Destination List > Gates of the Arctic National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Photo by GPA Photo Archive
Kid Rating:
The history...
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve protects portions of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle. The park is the second largest in the U.S. at 8,472,506 acres, slightly larger in area than Belgium.
Gates of the Arctic was initially designated as a national monument on December 1, 1978, before being redesignated as a national park and preserve upon passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. A large part of the park has additional protection as the Gates of the Arctic Wilderness which covers 7,167,192 acres. The wilderness area adjoins the Noatak Wilderness. Together, they form the largest contiguous wilderness in the United States.
