Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
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 northernmost 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 ; 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.
Oolah Valley in the Itkillik Preserve
Hikers in the Itkillik River drainage, a group of tilted sedimentary peaks in the central Brooks Range
Visitors camping in the Thunder Valley of the Brooks Range in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Group of hikers overlooking a glacier in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
There are 21 protected areas of the United States designated as national preserves. They were established by an act of Congress to protect areas that have resources often associated with national parks but where certain natural resource-extractive activities such as hunting and mining may be permitted, provided their natural values are preserved. The activities permitted in each national preserve vary depending on the enabling legislation of the unit. All national preserves are managed by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the National Park System.
Entrance sign to Mojave National Preserve
Entrance sign to Denali National Park and Preserve
Image: Aniakchak Bay (22343282135)
Image: Tors in serpentine valley (9922806545)