Jeff Mills Coastal Vacations Club Blog

Alaska Tourist Attractions

If what you are looking for is a genuine outdoors Alaska vacation you might want to think about traveling to Nunamiut Village right on the edge of the Gates of Arctic National Park and Preserve.  Here you will find people that are decedents of those that have lived in the region since before five-hundred BC.  They survived on caribou, which they still hunt, eat, and make clothing and more from, just as their ancestors.

The small village is one that should be respected for its heritage of life.  When tourist come to the village and disrupt the natural flow of the community it is both disrespectful and unappreciated.  For this fact the village has provided a camping area that visitors must camp in.  This area is situated among the willows by the east edge of the runway opposite the village.  Be sure to check in with the store, ranger station or community center for more details on the requirements for camping here.  Do NOT camp within sight of the village, it is disrespectful of the residents.  Honor them, they have existed here a lot longer than you have been here and have the right to be honored in their home.

The Nanamiut village has a population of just two-hundred-fifty people.  The village is called a bush community so supplies are limited.  The natives residents still rely on caribou herds for most of their meat, though they also hunt Dall sheep and catch trout and grayling, ptarmigan, and waterfowl. 

The temperatures in the region varies from the fifties during the summer time to an average of -14 degrees in January.  Of course, since its Alaska, and the far north of Alaska, there have been recorded cold spells of between -56 and -91 degrees.  The region receives an average of 11 inches of rainfall with an average snowfall of 63 inches each year.

When visiting the region make sure to carry along those things that you will need (and remember you will be packing the items so only bring the necessary items to avoid having to carry the extra weight).  The town does not have the facilities that you may be acustomed to in other sites so you will not be able to stop by the store to pick the items up.  Don’t forget, it is a absolutely rugged Alaska vacation you are taking, one that will be a great memory for decades to come.

If you want a real Far North Alaska vacation then this is the region that you absolutely must need to consider.  Although you won’t just spend your vacation in Nanamiut Village, but go on to Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, a visit and perhaps an overnight in the village will give you a taste of what it would be like to live this far from the rest of the world and in the lifestyle that their ancestors lived years ago.  Come, enjoy and appreciate the region so others will have the chance to appreciate this natural expanse of the north too.

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