Kobuk Valley National Park
Caribou, sand dunes, the Kobuk River, Onion Portage - just some of the facets of Kobuk Valley National Park. Thousands of caribou migrate through, their tracks crisscrossing sculpted dunes. The Kobuk River is an ancient and current corridor for people and wildlife. For 9000 years, people came to Onion Portage to harvest caribou as they swam the river. Even today, that rich tradition continues.
There are no roads to provide access, so planes take care of most transportation needs. Directions from the Park Service ↗
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
No fee.
Hours
| Kobuk Valley National Park | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Northwest Arctic Heritage Center ↗Passport stamp
Large, half-dome shaped, blue and grey building with just over 11,000 square feet of space. The museum space is just over 1,800 square feet and contains animal displays, soundscapes, tactile exhibits and more. The Heritage Center also contains a bookstore, restroom, art gallery, and sitting area.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Visit the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes1-5 Days
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are the northern most sand dune complex in North America with an abundance of arctic wildlife.
Opens on the Park Service site - Float the Kobuk River5-20 Days
Want a nice mild float on a wild river? The Kobuk River may be a great option for wilderness adventure and zen-like floating in Kobuk Valley National Park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center30-120 Minutes
Trying to figure out where to go and what to do in Northwest Alaska? The Northwest Arctic Heritage Center is a great place to meet rangers and acquire information on Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National…
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Kobuk Valley National Park and Alaska
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 124 birds, 37 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Bald eagle · Boreal owl · Golden eagle · Great gray owl · Great horned owl · Hawk owl · Marsh hawk · Merlin · Osprey · Peregrin falcon · Rough-legged hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Short-eared owl · Snowy owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican wigeon · Arctic loon · Bufflehead · Canada goose · Common goldeneye · Common loon · Greater scaup · Greater white-fronted goose · Green-winged teal · Harlequin duck · Horned grebe · Lesser scaup · Northern pintail · Red-breasted merganser · Red-necked grebe · Red-throated loon · Sandhill crane · Snow goose · Tundra swan
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican golden-plover · Arctic tern · Baird's sandpiper · Black-bellied plover · Bonaparte's gull · Common snipe · Dunlin · Glaucous gull · Herring gull · Hudsonian godwit · Least sandpiper · Lesser yellowlegs · Long-billed dowitcher · Long-tailed jaeger · Mew gull · Northern phalarope · Parasitic jaeger · Pectoral sandpiper · Pomarine jaeger · Red phalarope · Sanderling · Semipalmated plover · Semipalmated sandpiper · Solitary sandpiper · Spotted sandpiper · Upland sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesRock ptarmigan · Spruce grouse · Willow ptarmigan
WoodpeckersDowny woodpecker · Northern flicker · Northern three-toed woodpecker
Also on the checklistAlder flycatcher · American dipper · American pipit · American robin · American tree sparrow · Arctic warbler · Bank swallow · Belted kingfisher · Black scoter · Black-capped chickadee · Blackpoll warbler · Bohemian wagwing · Boreal chickadee · Canvasback · Cliff swallow · Common raven · Common redpoll · Dark-eyed junco · Fox sparrow · Golden-crowned sparrow · Goshawk · Gray jay · Gray-cheeked thrush · Gray-crowned rosy finch · Gray-headed chickadee · Gyrfalcon · Hoary redpoll · Horned lark · Lapland longspur · Lincoln's sparrow · Mallard · Myrtle warbler · Northern shoveler · Northern shrike · Northern waterthrush · Northern wheatear · Oldsquaw · Olive-sided flycatcher · Orange-crowned warbler · Pine grosbeak · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Rusty blackbird · Savannah sparrow · Say's phoebe · Snow bunting · Surf scoter · Surfbird · Swainson's thrush · Tree swallow · Varied thrush · Wandering tattler · Whimbrel · White-crowned sparrow · White-winged crossbill · White-winged scoter · Wilson's warbler · Yellow wagtail · Yellow warbler
Small mammalsAlaska marmot · American beaver · Arctic ground squirrel · Barren ground shrew · Brown lemming · Cinereus shrew · Collared lemming · Dusky shrew · Muskrat · Northern bog lemming · Northern red-backed vole · Porcupine · Pygmy shrew · Red squirrel · Singing vole · Snowshoe hare · Taiga vole · Tiny shrew · Tundra shrew · Tundra vole
PredatorsAmerican black bear · American marten · Arctic fox · Brown bear · Coyote · Ermine · Gray wolf · Least weasel · Lynx · Mink · Northern river otter · Red fox · Wolverine
Hoofed mammalsCaribou · Dall sheep · Moose
Also on the checklistmuskox
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 16 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Snow, rain, and freezing temperatures can occur any time of the year. Always travel with good quality rain gear and warm layers. Be especially careful to stay dry. Hypothermia can set in on a windy, wet day, even when it doesn't feel that cold.
Questions people ask
Does Kobuk Valley charge an entrance fee?
No. Kobuk Valley is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Kobuk Valley open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Kobuk Valley?
7,786 recreation visits in 2025, number 363 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
What is the weather like at Kobuk Valley?
Snow, rain, and freezing temperatures can occur any time of the year. Always travel with good quality rain gear and warm layers.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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