Arctic parks encompass 19.3 million acres of land—more than a quarter of the land area managed by the National Park Service nationwide. Interior parks (Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve) extend across the rocky and barren mountains of the central and western Brooks Range west to the southern Chukchi Sea.
Together, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Cape Krusenstern National Monument represent the third-largest block of coastline in the National Park Service—approximately 946 miles (1,514 km). In these parks one can find lowland wet tundra, coastal tundra, lagoons, estuaries, and rivers all underlain by permafrost. The Alaskan Arctic consists of largely intact ecosystems and has been inhabited by people for thousands of years.
Arctic Parks
Arctic National Natural Landmarks
The state of Alaska has 16 National Natural Landmark (NNL) sites, ranging in size from tiny Bogoslof Island at 170 acres to the massive Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Refuge at almost 1.8 million acres. Two sites are found in the Arctic:
Arrigetch Peaks NNL
Walker Lake NNL
Landowners of NNLs in Alaska include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, State of Alaska, and private individuals. The sites include the largest piedmont glacier in North America, a major walrus haulout, remants of a petrified metasequoia forest from the Tertiary period, and multiple examples of active volcanoes.
Arctic National Historic Landmarks
In addition to parks, the NPS also protects sites for historic preservation, such as national historic landmarks. These can be significant sites on other (non-NPS) lands (e.g., Birnirk, Ipiutak, Wales, Iyatayet), or within parks (e.g., Cape Krusenstern, Onion Portage).
Last updated: July 25, 2019