Cape Krusenstern National Monument
July 10-12, 2025 Day 1
To say this park is remote, is putting it lightly. I went with a small guided group along with Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic. We landed on a stretch of sandy grass that the bush pilots call a runway with driftwood on either side which was kind of nerve wracking. There was a herd of muskoxen seen from overhead on our way in, but it was too far from camp to try and hike to them. The arctic ocean was on one side and tundra on the other. The water was a bit too cold for swimming. We did an afternoon walk along the beach to a rocky point finding lots of bones (bowhead whale, walrus and caribou) and garbage (mostly plastic) that had washed ashore. There were also tracks on the beach from wolves and grizzly bear. The wildflowers were abundant including violets, larkspur, bistort, thrift, harebell, phlox, buttercups, paintbrush, cinquefoil and senecio.
Day 2
We started splintering as a group early on with two members heading south along the shore to a lagoon while the rest of us headed inland across tussocks and tundra. The grass tussocks were like walking on basketballs. You had no idea if your foot was going to step down an inch, six inches, a foot or slide sideways off a hard mound of grass. The mosquitos were killer in this section but lessened when we hit the rocky tundra. We climbed to the top of a couple peaks and had a wonderful hilltop charcuterie board for lunch. One of the fishermen in the group provided us with a type of whitefish to supplement dinner that was tasty. They released the flounder and other fish that were caught. There were two porpoises spotted cruising in the ocean in the evening. I had already crawled into my sleeping bag, but the rest of the group saw a porcupine wander through camp.
Day 3
Packed up camp and said goodbye to the various sea birds like terns, gulls and loons and migratory birds like swans, geese, plovers and a sandhill crane. We flew lower over the musk oxen herd on the way to Kobuk Valley.
