Anaktuvuk Pass is a small Eskimo village a couple hundred miles into the Arctic Circle. It is set in the Brooks Mountain Range and is surrounded by the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The park itself is classified as a wilderness area and has nothing as convenient as a hiking trail. The conditions in the park, even in summer, are difficult for a number of reasons, but the experience will be memorable guaranteed. There are no trees growing in the area, making it easier to spot, especially with good binoculars, wild animals. The park ranger at the time (Mike) reported seeing an average of 30 Grizzly bears each summer, occasionaly at heart-stopping (close) range, but more often from a comfortable distance. Once, after a long, exhausting hike, he set up camp only to find a mother bear and two cubs a quarter mile away, eating a moose. Exhaustion overcame fear, and Mike reasoned that the bears, though aware of his presence, were occupied with the fresh kill and wouldn't disturb him. Spend enough time here and you too may be able to sleep sound with a mother Grizzly and two cubs sitting outside your tent.
Anaktuvuk Pass is a fly-in only village, and has no accommodation open to the general public. An unusual addition is the well curated Eskimo museum, built and maintained by a teacher who moved to the area in the early 1970's, and has over the years became fluent in the native language. To warm your bones, check and see if the village laundromat's saunas are working.