Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

A bridge to the past and a land for the future, Cape Krusenstern National Monument protects approximately 560,000 acres of diverse Arctic coastal, and upland ecosystems. Inhabited by the Iñupiaq people since time-immemorial, over 5,000 years of sequential human use is documented in the 114 successive beach ridges. Rich connections to the land and waters are preserved through subsistence practices.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Camping
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Flying
  • Fixed Wing Flying
  • Hands-On
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Cape Krusenstern National Monument: Since there are no roads into Cape Krusenstern National Monument, the visitor center is located at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, AK. From Kotzebue, visitors will charter an air taxi to transport them into the actual national monument which is open 24/7 every day of the year.

Getting there

Cape Krusenstern National Monument lies within a remote area of northwest Alaska and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and Chukchi Sea. Visitors generally access the monument via the regional hub in Kotzebue. Commercial airlines provide daily service from Anchorage to Kotzebue. Chartered flights with licensed air taxi services, booked in advance, can take backcountry travelers to remote destinations within the monument.

Visitor centers

Weather

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.

Phone: 9073182230

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

aerial view of beach ridges
Beach Ridges on the Shore of Cape Krusenstern · NPS Photo
Orange and red sky as the sun sets along the Cape Krusenstern coast. Sun set reflects on the water.
Sunset on Cape Krusenstern coast · NPS Photo / Annie Carlson
fish hanging on rack
Fish on a Drying Rack · NPS Photo
moon over snow covered hills
Winter Moon · NPS Photo
A multistory tower is pictured in the left foreground. Distant beach ridges and hills in the distanc
Sealing Point Tower at Napaqsraq · NPS Photo / Dana Sharp
Backpacker hikes across green tundra.
Backpacker in the Igishuk Hills · NPS Photo / Annie Carlson

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