• Image of sand dunes

    Kobuk Valley

    National Park Alaska

History & Culture

Kobuk Valley National Park is home to the famous Onion Portage archeological site (NHL) but more importantly the cradle of the Arctic Woodland Culture defined by pioneering archeologist J. Louis Giddings.

Recent archeological work conducted by NPS archeologists have found evidence of human usage of the Kobuk Sand Dunes Complex, settlements along the main course of the Kobuk River, and most recently a temporary camp high in a mountain pass between the Kobuk and Noatak valleys.

The Cultural Resources program at Kobuk Valley National Park documents people in the parks, now and in the past, and helps preserve places with special history. To learn more about cultural resources, visit our program page.

  • Subsistence Subsistence

    Today, as in the past, many Alaskans live off the land Read More

  • A Word About Archeological Sites A Word About Archeological Sites

    Laws protecting sites on public lands Read More

Did You Know?

Image of shrubs and berry plants on the tundra near blue lakes turn red and gold in the fall.

Even though Kobuk Valley National Park gets only 50 cm of rain and snow each year, much of the lowland tundra is soggy. Permafrost, many feet below the surface of the soil, prevents the water from draining away.