Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

© 167/Michael Melford/Corbis

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

There are no roads or trails of any kind in this, the northernmost of the US national parks. To get into Gates of the Arctic, visitors must either hike or book a flight on one of the small “air taxis” that can land in some of the small villages that act as gateways into this isolated park. The park itself is slightly bigger than Belgium, in terms of area, and much of the land is rugged mountain landscape. But for those who come prepared to tackle this arctic wonder, the park rewards with scenery few of us have ever seen in person.