Park Regulations & Safety

Selecting a Wilderness Campsite

Arctic tundra is surprisingly fragile and slow to recover. It is best to camp on durable surfaces. Gravel bars make excellent campsites since they often have fewer mosquitoes than other sites, and high water will erase signs of your presence. Remember that water levels can rise at any time, so locate your camp well above current water levels. If you must choose a vegetated site, select a location with hardier vegetation such as grasses and sedges, rather than more fragile lichens and mosses. You can also help preserve the ecosystem by moving camp every 2-3 days or before signs of your presence become noticeable. Wearing soft-soled shoes around camp gives your feet and the vegetation a break.

General Planning Information

Traveling in a remote wilderness park requires visitors to be self sufficient and flexible.

• You need to arrive at your jumping off point with everything you need for a safe and comfortable trip.
• Bush travel requires flexibility. There are many reasons for delays going in and out of the park. You should take enough food to remain in the park several extra days. It is also a good idea to have a back up route plan with maps just in case.
• Before you leave for your trip, contact the Park and Preserve for updates and advisories.

Visitors in the park must practice minimum impact techniques, adhere to Leave No Trace principles, follow backcountry safety guidelines, and be aware of the fragile ecosystems and private lands within the park.

• Before you go into the backcountry, stop by the Bettles Ranger Station, Coldfoot Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, Marion Creek Ranger Station (near Coldfoot), or Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station for a backcountry orientation.
• We request that you fill out the voluntary Back Country Registration Form.
• You will also have the opportunity to check out Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFCs) at these locations. BRFCs are the easiest way to meet the mandatory food storage regulations for all overnight visitors in the Park.

Filing a Trip Plan

It is strongly recommended that visitors file a trip plan with a friend or relative. This plan should include

• your route
• when you expect to return from the backcountry
• communication equipment you will be carrying

Instruct your friend or relative to call the park and initiate a search if they do not hear from you by a prearranged date and time.

We also encourage all visitors to fill out our voluntary backcountry registration form and the Alaska State Trooper SAR form. These forms provide appropriate information for park rangers should a search be initiated. However, in keeping with the wilderness nature of the Park and Preserve, rangers do not follow the itinerary of backcountry visitors.

Setting Up Camp

Select a durable surface for your campsite. Gravel bars work well, but be sure to camp above water level in case the river rises. When camping on the tundra, select a site that is not too dry and that will not be heavily impacted. Bring what you need. Do not trench for tents or cut branches for beds. Use lighter soled camp shoes to lessen your impact.

When you set up your campsite, keep in mind that you are in bear country. Locate your cooking/eating area 100 yards away from the sleeping area. Stash all your food, trash, petroleum and other odorous items (toothpaste, lotions, etc.) in a separate area.

Before you leave, make every effort to return your campsite to a natural appearance.

Authorized Outfitters, Guides, and Air Taxis

Commercial operations conducting business in the Park and Preserve must have a current Commercial Use Authorization.

Back Country Communications

Bettles Field is located near the village of Evansville. It is a common jumping off spot for the park. Several air taxi operators fly into all areas of the park from here. The park field office is also located in Bettles Field. There is also a log cabin visitor contact station where visitors attend back country orientations, receive park condition updates, attend ranger programs, get their park passport stamped, check out bear resistant food containers and become a Guardian of the Gates.

Types of Emergency Communication Devices and their usefulness in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

Because of the remoteness of the Brooks Range, technological communication devices are often not the most effective means of communication.

• Signal Mirrors are the least technologically advanced and have been the most useful over the years. Used with ground markings (rocks, tarps, clothing, etc. spelling HELP or SOS), they will most likely been seen by pilots flying through the area.
• Flares are not always visible to pilots flying overhead during 24-hours of sunlight or in heavy overcast skies.
• Cell phones do not work in the Park and Preserve.
• Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are dependent on satellites. When deployed they activate a Search Response and should only be used in legitimate EMERGENCIES. One disadvantage of PLBs is they provide no means of communicating what the exact emergency is (broken leg, hypothermia, bear-mauling, etc.).
• An air-to-ground/ VHF radio enables communication with a pilot in your area. Some air-taxi services provide these to their clients to allow them to speak with their pilot on the day of pick-up or in an EMERGENCY situation. These are not intended for casual conversation with pilots flying through the area. They require you to know the pilot's frequency and really only work effectively when the pilot is flying within close proximity.
• Satellite phones work in some areas of the park and preserve. Sometimes they require hiking up to a higher elevation and / or multiple tries before a satellite is in range.

Before you leave, it is a good idea to complete a voluntary back country registration form which lists your communication devices. We also recommend that you talk with your air-taxi service about how best to contact them in case of emergency. They are more likely to be flying in your area (dropping off/picking up you and other parties) than our park pilot who is responsible for covering the entire 8.4 million acres of park and preserve.

BRFC Vendor List

To assist you in locating Bear (Animal) Resistant Food/Garbage Containers, here is a list of known sources who carry them. We also recommend checking with your outfitter, air taxi or guide service for additional supplies. The following list is provided as a public service; however, inclusion in this list should in no way be viewed as an endorsement by Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, the National Park Service, or the Department of Interior.

Private Property

Private land and cabins are scattered throughout Alaskan parks and refuges. Though travel may be through remote country, you may encounter private property.

• Cabins, caches, traplines and fishnets should be respected and not disturbed.
• Check with the land manager of the area you are visiting for land status.
• You may also encounter prehistoric or historic sites. These sites usually hold great significance for the local Native people. Respect their heritage and leave the site undisturbed.
• During your trip in the Arctic, you will most likely visit rural communities. Invasion of community privacy is a concern of many rural residents. Be sensitive to local lifestyle activities. Ask before photographing.

Water

Even in this remote park some rivers and lakes contain Giardia lamblia, or other intestinal parasites.

For your safety it is recommended that you drink only boiled, filtered or chemically treated water.

To protect the water quality, bathe and wash dishes at least 100 feet from sources of drinking water and use biodegradable soaps.

Go at least 200 yards from the water to use the restroom.

Cooking

Gas or propane stoves for cooking are strongly recommended. Fires are often impractical. Tree growth in the Arctic is very slow; a spruce tree only inches in diameter may be hundreds of years old. In some areas wood is scarce or nonexistent. A gas or propane stove is also good for emergencies since it is easy to light.

Keep a clean camp. Avoid food spills and other animal attractants. Proper food storage is required in all Alaskan parks. Bears that become accustomed to human food and products present a hazard to people traveling in the backcountry and often have to be destroyed. If we all do our part we can protect the fragile ecosystems and the bears that inhabit them while enjoying this vast wilderness.

Food Storage Requirements

A Fed Bear May Become a Dead Bear

Allowing a bear to obtain human food or garbage, even once, will cause it to seek out more human food. Eventually, if the bear becomes a threat to human safety, it may be killed. For this reason, it is against the law to feed bears in Gates of the Arctic NP&P, either on purpose or by carelessly leaving food or garbage where bears can get to it.

All Alaska National Parks and Preserves require that food and garbage be stored by an approved means.

• Bear Resistant Food Containers: Because in most areas of Gates of the Arctic Park and Preserve there are no trees appropriate for hanging food, Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFCs) are the most common way to meet the requirement for overnight visitors in the Park.
• Within a hard sided building; Within a lockable and hard sided section of a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft.
• Hanging items 100 feet from camp, and at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet horizontally from a post, tree trunk or other object on a line or branch that will not support a bear’s weight. In most areas of the park this method is not feasible. If you intend to use this method, contact the park to make sure it is possible.

Human Waste

Nothing ruins a camping experience like stumbling across someones "bathroom". In the wilderness it is expecially jarring. Likewise, human feces carry harmful micro-organisms that easily contaminate water sources. When you are in the park:

• go at least 200 feet from all potenpotential water sources.
• choose a site in organic soil to promote decomposition.
• dig a small hole 6 to 8 inches deep.
• after use, bury completely and replace the tundra. 
• all paper products, including feminine hygiene products should be packed out or burned. If you burn your toilet paper BE CAUTIOUS NOT TO IGNITE ANY WILDFIRES.
• alternatively, losses, leaves, and snow make for natural toilet papers.

Bugs

Although mosquitoes are generally worse in July, they can be a problem at any time throughout the summer and fall. Visitors to Gates of the Arctic and its associated communities should be prepared with more than one kind of mosquito protection.

Head nets, bug coats, long pants and assorted insect repellants are all good things to have with you for your trip into the Brooks Range. Head nets and bug coats often work best with a billed cap.

Bear Safety

Most people who see a bear in the wild consider it the highlight of their trip. However, food conditioned bears (bears that have become accustomed to human food and petroleum-based products, such as fuel and bug repellent in aerosol cans) can present a hazard to people traveling in the backcountry. If we all do our best to prevent negative interactions with bears and other wild animals, the backcountry will be a safer place for all, including the bear.

Avoiding Bear Encounters

• Be alert at all times, in all places. Bears are active both day and night and can be found anywhere. Watch for their tracks and scat, as well as diggings and carcasses they may be feeding upon.
• Avoid surprising bears. They may perceive you as a threat if you startle them.
• Sing, shout, or make other loud noises as you walk to warn bears of your presence. Be especially careful in dense brush, where visibility is low, and along rivers, where bears cannot hear you over the noise of the water.
• Never intentionally approach a bear. Bears should live as free from human interference as possible, so give them plenty of space.

If You Encounter a Bear

• Do not run!Running may elicit a chase response from an otherwise non-aggressive bear. Bears can run faster than 30 mph (50 km/hr) -- you cannot outrun them. If the bear is unaware of you, detour quickly and quietly away. Give the bear plenty of room, allowing it to continue its activities undisturbed.
• Back away slowly if the bear is aware of you but has not acted aggressively. Speak in a low, calm voice while waving your arms slowly above your head. Bears that stand up on their hind legs are not necessarily threatening you, but merely trying to identify you.
• Should a bear approach or charge you, do not run -- do not drop your pack! Bears occasionally make bluff charges, sometimes coming within ten feet of a person before stopping or veering off. Dropping a pack may encourage the bear to approach people for food. STAND STILL until the bear moves away, then slowly back off.
• If a defensive attack occurs(if you surprise a bear) it may be best for you to play dead. Curl up into a ball with your knees tucked into your stomach, and your hands laced around the back of your neck. Leave your pack on to protect your back and vital organs. If the attack is prolonged, change tactics and fight back vigorously.
• If an unprovoked aggressive attack occurs(if you are sleeping in your tent and you feel a bear scratching or biting through your tent) you should fight back!

Report all bear incidents and encounters to a ranger! Park rangers and biologists need this information to document bear behavior for research and management purposes.

A word about firearms and bear repellent sprays:

Firearms should never be used as an alternative to common sense and sound bear avoidance principle. They are to be used for protection only as a last resort when an attack is imminent. Bears will sometime approach to within 10 feet before turning and running away. It is legal to shoot a bear in defense of life or property in Alaska ONLY if you have made efforts to avoid problems in the first place. Note: In the event a bear is killed for self-protection, you are responsible for ending your planned itinerary and transporting the skull and properly skinned hide with claws attached to the proper authorities. Further information on these regulations are available from the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game.

Defensive aerosol sprays which contain capsicum (red pepper extract) have been used as an alternative for protection against bear attacks. This spray, has proven effective in several situations. It is easy to carry and has a range of up to 6-8 yards. You must handle it carefully - if sprayed upwind, it may blow back into your face and disable you. Similarly, do not transport it in a vehicle or light plane unless it is in an air-tight container because accidental discharge could disable the driver or pilot. Check it frequently during your trip to be sure it hasn't accidentally discharged. If left to linger it may act as an attractant rather than repellent.

For more information on bears and bear safety check out these sites.

• Department of Interior and Agriculture's Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/)
• National Park Service's Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (http://www.nps.gov/seki/snrm/wildlife/sibbwg.htm)

Firearms

Firearms may be carried in the Park and Preserve and can be discharged legally in defense of life and property. Visitor need to carry firearms responsibly.

• Do not let firearms give you a false sense of security
• Firearms do not take the place of appropriate precautions in bear country
• Visitor should carrying other means of defense that can be deployed prior to the firearm as well
• Individuals carrying firearms must be trained and skilled in their use
• Visitors will be held accountable for inappropriate discharge of a firearm or unjustifiable wounding or killing of wildlife
• Those unskilled with firearms are probably safer without one

Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFCs)

Gates of the Arctic ranger stations and visitor centers have BRFCs available to loan visitors, free of charge, on a first come-first served basis. Call ahead to check availability and come by the Bettles Ranger Station or Arctic Interagency Visitor Center before heading into the park and preserve.

Items to store in BRFCs

• All food, including freeze-dried and canned foods, beverages
• Odorous items such as soap, toothpaste, and sunscreen
• Bears are attracted to petroleum products as well and these should be stored in the food/cooking area.
• Trash

Definition of an approved Bear Resistant Food Container: a securable container constructed of a solid nonpliable material capable of withstanding a minimum of 300 foot-pounds of energy. When secured and under stress, the container will not have any cracks, openings, or hinges that would allow a bear (or other animal) to gain entry by biting or pulling with its claws. Wood containers are not considered bear (animal) resistant unless they are reinforced with metal.

Please note that ice chests and coolers, tents, dry bags or stuff sacks, plastic packing boxes (Totes, Action Packers, etc) and unmodified kayaks are not approved Bear Resistant Containers.

• Items approved by the Department of Interior and Agriculture’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/);
• Items approved by the National Park Service’s Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (http://www.nps.gov/seki/snrm/wildlife/sibbwg.htm)