Yukon Flats
Fairbanks, AK 99701-6237
Plan Your Visit
Yukon Flats Refuge is the nation’s third largest wildlife refuge. With the Brooks Range to the north and the jagged limestone peaks of the White Mountains to the south, this refuge encompasses the so-called "Yukon Flats" - a vast fire-dependent area of wetlands, forest, bog, and low-lying ground centered on the confluence of the Yukon, Porcupine, and T'eedriinjik (Chandalar) rivers. The flats are a critical waterfowl breeding ground due to the large area of wetland provided by the estimated 40,000 small lakes and streams in the area. The refuge also encompasses the section of the Yukon River that serves as a key breeding ground for Alaska's only endemic fish, the Bering cisco.
For thousands of years, this area has been—and continues as—a homeland for Gwich’in and Koyukon Athabascan people. Seven villages can be found within or adjacent to the boundaries of the refuge where residents practice subsistence activities such as hunting, fishing, berry picking and wood gathering. Most of these communities are only accessible by boat or airplane in the summer months and snowmobile or dogsled during winter. About 2.5 million acres of land within the refuge boundaries are under village or regional corporation ownership.
Activities
About
Yukon Flats is the third largest wildlife refuge in the United States, encompassing approximately 11.1 million acres of land along the Arctic Circle. The refuge is dominated by a vast floodplain of tens of thousands of lakes and streams that provide critical breeding habitat for millions of waterfowl and the endemic Bering cisco fish. The area has a rich history as the homeland of Gwich'in and Koyukon Athabascan people and was once a major center for the fur trade. It was officially established as a national wildlife refuge in 1980 to protect these vital ecosystems from development.
Learn more about:
Conservation in Color: Alaska's Wildlife
