It might be one of America’s least-visited national parks, but the remote nature of Kobuk Valley National Park benefits the myriad species of wildlife that call it home.
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Home to the Arctic’s largest active sand dunes, Kobuk Valley is located entirely above the Arctic Circle, with visitors required to arrive by air and be entirely self-sufficient throughout their stay. It has no roads, no trails, no facilities and no rangers – just wilderness on an epic scale.
About 13,000 years ago, Kobuk Valley was home to bison, mastodons and mammoths. Since then, the climate has changed – and so has its wildlife. Today, it remains one of America's wildest and least disturbed landscapes, hosting some of the animal kingdom's most impressive migrations, breeding spectacles and rutting displays.
Where is Kobuk Valley National Park?
Kobuk Valley is in northwestern Alaska, about 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It’s an extremely remote region, best known for its 30m-high Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.
Wildlife in Kobuk Valley National Park
Caribou
Nearly half a million caribou migrate through the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes every year, making this one of the region’s greatest wildlife spectacles. They have been crossing the Onion Portage along the Kobuk River for over 8,000 years – it really is a well-trodden path for these majestic animals. Their broad, oar-like hooves help them paddle across rivers, while their “hollow” hair helps them remain buoyant.
Brown bear
Brown bears (grizzlies) live throughout the Kobuk Valley wherever food is available. Their diet includes fish, tundra vegetation, and occasionally caribou or moose calves.
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Because bears and people often use the same areas, visitors should remain alert and follow the park's bear-safety guidelines at all times.
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Moose
Moose are abundant in the Kobuk Valley, relying on willows around riverbanks in summer and woodier stems in winter. They prefer cover than open tundra, so are often more difficult to see than their prominent caribou counterpart.
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Grey wolf
Crucial to the ecological balance of the the park, the grey wolf is a key predator in this area, feeding on caribou, moose and other animals. They are trickier to spot, as they stay away from humans and usually only appear at dawn and dusk. You’re more likely to hear one than you are to see one. Grey wolves are found throughout most of Alaska, among the largest terrestrial animals found in this area.
Musk ox
Known as both ‘musk ox’ and ‘muskox’, this enormous, shaggy mammal is perfectly adapted to the extreme cold of Alaska, thanks to its soft undercoat, which contains some of the warmest natural fibres found in the natural world. Muskox prefer tundra and upland habitats, where they can graze on grasses.
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They are more active during the rutting season, where bulls defend the females by butting heads with competitors.
Dall sheep
Preferring alpine and rocky upland areas, Dall sheep escape predators by skillfully navigating dangerous cliffs, ledges and slopes. As a result, your best chance of seeing them is from higher vantage points in the mountains of Kobuk Valley National Park.
Wolverine
The elusive wolverine is a solitary carnivore that inhabits large areas of the park. Wolverines are scavengers, so will feed on animals that have died naturally or are killed by larger predators, such as wolves.
Arctic fox
The stealthy Arctic fox is known for its colour-changing coat, which transforms from greyish-brown to bright white in winter to help blend in with its surroundings. Thanks to this effective camouflage, you’re unlikely to spot these secretive creatures.
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American pine marten
The agile, solitary American pine marten thrives in the northern forests of the Kobuk Valley National Park, using the spruce trees in this area to travel at high elevation to escape predators and hunt small mammals.
Arctic ground squirrel
These small mammals are one of the animals you’re more likely to encounter in summer in Kobuk Valley, but they disappear almost entirely from view in the winter months, as they begin to hibernate.
Beaver
North America’s largest rodent, beavers are predominantly found in the rivers of the park, particularly in the tributaries and backwaters of the Kobuk River, where they build lodges and dams.
Otter
Along with beavers, otters inhabit the waterways of the Kobuk Valley, but are slightly more difficult to spot.
Snowshoe hare
Like the Arctic fox, the snowshoe hare has evolved to change colour seasonally, transforming from greyish-brown in the summer to white in the winter, making them a master of disguise. This helps them survive against a raft of predators: lynx, foxes, wolves, wolverines and raptors.
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Birds
Migratory birds travel through the Kobuk Valley in their millions every year, nesting on the lakes, rivers and tundra of the valley in summer. Cranes, arctic terns, shorebirds and waterfowl make the valley their seasonal home – a joy for visiting birders, who will get a great show particularly during the Arctic breeding season in May and June.
Fish
The Kobuk River is a key site for fish activity, particularly sheefish, arctic grayling and northern pike.
Top image credit: BlueBarronPhoto/Getty Images
