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

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.

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

  • Boating
  • Camping
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Fishing
  • Freshwater Fishing
  • Flying
  • Fixed Wing Flying
  • Hands-On
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Hunting and Gathering
  • Hunting
  • Paddling
  • Canoeing
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Noatak National Preserve: Public access to Noatak National Preserve is open year-round, 24-hours a day.

Getting there

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.

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

green northern lights
Nightime Extravaganza · NPS Photo
Light and shadows on mountains
Golden Hour · NPS Photo
mountain refection on calm lake
Mirror Image · NPS Photo
Three multicolored packrafts on the gravel shore of the Kelly river
Three packrafts · NPS Photo / Annie Carlson
bear walking along river
Grizzly on the Noatak River · NPS Photo
small plane taking off
Scout Leaving Kelly Bar · NPS Photo

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