americans who migrated across the Bering Land Bridge over 10,000 years ago. Archeologists believe that these people were ancestors of the Athabascan and Inupiaq tribes who hunted the land's game, fished it's rivers, and gathered it's plants. Today the descendants of these people live in and around the park and practice both traditional subsistence activities and a modern day lifestyle.

Some of the first Europeans to visit the ergion came in the 1880's and included gold prospectors, scientists, and military explorers. In 1929, the wilderness Advocate Robert Marshall, with whom the founder of RecPlanet shares no known common ancestors, visited this region. It was Marshall who first described the region as "Gates of the Arctic." After World War II residents of the region became increasingly concerned about the growing development in the region. Bob Marshall started a conservation movement in the 1960's that led to urging President Johnson to designate the land as a National Monument in 1968. Johnson did not like the idea. It was not until the Carter Administration that more lands in Alaska fell under National Monument status and in December of 1980, Gates of the Arctic National Park was finally established.

Wildlife: Gates of the Arctic National Park helps protect the home of numerous wild critters including caribou, wolves, black bears, brown bears, squirrels, bald eagles, and many others. Please treat their home with respect.

For the lover of the outdoors Gates of the Arctic National Park boasts many mountains to climb, majestic scenery, and so much more. Come on out and explore!