ARCTIC
LAY OF THE LAND
When you picture the Arctic, do you imagine vast swaths of tundra and open
Arctic Sea? You're right, of course. But there's even more in this beautiful place than that. In fact, the Arctic is one of Alaska's most diverse regions, filled with cultural opportunities, wildlife and dramatic landscapes.In the North, huge coastal plains and frozen wetlands rise to the 9,000-foot peaks of the Brooks Range. To the south, immense boreal forests dominate, and rivers spring to life in frantic abundance for the fleeting summer season. In the deep darkness of winter, magnificent displays of northern lights appear, illuminating seemingly endless nighttime skies.
The Arctic is remote — there are only two roads (the Nome-Teller and
Dalton Highways), so most travel requires a plane. It's also wild — home
to massive whales, enormous herds of caribou traversing millions of acres,
as well as moose, red foxes, arctic foxes, marten, minks and bears.
In the Inupiat community of Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow) and
the surrounding villages on the coastal plain, people continue a largely
subsistence way of life, hunting and gathering traditional foods from the
land and sea.
KNOWN FOR:
PARKS
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Gates of the Arctic National
Park & Preserve
Kobuk Valley National Park
Noatak National Preserve
Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
Will Rogers and Wiley Post Monument
HISTORICAL SITES
Birnirk National Historic Landmark
Cape Nome Mining District
Discovery Sites
Iñupiat Heritage Center
SCENIC BYWAYS
Dalton Highway
