Kobuk Valley National Park
Alaska
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
Last quarter
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
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.
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
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.
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 9073182230
✉ wear_webmail@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: 🌦️ Drizzle, 53°F
🌦️ 55°/51°
🌦️ 58°/48°
🌦️ 55°/48°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
34%
Feb
24%
Mar
30%
Apr
33%
May
34%
Jun
76%
Jul
100%
Aug
88%
Sep
68%
Oct
65%
Nov
51%
Dec
53%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Visit the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes · There is plenty to see and do at the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes. People can spend several hours to several days exploring the dune field. However, it is remote and help is several hours away.
Float the Kobuk River
Visit the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center
Visitor centers
Northwest Arctic Heritage Center
Accessibility
9 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Kobuk Valley National Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Kobuk Valley National Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Ruth Sandvik
— Akwomen, Alaska, EducationPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Northwest Arctic Heritage Center
Places to see
Angelica at Western Arctic National Parklands
audio
Feltleaf Willow at Western Arctic National Parklands
audio
Fireweed Wayside at Western Arctic National Parklands
audio
Great Kobuk Sand Dunes
audio
Jade Mountains
audio
Lingonberry at Western Arctic National Parklands
audio
Onion Portage Archeological District National Historic Landmark
audio
Sourdock at Western Arctic National Parklands
audio
Stinkweed at Western Arctic National Parklands
audioAudio & media
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🎬
🖼
Learn more
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Microgrant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Microgrant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2013 Microgrant recipients and their outreach projects.
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Microgrant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Microgrant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2014 Microgrant recipients and their outreach projects.
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2016 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2017 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2018 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.
The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2019 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.
View the recipients of the 2023 National Park Service Excellence in Interpretation Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by NPS employees.
National park units in Alaska precede the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The first park unit, Sitka National Monument, was conceived in 1908, and by the mid-1920s four national monuments along with Alaska’s first national park were part of the growing park system. Discover how the early 1900s and observations of a few helped to establish the National Park Service in Alaska.
How Kobuk Valley National Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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Topic
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Trail
ThingToDo
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