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Sunset around Exit Glacier, Kenai Penninsula 11PM!
Hiking Maps & Trails

Maps & Trails
Camping Along the Dalton Highway
Chena River Recreational Area
Chugach National Forest Cabin Policies, (USFS)
Gates of the Arctic Hiker's Guide
Hiking The Chilkoot Trail
Hiking The Resurrection Pass Trail
Hiking The Russian Lakes Trail

Virtual Alaskan Adventures
Denali N.P. Backcountry Guide
Kenai Fjords N.P. Adventure
Lost Lake, Chugach N.F. Guide
Resurrection Pass, Chugach N.F.
Wrangell-St. Elias N.P. Journey (1)

Maps & Trails

Gates of the Arctic Hiker's Guide

The name of the Park, the Gates of the Arctic, derives its origin from the two peaks on either side of the North Fork, Boreal Mountain and Frigid Crags, perceived by Robert Marshall as the gates looking into the arctic regions of the north from Brooks Range divide. Six national wild rivers crisscross the Park: the Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk, and the Tinayguk. Although a National Park, no trails or visitor centers exist in the park. All visitors must arrive completely self-sufficient For visitors seeking solitude in uncompromised beauty, this is the place, where 8,500,000 acres of remote wilderness lay in wait.

Anaktuvuk Pass, a Nunamiut Eskimo village lies just inside the Park's north boundary on the Anaktuvuk River, and is where scheduled flights land from Fairbanks. It is also noted for the ceremonial masks the Eskimos sell here. Scheduled flights also make regular stops at Bettles/Evansville, Kobuk and Ambler.

Much of the lands are covered in relatively sparse black-spruce forests called taiga, a subarctic, evergreen coniferous forest typically dominated by firs and spruces; taiga is Russian for "land of little sticks". White spruce, birch and aspen are also hearty trees in this subarctic climate. Dwarf and resin birch, tussocks, alder and willow exist alongside heath, moss, and lichen. Alpine tundra occurs in the more mountainous areas.

Caribou, the only deer of which both sexes have antlers, make their way through the Park on their yearly migration southward for hundreds of miles.

The Gates of the Arctic region of northern Alaska comprises one of the world's largest parkland areas, if you include adjacent Noatak National Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park. Air taxis are available to rent, providing an aerial view of the Park, as well as pinpoint delivery inside the Park for backcountry exploration: these bush pilots can land on many different types of terrain.

Flora:

Taiga & Alpine tundra, Tussocks, (small, basketball like tufts of frost heaved tundra), Sytka Roses,Fireweed, Alpine Lupine, White spruce, Birch, Aspen, Alder, Willow, Heath, Pingos, mosses & lichens

Fauna:

Grizzly,(brown), Black bear, Wolves, Moose, Wolverines, Fox, Caribou, (the "free" cousins of reindeer), Dall sheep, Golden Eagles, hawks, and Arctic Terns

Attractions:

Mount Doonerak is the highest peak in the Park, at just under 7,500 feet.

Walker Lake is known for its fishing for grayling and trout. Fishing is good in other areas of the Park as well.

Since backcountry means just that, there are no marked trails, per se, in the Park. Plotting your course of exploration will largely be your doing; for recommendations on planning backcountry hike, call or write the Superintendent, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Box 74680, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99707; telephone number: 907.456.0281.

The rivers are perhaps the most charted and the most often used routes. The Noatak runs 450 miles from Gates of the Arctic in the central Brooks Range through Noatak National Preserve to end at the sea.

Alatna River is a moderate trip to Allakaket from the desolate Arctic Divide.

Things To Do:

Backpacking, Mtn. Biking, Rafting, Kayaking, Fishing, Dogsledding

Camping Along the Dalton Highway

Click image for full sized view of the Brooks Range & the Pipeline

Use the following in conjunction with the Haul Road Maps:
"Arctic"- Dalton Rd. Camping & Sites Map, Brooks Range to Arctic Ocean, (188K)
"Arctic"- Dalton Rd. Camping & Sites Map, Mile 0 to Brooks Range, (134K)

And don' t forget the Insect Repellent and netting. The mosquitoes and blackflies can be quite brutal in their own swarming biomass fashion...and you are a long way from any creature comforts. A filter is also highly recommended, however, the creeks & rivers tend to be rather silty from the glacial feed.

Mile 0 is where the Dalton Rd/ "Haul Rd." starts.
(It is also Mile 73 of the Elliot Highway)

Milepost 23.8 (Hess Creek Bridge)
Primitive campsite located within trees.

Milepost 56 (Yukon River Crossing)
Campsite located to east of highway, facilities available nearby.

Milepost 60.6 (Five Mile Camp)
Another undeveloped campsite is located here

Milepost 115.3 (Arctic Circle crossing!)
Campsite w/ outhouses, picnic tables.

Milepost 175 (Coldfoot)

A sort of RV park with services plus restaurant, Bar, Laundromat, etc. Make sure to fill up here with gas if you're hoping to venture over the Continental Divide/ Brooks Range and back with out any reserve; or plan on going all the way to Deadhorse where the oil companies really sock it to you!

Milepost 179.9 (Marion Creek)
Campground with 26 sites, outhouses, firepits, water, etc. Fee charged.

Milepost 188.6 (Wiseman)
Campground, general store, public phone.

Milepost 275 (Galbraith Lake & Airstrip)

Just click on the images for a full sized virtual view

Primitive campsites, at far end of runway follow jeep trail.

Milepost 414 (Deadhorse)
No camping, but other lodging facilities are available.

Be Prepared for bad stretches of road, loose flying debris from on coming trucks, serious mosquitoes, blackflies, and grizzlies!!!

Chena River Recreational Area

This recreation area is a 30-minute drive east of Fairbanks and offers some of the most varied hiking opportunities in the state.

The Angel Rock trek takes an hour, while the Chena Dome is a three-day hike. Hikers enjoy wonderful views of the Chena River Valley and the Alaska Range and White Mountains.

There is a beach area built by the Army Corp. of Engineers, which offers some serious relief from the summer heat. It can get a bit crowded in June & July, but the area is large and activities vary. There is a gravel and stone trail which works it's way around the campsites, beach, reservoir, and inter-weaves with some ATV trails. Beware blind intersections, as the ATVers don't. This trail is shared by hikers,runners, and Mtn. Bikers. There is a nice small Nature Trail, with guide[included in the Entrance Fee], for hikers.

Temperatures in the 250,000-acre park can reach 90°F. in the summer and plunge to 40° below in winter. Because of the varied climate, the treeline is around 3,000 feet on most trails, making alpine vegetation accessible to most hikers.

Many Alaskan wildlife species abound at the recreation area, and decoding animal tracks is one of the favorite pleasures of winter campers.

Chena River is also considered one of the state's prime moose-viewing areas.

Chena River State Recreation Area
Hot Springs Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709
907-451-2695

Open Year-round

No Daily Use Fee

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