Kobuk Valley National Park guide · 1 min read
Starting at Kotzebue's Northwest Arctic Heritage Center
Visitors planning a trip into Kobuk Valley National Park can begin at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, 80 miles west of the park.
The park has no roads, campgrounds or developed facilities, so the center serves as headquarters and the main visitor center for the whole region. It is also the main visitor center for the Western Arctic National Parklands, a group of three units that also includes Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Noatak National Preserve.
Inside, a free museum covers Arctic wildlife, geology and Iñupiaq culture, including subsistence practices. Other exhibits explain Arctic ecology, and films about the parks and nearby Alaska points of interest can be watched on demand. The building also stocks souvenirs.
Talk with a ranger before you head out. The center can help with trip planning for camping or floating in the parklands, and it has bear-resistant food containers available to borrow on request. Ranger-led summer programs add another reason to stop in.
Kotzebue is the gateway for this remote country. Flights from Anchorage or Fairbanks land in Kotzebue or Bettles, and a local air taxi carries visitors the rest of the way into the park. Since there are no roads into the park, travelers should stock up on essentials in town and plan for weather that can change quickly. The heritage center's large lobby has free wifi, plus films, puzzles and books for long layovers or bad weather.
Kotzebue also has its own outdoor options. An 8-mile loop road leads out of town across the tundra, with walking along the beach and the shoreline of Kotzebue Sound. Birding along the loop can turn up a wide range of species, so pack binoculars.
