- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Infobox_protected_area | name = Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
iucn_category = Ib
caption =
locator_x = 31
locator_y = 145
location = Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, North Slope Borough, and Northwest Arctic Borough,Alaska USA
nearest_city = Fairbanks
lat_degrees = 67
lat_minutes = 47
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 153
long_minutes = 18
long_seconds = 0
long_direction = W
area = 8,472,506 acres (34,287 km²)
established =December 2 ,1980
visitation_num = 10,924
visitation_year = 2007
governing_body =National Park Service Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is a
U.S. National Park inAlaska . It is the northernmost national park in the U.S. (the entirety of the park lies north of theArctic Circle ) and the second largest at 13,238 mi² (39,460 km²), about the same size asSwitzerland . The park consists primarily of portions of theBrooks Range of mountains. It was first protected as aU.S. National Monument onDecember 1 ,1978 , before becoming a national park and preserve two years later in 1980 upon passage of theAlaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act . A large part of the park is preserved as awilderness area ; some 11,321 mi² (29,322 km²) of wilderness which with the adjoiningNoatak Wilderness Area forms the largest contiguous wilderness in the United States. The park's name dates to 1929, when wilderness activist Bob Marshall, exploring the North Fork of theKoyukuk River , encountered a pair of mountains (Frigid Crags and Boreal Mountain), one on each side of the river. He christened this portal the "Gates of the Arctic." [http://www.nps.gov/gaar/planyourvisit/hours.htm]Unusual for a U.S. national park, some 1,500 people reside in 10 small communities in the park's "resident subsistence zone" where they rely on park resources for survival.
There are no established roads, trails, visitor facilities, or campgrounds in the park. However, the
Dalton Highway (Alaska State Highway 11) comes within five miles (8 km) of the park's eastern boundary. The National Park Service maintains a small visitor center in nearby Coldfoot on the highway.The geography contains the arête-peaked Brooks Range and rolling valleys of wild
tundra . Fauna includemoose , barren-ground grizzlies,Dall sheep , black bears, wolves, andcaribou .The park contains mountains such as the
Arrigetch Peaks andMount Igikpak . The park also features sixWild and Scenic River s:
*Alatna River 83 miles (134 km)
*John River 52 miles (84 km)
*Kobuk River 110 miles (177 km)
*the North Fork of theKoyukuk River 102 miles (164 km)
*part of theNoatak River
*Tinayguk River 44 miles (71 km)External links
* Official site: [http://www.nps.gov/gaar/ Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve]
* [http://www.nps.gov/gaar/Expanded/visitor_info/student_guide.htm NPS visitor guide for Gates of the Arctic]
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