The national park boundary comes within a few miles of the road for a short stretch, and you may park your car and hike cross-country to enter. But it is not that easy. The park is separated from the road by a river and a ridge of hills. It is one of the finest wilderness areas of the world. With a surface area of 8.4 million acres (336 thousand squares kilometers), it is four times the size of Yellowstone, and only slightly smaller than Switzerland. The Arctic National Park & Preserve you always meet someone from Fort Wainwright. Gates of the Arctic encompasses several congressionally recognized elements, including the national park, national preserve, wilderness, six Wild Rivers and two National Natural Landmarks.

Activities and Attractions

The expansive, remote park mainly draws adventurous backcountry travelers who enjoy float trips, hiking, camping, climbing and fishing. There are several adventure tours that offer summer rafting and hiking trips in the park. Although winter visitors are few, dog mushing, cross country skiing, northern lights viewing and snowshoeing are winter options. Summer or winter, independent or package, you'll come away with memories of having walked a corner of the globe so untouched that most of the peaks have never even been named.