Is there an entrance fee for Kobuk Valley National Park?

NPS lists Kobuk Valley National Park as a fee-free park, so there is no entrance fee.

What is the best time to visit Kobuk Valley National Park?

In 2025 July was the busiest month with 2,887 recreation visits, and December was the quietest with 46. NPS notes snow, rain and freezing cold are possible in every season.

Are dogs allowed in Kobuk Valley National Park?

NPS lists pets as permitted on 2 of 3 things to do, the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and floating the Kobuk River. Where allowed, pets must be confined or kept on a leash of six feet at most.

How do you get to Kobuk Valley National Park?

There are no roads in, so visitors charter an air taxi from Kotzebue, where the visitor center is located.

All parks › Kobuk Valley National Park

Kobuk Valley National Park: fees, hours, camping and when to visit

Q: What are the park hours?

NPS lists the park as open 24/7, all year.

Updated October 29, 2026. Based on National Park Service data. Published by Humblebee.

Entrance fee: None^[1]
Busiest month (2025): July^[2]
Recreation visits, 2025: 7,786^[3]
Visitor centers: 1^[4]

Kobuk Valley National Park is a National Park System unit in Alaska^[5]. NPS lists it as a fee-free park with no entrance fee^[1].

Entrance fees and passes

The National Park Service lists no entrance fee for Kobuk Valley National Park^[1]. Some tours, campgrounds or permits inside a park can still have their own fees.

When to visit and hours

The park has no roads in, so the visitor center sits in Kotzebue, and visitors charter an air taxi from there^[6]. NPS lists the park as open 24/7, all year^[6]. In 2025 the busiest month was July with 2,887 recreation visits^[2]. The quietest month was December with 46 visits^[2]. June had 1,399 visits and August had 1,546^[2]. NPS warns that snow, rain and freezing cold are possible in every season^[7].

Recreation visits counted by the National Park Service in each month of 2025. The busiest month, July, is highlighted^[2].

Show visits by month

Month, 2025	Recreation visits
January	77
February	80
March	228
April	168
May	137
June	1,399
July	2,887
August	1,546
September	849
October	270
November	99
December	46

Show visits by year

Year	Recreation visits
2021^[3]	11,540
2022^[3]	16,925
2023^[3]	17,616
2024^[3]	17,233
2025^[3]	7,786

Pets and dogs

The national NPS pet rule says that where pets are allowed, they must be confined or kept on a leash of six feet at most^[8]. The rule keeps pets out of public buildings, public transportation and designated swimming beaches, and service animals are excepted^[8]. NPS lists pets as permitted on 2 of its 3 things to do here, the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and floating the Kobuk River^[9]. Each park can close more areas to pets^[8].

Before you go

Pack good quality rain gear and warm layers, and stay dry, because wind and wet weather can bring on hypothermia^[7].
Plan your air taxi from Kotzebue, because there are no roads into the park^[6].
NPS lists 1 visitor center, the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center^[4].
Fees and hours change, so confirm on the official NPS park page before your trip^[1]^[6].

Questions people ask

Is there an entrance fee for Kobuk Valley National Park?: NPS lists Kobuk Valley National Park as a fee-free park, so there is no entrance fee^[1].
What is the best time to visit Kobuk Valley National Park?: In 2025 July was the busiest month with 2,887 recreation visits, and December was the quietest with 46^[2]. NPS notes snow, rain and freezing cold are possible in every season^[7].
Are dogs allowed in Kobuk Valley National Park?: NPS lists pets as permitted on 2 of 3 things to do, the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and floating the Kobuk River^[9]. Where allowed, pets must be confined or kept on a leash of six feet at most^[8].
How do you get to Kobuk Valley National Park?: There are no roads in, so visitors charter an air taxi from Kotzebue, where the visitor center is located^[6].
What are the park hours?: NPS lists the park as open 24/7, all year^[6].

Facts and sources

NPS lists Kobuk Valley National Park as a fee-free park: there is no entrance fee. National Park Service
NPS recreation visits by month, 2025 (chart on this page). NPS Visitor Use Statistics
NPS recreation visits per year: 2021: 11,540, 2022: 16,925, 2023: 17,616, 2024: 17,233, 2025: 7,786. NPS Visitor Use Statistics
Visitor centers listed by NPS: 1 (Northwest Arctic Heritage Center). National Park Service
Kobuk Valley National Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park System (designation: National Park) in Alaska. National Park Service
Operating hours, Kobuk Valley National Park: The Northwest Arctic Heritage Center is the visitor center for Kobuk Valley National Park. Since there are no roads in to Kobuk Valley, the visitor center is located in Kotzebue, AK. From Kotzebue, visitors will... National Park Service
NPS weather and seasons overview for Kobuk Valley National Park. National Park Service
National Park Service rule 36 CFR 2.15: where pets are allowed they must be crated, caged or on a leash no longer than six feet at all times, and pets are not allowed in public buildings, on public transportation or on designated swimming beaches (service... eCFR, 36 CFR 2.15
NPS lists 3 things to do at Kobuk Valley National Park: Visit the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Float the Kobuk River, Visit the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center. Pets permitted on 2 of them (Visit the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Float the Kobuk River). National Park Service

Fees and hours are what NPS lists in its data at the snapshot date. They change: tell readers to confirm on the official park page before a trip. Visits are NPS recreation visits (counted entries, not unique people). Use them only for this park's own months and years, never to rank parks. Campground list and site counts come from NPS and Recreation.gov records. Count fields can differ slightly between the two. The pet rule is the national baseline (36 CFR 2.15). The park may close more areas to pets. Do not claim specific trails allow dogs unless a fact says so.