Hi all, welcome to my passion blog for semester 2 of RCL! I will be continuing my topic from last semester of exploring America’s National Parks. For those who are new to my blog, I grew up in a family that loved outdoor adventure, and I have been on a variety of trips out West and locally. My family loves any activity that we can do outside as a family. I have been to Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Maine, and Michigan, visiting national parks and hiking destinations in each of these states. I have been to Rocky Mountain National Park; Sedona, Arizona; Zion National Park; Bryce Canyon National Park; Grand Canyon National Park; Acadia National Park; and Pictured Lakes National Lakeshore. At these locations my family has gone hiking, camping, repelling, rock climbing, and white water rafting. Above all, my family loves to go hiking and enjoy the beauty of nature. The purpose of this blog is to explore all of the amazing places there are to visit without even leaving the United States. I hope you all can get some ideas of places to visit in the future, I hope I can visit many of these places one day!

Here are links to my first and second blog posts for a little more context/background on me and my family if you are interested. 🙂

Today I am looking into Gates of The Arctic National Park which is located in Alaska. This is one of the less-visited National parks because of its remote wilderness location. Despite this, it provides amazing views and opportunities to see the wildlife of the region. It includes the Endicott Mountains and the Schwatka Mountains as well as six rivers that provide stunning views.

This is definitely somewhere to visit if you want to witness nature that is untouched by humans for the most part. It is described as one of the last truly wild places on earth. There are no roads or manmade trails in the park. This means you are truly submerged in nature. To get to the park you either have to fly by air taxi or hike in as there is no way to drive in. There are many options for backpacking, but it is recommended that only experienced hikers take on the park in this way. The National Park Service warns “Visitors to the park should be PROFICIENT in outdoor survival skills, and be prepared to care for their own life and their partner(s) if an emergency arises” (NPS). This is because of the remote location and difficult terrain including cold rivers, mountain peaks, and valleys as well as dangerous wildlife like grizzly bears and wolverines.

Don’t worry though, there are many options for those of us who don’t have quite the equipment or experience that this option requires! There are many guided trips such as flight-seeing trips, river trips, day trips, or overnight camp-outs at remote locations. You can also “spend the day fishing at an alpine lake, watching the caribou pass through northern valleys, or picnicking by a wild river while listening to the wind in the boreal forest” (NPS). Whatever you chose, no matter where you go in the park, there are sure to be unbelievable views. On top of this, you will most likely have the whole area to yourself, so you can get away from the hustle and stress of everyday life.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Gates of The Arctic National Park! I hope I have the opportunity to take a trip to a remote area like this one day. I think it would be so cool to be submerged in nature and be able to hike through beautiful surroundings that are mostly untouched by society.

Citation:

“Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 8 Dec. 2021, https://www.nps.gov/gaar/index.htm.