It might seem that with all this richness, the ecosystem is resilient. But that is far from the case. Winter on the refuge is long and severe; summer is brief and intense. Snow usually covers the ground at least nine months of the year. It may take 300 years for a white spruce at treeline to reach a diameter of five inches. Surprisingly, two-foot willow shrubs may be 50 to 100 years old.

Raft the Canning River
A trip down one of the refuge's rivers is perhaps the best way to sample its diverse habitats and inhabitants. The Canning River is possibly the most popular trip in the refuge. The Canning River is a swift river that passes through four mountain ranges on its way to the Arctic Ocean. A typical journey takes ten days. Along the way there are plenty of opportunities to stop and observe stunning wildlife.

Hike the Brooks Range
The Brooks Range can safely be called a trackless wilderness. It can't safely be called safe. Its isolation, the severity of the weather, and the ruggedness of the landscape means that hiking here is life on the edge. The mountains are characterized by steep rock pinnacles and broad glacial valleys. Valley-to-valley access is provided at low passes. To hike these reaches, you need honed orientation skills and solid wilderness survival experience. What you get in return is the hiking trip of a lifetime.

More on hiking in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Revel in the Wildlife
The Arctic offers a rich pageant of wildlife including 140 bird species. It protects a large portion of the migration routes of the Porcupine caribou herd (180,000 animals)—one of the two largest herds in Alaska. The caribou migrate more than a thousand miles, from wintering grounds south of the Brooks Range to calving grounds on the northern coastal plain of the refuge and the Yukon Territory. Any trip to the refuge is sure to provide hundreds of "wow" experiences.