February 27, 2024 – Gates of the Arctic National Park

The National Park Service just released its annual visitation statistics for 2023. 325.5 million visitors enjoyed our national parks last year, up 13 million from 2022. The parks with the most visitors were Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park. Topping the list of the least visited was a remote park in Alaska, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, with just 11,045 visitors.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is the northernmost national park in the U.S. and it’s the second largest park at over 8.4 million acres. Altogether, the park and preserve is around 200 miles long and 130 miles wide, making it one of the largest protected parklands in the world.
The park got its name from wilderness advocate Robert Marshall. While traveling the area between 1929 and 1939, he came across an incredible vista of 2 mountains on either side of a river, and he christened it the Gates of the Arctic. The area was initially designated as a national monument in 1978 before being redesignated as a national park two years later.
One reason for its lack of visitors is the park’s remoteness. There are no roads, official trails, visitor services, or cell service in the park. You have to hike or be flown in, and visitors must be extremely self-sufficient! Rugged peaks, arctic valleys, boreal forests, rivers, and many lakes characterize the park. More than half a million caribou migrate through the park every year. Other wildlife residents include brown bears, moose, Dall sheep, wolverines, wolves, and muskox. Though it looks like it’s been untouched by civilization, indigenous peoples have lived there for at least 12,000 years. Numerous archeological and historic sites can be found throughout the park. Learn more here.