Kotzebue

Situated 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Kotzebue provides access to some of the finest river running in Arctic Alaska; popular trips include the Noatak, the Kobuk and the Selawik Rivers. The National Park service operates a facility in Kotzebue year round and provides information on nearby Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park and Cape Krusenstern National Monument.

For those who don’t fish, strolling down Shore Avenue alone is worth the trip. A narrow gravel road only a few yards from the water at the northern edge of town, Shore Avenue offers views of salmon drying out on racks, fishing boats crowding the beach to be repaired and locals preparing for the coming winter. This is the optimum place to watch the midnight sun roll along the horizon, painting the sea reddish gold in a beautiful scene of color and light reflecting off the water. Beginning in early June, the sun does not set for about six weeks.

Kotzebue has one of the largest communities of indigenous people in the Far North; 80 percent of the residents are Inupiat Eskimo. Much of the town's history and culture can be viewed at the newly-constructed Northwest Arctic Heritage Center. The center was built and is being operated through a partnership between the National Park Service and NANA, an Alaska Native corporation. The center features information on the area's indigenous culture and the plants, animals and birds that populate the region. In the center of town there is a large cemetery where decorated spirit houses have been erected over many of the graves.