Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a land of diversity from the boreal forests of the Porcupine River uplands along its southern boundary to the coastal lagoons and barrier islands of the Beaufort Sea.

The rugged spine of the Brooks Range, a land of rock, snow, and glaciers, divides the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. From its southern slopes, the Sheenjek, Chandalar, Wind, and Colleen rivers flow south from treeless alpine tundra through the northern limits of the boreal forest into the Yukon River. North of the divide lies the northern front of the mountain range, a beautiful landscape of deeply carved valleys; the Hula Hula River, the Kongakut River, Canning, and Jago, all descending steeply to the coastal plain and into the Beaufort Sea.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a land where caribou of the Porcupine herd come to graze and bear their young on the arctic coastal plain. Wolves and grizzly bears await the return of the caribou to the mountain valleys. Dall sheep leap across rocky crags and graze serenely in alpine meadows. Shaggy, musk ox appear unchanged from their prehistoric ancestors as they feed on wildflowers and willows. Peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, golden eagles, jaegers and snowy owls hunt for prey with sharp eyes searching the tundra and mountain slopes. Loons, geese, ducks, arctic terns and shorebirds frequent the many ponds, streams, and lakes. Polar bears give birth to cubs in dens carved into wind-packed snow.

Link to a more detailed map (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

ABEC offers a variety of adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our schedule includes river journeys with day hikes, backpacking trips through remote wilderness, and combination trips with river and backpacking sections.

Read more about some of the adventures led by our staff of experienced guides:

ABEC's Alaska Adventures, LLC
PO Box 10791 | Fairbanks, Alaska 99710
Toll Free: (877) 424-8907 | Fax and Local Phone: (907) 457-8907
abec@abecalaska.com