Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve north of the Arctic Circle straddles the Brooks Range, North America's last great wilderness. Designated a national monument in 1978, it was given national park status in 1980. The park and preserve, covering an area of 8,472,517 acres, is home to the grizzly and black bear, wolf, Dall sheep, caribou, moose, and wolverine. Roadless and accessible only by air or water, the park abounds in spectacular mountain landscapes cut by valleys that are the headwaters of a host of major rivers: the Noatak, Kobuk, Colville, Killik, Chandler, Anaktuvuk, and Koyukuk.