National park · Alaska

Kobuk Valley National Park

Holds the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes — 25-square-mile dunes north of the Arctic Circle — and the river crossings where caribou have migrated, and Indigenous people have hunted them, for 12,500 years.

Entrance
No fee listed by NPS
Hours
Open 24 hours daily Kobuk Valley National Park
Established
1980
Region
Alaska
Kobuk Valley National Park
Photo: NPS Photo · Public domain (US National Park Service)
The Kobuk Valley National Park patch

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History

Kobuk Valley National Park preserves significant natural features such as the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and important caribou migration routes. The area has been inhabited for over 12,500 years, showcasing a rich history of human adaptation and subsistence in a challenging Arctic environment.

Key events

  1. December 2, 1980Kobuk Valley National Park established by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
  2. The Onion Portage Archeological District within the park documents nine cultural complexes spanning from 8,000–6,000 BC to about 1000–1700 AD.
  3. About 32 prospectors' camps were established during a brief gold rush in 1899–1900, although their exact locations remain unidentified.

Trails

  • Great Kobuk Sand Dunes Variable · Hard
  • Little Kobuk Sand Dunes Variable · Moderate
  • Baird Mountains Variable · Hard
  • Kobuk River 100+ mi · Moderate
  • Onion Portage Variable · Moderate

Plan your visit

Hours · Kobuk Valley National Park

Open 24 hours, every day

The Northwest Arctic Heritage Center is the visitor center for Kobuk Valley National Park. Since there are no roads in to Kobuk Valley, the visitor center is located in Kotzebue, AK. From Kotzebue, visitors will charter an air taxi to transport them into the actual national park which is open 24/7 every day of the year.

Entrance fees

NPS lists no entrance fee for this park.

Fees and hours as of May 2026. Check current details on NPS.gov

When to go

  • Summer. Only accessible season, long daylight hours, caribou visible
  • Late Summer. Fall caribou migration August-September, fewer mosquitoes
  • Early Fall. Caribou migration peak, fall colors, cooling temps

Wildlife

CaribouGrizzly bearsWolvesMooseArctic foxesDall sheepBald eaglesGrayling

Nearby patches

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