Alaska's Western Brooks Range

About the Western Brooks Range

The western Brooks Range is the most remote and untraveled part of Alaska. Unknown of the unknown, home of the 400,000 strong Western Arctic Caribou herd. You almost certainly will not encounter other parties (or even footprints) on any of our western Brooks Range trips. Expect encounters with wildlife.

These wildlife-rich Brooks Range trips are the trips our guides covet and vie for. The remoteness of the area and the richness of its fauna coupled with its storied history make this a world class, if totally unknown, destination for Brooks Range backpacking. The gentle gradient of most rivers make the western Arctic ideal for Alaska wilderness canoeing.

Brooks Range Canoeing, Camping and Rafting trips.

For 2013 we will return to the Kokolik river which is perhaps the best wildlife trip in arctic Alaska. We will also visit Kobuk Sand Dunes in Kobuk Valley National Park on our Kobuk Dunes and Gates of the Arctic Explorer trip. For serious birders and adventurers we will be paddling in Kasegeluk Lagoon on the Chukchi Coast in July.

Western Brooks Range Geography and Wildlife

As the Brooks Range heads west beyond Gates of the Arctic National Park, the craggy peaks and arid climate give way to broad colorful ridges, rich and productive tundra, and some of the highest densities of wildlife anywhere in the Arctic. Except for the few Inupiaq residents, the entire Western Arctic is un-peopled and remote. Our trips offer unparalleled opportunities to view the 400,000 animal Western Arctic caribou herd as they migrate just after calving, predators in tow. On a canoe trip a few years ago we watched 60,000 caribou swim the river in a single day. The river turned white with shed hair!

Brooks Range Birding

For bird enthusiasts, the Western Brooks Range is a fantastic place to see Asian migrants such as bluethroats. Bristle-thighed curlew, northern wheatears, yellow wagtails, and gray-headed chickadees are also possibilities. Yellow-billed loons and other rare waterfowl can be seen near to the coast. Raptors like gyrfalcons, golden eagles and rough-legged hawks commonly nest along the river corridors.

If you want to see wildlife in a truly wild place a Western Brooks Range trip is the adventure for you.