Great Kobuk Sand Dunes

After 2 years working at Western Arctic National Parklands, I finally could say on August 8, that I have been on the ground in all four parks.  The whole interpretation division (5 of us) flew out to the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes which are 25 square miles of sand dunes in Kobuk Valley National Park.  The dunes formed from wind-blown deposits after the last glaciers receded.  They used to cover a much larger area, but the vegetation is steadily establishing itself and encroaching.

We flew to the Kobuk River in float planes that hold the pilot and up to 3 passengers.  From a certain point on the river, we hiked south to the dunes.

From the river, you hike uphill a bit through spruce forest.  It's fairly thick through part of the way, and there are patches of tussock tundra to cross.  We took our time, looked around, and stopped frequently, and it took a little over 2 hours.  Here are some shots along the way.

I didn't take enough pictures along the way.  Probably the last mile before reaching the dunes, the trees opened up, and there were birch and aspen (I think) in addition to the spruce.  You can almost see in this picture the ground covered with lichen.  It was a nice, easy walk.  Since there was a big group of us, we were making plenty of noise, but this is bear country, and you definitely don't want to surprise one.  We didn't.  We didn't see any wildlife.  Since we were following some GPS waypoints, we knew we were close to the dunes, but when you arrive, it's quite dramatic.  You're walking through the trees, and all of a sudden, you see a wall of sand.  It's a bit of a scramble to get to the top of that wall, but when you do, you see...

this!

Here are a few more pictures:

The wall of sand

See the ripples?

quaking aspen

quaking aspen taking hold

looks flat, but it's not

The dunes are formed by wind, and it was a bit of a windy day, so everything was gritty.  You might wonder how plants can grow in the middle of this sand.  It was interesting that just a couple of inches below the surface, the sand was wet and compacted.  Plants like the quaking aspen can get what they need to survive, and their roots stabilize the sand.  Then dead plant parts begin to form a layer of soil, and other plants begin to grow alongside.  This is how the sand dunes become vegetated.  See the Kobuk Valley National Park website for more information.

It was a really nice day out there.  It drizzled on and off and was overcast and windy, but that kept the walk out nice and cool.  During the summer, some people come up to float down the Kobuk River, so this is the kind of trip they could make.  If you have the money, there are a couple of companies authorized to fly visitors to the dunes.  You could either fly in on a float plane like we did or land on other places around the dunes with wheels.  If you have the chance, it's worth it.  Kobuk Valley National Park is one of the least visited national parks, so it's not something that most people will see.