Opportunities for wildlife viewing can be found while hiking or driving along the Dalton Highway. As the trees get more space, visibility increases considerably, making wildlife observation easier. If you travel north of Atigun Pass, the treeless Arctic Coastal Plains are home to musk ox, caribou, arctic fox, and many other birds and animals. The mountainous Brooks Range area and boreal forest region is home to moose, fox, lynx, Dall sheep, wolf, marten, and caribou.
While wildlife habitat surrounds us, animal population densities overall tend to be lower above the Arctic Circle. Spotting an animal in the wild is not always easy or to be taken for granted; we count ourselves lucky if we catch a glimpse. Bring your keen eyes and a pair of binoculars!
- Moose
- Dall Sheep
- Lynx
- Wolf
- Red Fox
- Arctic Fox
- Wolverine
- Snowshoe Hare
- Muskox
- Caribou
- Arctic Ground Squirrel
- Pine Marten
- Short-tailed Weasel
- Mink
Vehicle approaches as muskox cross the James Dalton Highway, Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska.
Dall sheep rams in the snow along the Brooks Range mountains in Atigun canyon.
Arctic wolf on the snow-covered tundra in Alaska’s Arctic.
Arctic Wildlife photo gallery
Arctic Wildlife photos copyright Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com
Caribou migrate through the Brooks Range mountains in Alaska's Arctic.
Red fox in Alaska's Arctic, Atigun Pass, Brooks Range
Bull caribou, rangifer tarandus, on tundra north of the Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska.
Arctic fox in white winter coat rests in a snowdrift along a lake in Alaska's Arctic North Slope.
Cross fox hunts for rodents on the autumn tundra of Alaska Arctic North Slope, Brooks Range, Alaska
Dall sheep ewes and lambs climb along the rocky cliffs of the Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska.
Bull moose in boreal forest, Arctic, Alaska.
Ground squirrel and mountain aven wildflowers, Utukok Uplands, National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, Arctic, Alaska.
Barren ground caribou, rangifer tarandus, migrate across the tundra north of the Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska.
Short-tailed weasel, in winter (ermine) phase, arctic tundra, Alaska.
Lynx tucked away in the winter, snow covered boreal forest of the Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska
A red fox stands on the snow covered tundra of Alaska's Arctic North Slope
Four dall sheep ewes walk in a line through the snow in Atigun Pass, Brooks Range, Alaska
Muskox forage on the tundra at sunset along the Arctic Coastal Plains, Arctic, Alaska.
Bull muskox on the snow covered tundra of the Arctic North Slope, Alaska
Bull muskox on the snow covered tundra of the Arctic North Slope, Alaska
Cow moose and twin calves feed on spring grasses, Arctic, Alaska.
Barren ground caribou run along the Arctic Coastal Plains, Arctic Alaska.
Bull moose on the tundra by the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline, Arctric, Alaska.
Bull caribou in foggy winter weather on Finger mountain, with Finger rock in the background, Alaska.
Caribou in boreal forest on finger mountain, Alaska
Common raven on the snowy tundra in arctic, Alaska.
An adult, full curl dall sheep ram on the snow covered tundra of the Brooks Range mountains in Alaska's Arctic.
Snowshoe hare in winter white pelage, snow covered tundra, Brooks Range, Arctic, Alaska.
Grizzly bear in the fresh winter snow in Atigun Canyon, Brooks Range, Alaska
Mink travels the thin icy surface of a stream during freeze up in Alaska's interior.