Northern Alaska
Home to Nome, Barrow, and
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska's vast Arctic encompasses a
stark and beautiful landscape populated by
animals specially adapted to life in the frigid
North. The treeless tundra of the North Slope
is pockmarked with lakes and ponds that harbor
breeding populations of waterfowl. Huge herds
of caribou migrate hundreds of miles to breed
along the barren coast of the Arctic Ocean. The
long winters and stormy summers provide little
chance for the ground to thaw, and, as a
result, permafrost lurks only inches below the
surface of the soil. Alaska's Arctic is home to
the Inupiat Eskimos, many who still live a
northern lights and arctic their aurora
borealis from generation to generation. The Far
North is filled with a rich history and natural
Northern Alaska from the aurora borealis to the
Gates of the Arctic National Park and
Preserve.
Nome:
In Nome you'll find a variety of opportunities
to enjoy the Far North's great outdoors.
Surrounded by tundra, Nome provides access to
nearly 300 miles of surrounding roads, which
visitors can use to explore the countryside and
discover pristine, untouched wilderness. While
exploring the Seward Peninsula in the summer's
extended daylight hours, you'll have the
opportunity to discover wildflowers, moose,
reindeer, caribou, birds and seals. The area
also offers excellent fishing for salmon,
Arctic char and grayling.
Barrow:
The Inupiat community of Barrow is the
northernmost settlement in America and one of
the largest Eskimo communities. As the seat of
the 88,000 square-mile North Slope Borough,
Barrow is also the world's largest
municipality. This far north, the summer sun
doesn't set for 82 days, shinning continually
from around the first of May to the first of
August. Whaling and other subsistence
activities still play an important role in this
arctic community. In fact, during April and
May, visitors can often watch as Eskimos head
for their whaling camps.
Prudhoe Bay:
Two hundred miles east of Barrow is Prudhoe
Bay, home of the largest oil field in North
America. The 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline
starts here and ends in Valdez. Located 260
miles northwest of Fairbanks in the central
Brooks Range lays the village of Anaktuvuk
Pass. This is the last remaining settlement of
the Nunamiut or inland northern Inupiat Eskimo.
Their ancestors, who date back to 500 BC,
settled the village in this area because it
lies directly on a caribou migration route.
|
Southeast
Alaska • Ketchikan • Misty Fjords • Juneau • Mendenhall Glacier • Glacier Bay • Petersburg • Skagway • Sitka • Haines • Wrangell Gulf Coast • Whittier • Seward • Homer • Kenai • Kenai Fjords • Kenai River • Kodiak • Valdez | Southcentral
Alaska • Anchorage • Portage Glacier • Girdwood Interior Alaska • Fairbanks • Talkeetna • Denali National Park Far North Alaska • Nome • North Pole • Barrow Southwest Alaska • Aleutian Islands • Katmai National Park • Dutch Harbor • More Towns and Cities |
|
RSS