The gates of the Artic is the 2nd largest National Park in the National Park system. The largest is also in the state of Alaska being Wrangell. The park has no roads or trails within the park or to the park. You have to go in via plane, dog sled, or boat otherwise it is a long long walk for you to get into the park over Tundra. I am taking a plane into the park via the town of Coldfoot and to say it is a town is a strong word. It has a post office, restaurant, gas station, airport, NPS visitor center and a camp for the Alaska department of transportation as they have to maintain the road. Coldfoot is like a truck stop but I have seen larger truck stops than this town. Well after waiting and having to reschedule and waiting once again the Gates of the Artic trip went off. The flight was with Coyote Air and Danielle was the pilot. She was wonderful and we landed on a lake within the park and got out and chatted for a bit and did a small hike around an old cabin. The land was in a forest fire a few years ago but it starting to come back. Danielle even spotted some Dall sheep which she flew around to allow us a better view. The plane was small and if I was at the same distance from the windscreen I would have been touching her shoulders with my shoulders. The float plan was really cool and it was our second experience on a float plane just this one was for 4 people only!
Marion Creek Campground – The campground is on Bureau of Land Management, BLM, land but has pit toilets and a campground host. The cool things are it is only $8.00 per night or 1/2 that if you are a senior or disabled with a pass. The second cool thing is that the campground provides you with wood for your site but it was in the high 70’s so no campfire for me. The campground has two loops and plenty of sites for your staying pleasure. I have to say that the day I stayed the place seemed a bit empty and I think that it maybe this way most of the time except on a weekend potentially. The drive up to here is long and rocky and I did not see that many personal vehicles on the drive up so that is why it is empty.
Galbraith Lake Campground – Mile marker 275 is the exit for this campground. Take the Galbraith exit on the left heading to Dead Horse/Prudhoe Bay and at the end of the road you come to a campground. The campground is BLM and it has a single vault toilet for the campground. The sites all have picnic tables and a fire ring but there is no host nor a place to pay. There is a road but that road has pot holes and you have to go slow, and this is saying something after you have driven a few hundred miles on the Dalton Highway gravel road. The spots are big and not near each other. The campground is amongst rolling hills and a lake providing you with a very good view inside and outside of your sleeping arrangements. Today it is raining and you hear the rumble of thunder in the distance, so more rain is headed my way. Good thing we are getting rain as Dundee is very dirty after driving on a wet dirt road for 100 miles today.
