Noatak

The Noatak River winds west through a vast basin enclosed by the mountains of the Brooks Range. Permafrost underlies much of the valley, and the river cuts through a long canyon before reaching the coastal lowlands. This is the homeland of the Nuataaġmiut Iñupiat, whose history in the basin reaches back thousands of years. Archaeological sites along the river and its tributaries bear witness to generations of people who hunted and travelled in the mountain-ringed country. The river joins the interior to the shores of Kotzebue Sound.