Kobuk Valley National Park is located in Northwestern Alaska, United States. It is about 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle. And it is a vast region filled with wildlife and monuments. Visitors to the Kobuk Valley National Park must bring their things for hiking, backcountry camping, boating, backpacking, and dog sledding. There are no roads or trails in this national park. This park is one of the national parks in Alaska and this state is with the second most national parks. The Kobuk Valley National Park is managed by the National Park Service. The Kobuk Valley National Park is one of the least visited national parks in the United States.
Entrances and how to reach the Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park is a vast remote region. Since there are no roads that lead to this park, visitors reach this park via chartered air taxis from Bettles, Kotzebue, or Nome. Flights are always available but they are weather dependent. There are commercial airlines that provide service from Fairbanks to Bettles or from Anchorage to Kotzebue. After you reach Kotzebue or Bettles, you will have to fly to the park with permitted air taxis. Commercial airlines also provide scheduled flights regularly to the nearby villages from Kotzebue.
During summer, they provide access to motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by foot. Few people who come to this park will bring their packable boats and also have pilots who drop them off to start a float via a park. Before you start, study a topographic map, and then you can talk with your pilot to decide on an easy backcountry landing spot. You can also fly the boat as cargo on a small commercial plane to the nearby villages of Shungnak, Kobuk, or Ambler. Then you can start a trip to the Kobuk River. From the villages of Noorvik or Kiana, you can go back home. From Kotzebue or Bettles, hiking to the park is possible but its wilderness trek through the rough terrain may require many weeks to finish.
During winter, they provide access to snowmobiles, aircraft, or by foot. According to the weather, small commercial flights fly to the local villages throughout the year. When the weather is clear, chartered flights may be able to land in backcountry areas on skis. Local equipment rental services in Kotzebue are not available. Visitors can bring their snowshoes, snowmobiles, skis, or dog team to get into this park. Winter trip requires advanced knowledge of the survival of weather.