Caribou Migration — Alaska North Slope USA
The 500,000-strong Western Arctic caribou herd — the largest caribou herd in Alaska and the second-largest in North America — migrates northward to the North Slope coastal plain in June across the Gates of the Arctic National Park's Brooks Range, the calving aggregation visible from the Dalton Highway between Coldfoot and Deadhorse as a moving brown line on the tundra horizon. At the Atigun Pass crossing point, caribou swim the Atigun River in groups of 200–500 from mid-June through July, and the combination of the caribou crossing, the Dall sheep on the Brooks Range's scree above the pass, and the golden eagle and gyrfalcon patrolling the ridgeline creates one of the American Arctic's most ecologically complete valley encounters accessible by road. The Dalton Highway's 500-mile length from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay traverses the entire caribou migration corridor and provides sustained access to the migration landscape.
About this spectacle
Stand on the Arctic tundra flanking the Dalton Highway near Atigun Pass and watch the horizon blur into motion as a brown tide of 200–500 caribou at a time surges toward the Atigun River. The animals enter the cold glacial water without hesitation, swimming in tight groups before shaking dry on the far bank and pressing northward across the Brooks Range toward the coastal plain calving grounds. Above the pass, Dall sheep pick their way across pale scree fields, while golden eagles and gyrfalcons trace slow arcs along the ridgeline, occasionally stooping toward the calving herd below. The air carries the low rumble of hooves on tundra and the nasal grunting of cows calling to calves. This is one of the few places on Earth where a paved road bisects the full length of a great ungulate migration corridor, placing visitors inside an ecosystem process that has played out for thousands of years across the American Arctic.
When to go
Jun — Sep, peak Jun — Jul
Getting there
Nearest airport: FAI. Nearest city: Fairbanks.
Booking options
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