A huge spray of northern lights is reflected in a tiny sliver of water in the Noatak River. This image was captured in early September at 2:30 in the morning.
The famous golden hour near sunset on Copter Peak gives depth to the mountains and neon hues to the tundra.
The Delong Mountains are flawlessly reflected in the clear, clean water of Desperation Lake in the northern part of Noatak National Preserve.
The profile of this grizzly on the Noatak River shows a nice example of the hump of muscle between it's shoulders. That muscle makes grizzlies good diggers.
A National Park Service plane takes off from the Kelly Bar landing site at the confluence of the Kelly River and Noatak River
171 3rd Ave
Kotzebue, AK 99752
PO Box 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
Phone Number: 9074423890 Voice
Phone Number: 9074428316 Fax
Email Address: wear_webmail@nps.gov
Description:
As one of North America's largest mountain-ringed river basins with an intact ecosystem, the Noatak River environs feature some of the Arctic's finest arrays of plants and animals. The river is classified as a National Wild and Scenic River. It offers stunning wilderness float-trip opportunities - from deep in the Brooks Range to the tidewater of the Chukchi Sea.
park designation:National Preserve
Noatak National Preserve is a very remote area. There are no roads that provide access. Commercial airlines provide service from Anchorage to Kotzebue or Fairbanks to Bettles. Once in Kotzebue or Bettles, you must fly to the preserve with various air taxi operators. There are scheduled flights to villages and chartered flights to remote park areas. Summer access may include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by foot.
For detailed directions, please visit this link.
Directions
Public access to Noatak National Preserve is open year-round, 24-hours a day.
Snow, rain, and freezing temperatures can occur any time of the year. Always travel with good quality rain gear and warm layers. Be especially careful to stay dry. Hypothermia can set in on a windy, wet day, even when it doesn't feel that cold.