Noatak National Preserve         

Contact Information:
Noatak National Preserve   
PO Box 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
907-442-3890 (Park Headquarters)
907-442-3760 (Summer Visitor Info)
http://www.nps.gov/noat/

Size: 6,569,904 acres.  

Location: Noatak National Preserve is located in northwestern Alaska, in the western Brooks Range, encompassing more than 250 miles of the Noatak River. Daily jet service is available from Anchorage and Fairbanks to Kotzebue. From there, scheduled air service is available to the parklands and nearby villages. Summer access may include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by foot. Winter access may include snowmobiles, aircraft, or by foot.

Description: The Noatak River basin is the largest mountain-ringed river basin in the nation still virtually unaffected by man. The preserve includes landforms of great scientific interest, including the 65-mile-long Grand Canyon of the Noatak, a transition zone and migration route for plants and animals between subarctic and arctic environments, and an array of flora among the most diverse anywhere in the earth's northern latitudes. The preserve contains part of the Noatak Wild River.

Operating Hours: The Preserve is open year around and the headquarters office, located in Kotzebue, is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. The Visitor Center, also located in Kotzebue, is open during the summer months (closed on Sunday & Monday). Arctic winter conditions, including snow, ice, wind, and below-freezing temperatures, exist in the park from October through April. Snow or freezing temperatures may occur any time, even during the summer.

History: Proclaimed as Noatak National Monument on December 1, 1978; established as a national preserve on December 2, 1980. Wilderness designated on December 2, 1980. Designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1976. 

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See other Alaska National Parks