The Brooks Mountain Range

The Brooks Mountain Range in northern Alaska is the northernmost section of the Rocky Mountains and the highest mountain range in the Arctic Circle. The Brooks Range, which takes its name from Alfred Brooks (a noted geologist), runs east to west across the state approximately 200 miles south of the Arctic Ocean.

Although its 2 highest peaks hardly exceed 9000 feet, by every other measure the range is gargantuan, extending for 700 miles from the Yukon border to the Chukchi Sea on Alaska's west coast. In most places this Alaska mountains range is between 80 and 110 miles wide. So great is its horizontal extent that it delineates 2 of Alaska's major climatic zones, namely the interior and the North Slope.

The scenery in the Brooks Range is jaw dropping. The floors of its labyrinthine canyons are filled with rivers, lakes and meadows. The divides between the canyons run the gambit from sheer stone, walls and smooth, undulating ridges. 95% of the range's area is accessible only via airplane. The Dalton Highway the only road access into the Brooks Range, and only a narrow corridor is within hiking distance of the road.