Secret National Parks: Kobuk Valley
6/09/2008 at 12:45 PM
Tags: National Parks, Summer Travel, Active Travel, Alaska Travel, Secret-National-Parks-Map (all tags)
Nothing screams summer fun like a national park, but who wants to visit Yellowstone again? This week, we're bringing you some secret spots to enjoy.
To describe it, you'd say Kobuk Valley National Park is "outside" Fairbanks, Alaska, but it'd be more precise to say it's in the absolute middle of nowhere.
The park is only accessible by foot, chartered air, snowmobile or, of course, dog sled. There are no actual trails or roads in the park--or even leading to it--so you better whip out that compass or GPS and hope that you successfully stumble upon it.
What to do once you find Kobuk? Well, the number one tourist attraction is the yearly migration of nearly half a million caribou. They cross the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes twice a year, in the spring and fall. In the summer, you can enjoy 24 hours of straight daylight without leaving the United States. (Unfortunately, there are no midnight tee-times.)
The dunes are situated about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and there are three areas to check out: the Great Kobuk, the Little Kobuk and the Hunt River Sand Dunes. Though the average temperature in the park in the summer hovers in the 50s, the mercury can reach 100 degrees atop the 100-foot-high dunes.
Some of the river drainages in-park are so out of the way that the US Geological Survey hasn't even given them names. Also remember to keep an eye out for the Kobuk locoweed, the purple flower-like plant is only found in the park.
Only 847 people visited the park in all of 2007, so the odds of finding your own peaceful slice of nature are pretty darn good. Be sure to bring plenty of warm clothes, even in the summer, and make sure you know what you are doing before you set out.
Related Stories:
· Kobuk Valley National Park [Official Site]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: scottkdc]
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