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Kobuk Valley National Park - Alaska

Park Details
Location Information
Operating Hours/Seasons
Reservations/Permits/Fees
Climate, Recommended
Clothing
Facilities and Opportunities
Recommended Activities
Visitation
Special Events Programs
Additional Information

Location Information

Location:
Kotzebue, Alaska

Address:
Northwest Alaska Areas
P.O. Box 1029
Kotzebue, Alaska 99752

Telephone:
(907) 442-8300 Headquarters
(907) 442-3760 Kotzebue Public Lands Information Center

Directions:
Approximately 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Northwest Alaska; no road access.

Transportation:
To Park: To Kotzebue, fly with Alaska Airlines; from Kotzebue to the Parklands, fly with various air taxi operators; scheduled flights to villages, charter flights to specific park areas.
Summer access: May include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, by foot.
Winter access: May include snowmobiles, aircraft, by foot.
In Park: None.

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Operating Hours/Seasons

For Information Center Use: daily, summer: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; "occasionally", winter: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. For Parklands Use: Open all year long. Closed most Federal Holidays.

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Reservations/Permits/Fees

None; permits are required for commercial air operators.

Fees, Costs, Rates:
None; required to have Alaska hunting/fishing licenses available in Anchorage or Kotzebue.

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Climate, Recommended Clothing

High winds throughout the year.

Summers - short, mild, cool sunny summers; 24 hours of daylight for one month.

Winter - long, severe, harsh and extremely cold winters; about one hour of daylight by December 1.

Precipitation - 10-12" annually.

Back country hiking/camping - wear plenty of warm clothing, dress in layers, use rain gear, waterproof all of it; wear sturdy hiking boots, waders for wet terrain.

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Facilities and Opportunities

Visitor Center/Exhibits:
Located in Kotzebue.

No visitor facilities or center within parklands.

Trails, Roads:
None.

Programs/Activities:
Throughout the year programs offered at the Kotzebue Public Lands Information Center. Camping, hiking, backpacking, wildlife observations and photography.

Lodging and camping facilities:
There are no NPS developments, services, campgrounds, or trails in these park areas.

Food/supplies:
Not available within parklands. Available in Kotzebue and nearby villages of Ambler, Kiana, and Noatak.

Other Concessions/NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and Opportunities:
Alaska Natural History Association sales area inside the Kotzebue Public Lands Information Center.

Accessibility:
None within the Parklands.

Headquarters and the Kotzebue Public Lands Information Center have ramp access; at the information center.

Braille/large print brochures are available for use and an orientation video is open-captioned. TDD/message is available at (907) 442-8319.

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Recommended Activities/Park Use

Motor boats, canoes, rafts are used on rivers; kayaks used along coast; primitive camping, back country hiking, beach walking, general wildlife observation, photography; local residents pursue hunting, fishing, trapping and other subsistence activities.

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Visitation

Highest in June/July; lowest in January/February.

Visitor Impacts:
More and more use of the Noatak River for floating; much hunting in the fall.

Basic Visit Recommendations:
Guard against hypothermia, giardia lamblia, wild animals, mosquitoes and biting flies; do not interfere with subsistence camps, fishnets or other equipment - respect property and privacy.

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Special Events Programs

Varies throughout the year.

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Additional Information

Write to: Park Headquarters, P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, Alaska, 99752 or call: (907) 442-8300.

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