Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

national park of the United States

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is an American national park that protects portions of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the most northern national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle. The area of the park and preserve is the second largest in the U.S. at 8,472,506 acres (13,238 sq mi; 34,287 km2), slightly larger in area than Belgium; the National Park portion is the second largest in the U.S., after the National Park portion of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Oolah Valley in the Itkillik Preserve
Map
Location in northern Alaska
LocationBettles, Alaska
Coordinates67°47′N 153°18′W / 67.783°N 153.300°W / 67.783; -153.300
Area8,472,506 acres (34,287.02 km2)[1]
EstablishedDecember 2, 1980
Visitors2,872 (in 2020)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteGates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve

Gates of the Arctic was initially designated as a national monument on December 1, 1978, before being made into 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 (2,900,460 ha).[3] The wilderness area adjoins the Noatak Wilderness. Together, they form the largest contiguous wilderness in the United States.


References change

  1. "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-06. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  3. "Gates of the Arctic Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-03-06.