Cape Krusenstern National Monument

Location/Size: On the Chukchi Sea, 10 miles north of Kotzebue across Hotham Inlet. 659,807 acres (94 percent federal).

Main Activities: Arctic coastal environment, fishing, sea kayaking, archaeological investigation, bird watching.

Gateway Towns/Getting There: Kotzebue/via scheduled air service from Nome, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. Monument access via air from Kotzebue; boat or kayak from Kotzebue, Sheshalik, or Kivalina.

Facilities, Camping, Lodging: No facilities. Primitive camping only.

Headquarters and Information: Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve, Kotzebue, 442-8300 (headquarters). Public Lands Information Center, Kotzebue, 442-3890, www.nps.gov/cakr.

Located beyond the western end of the Brooks Range on the Chukchi Sea, Cape Krusenstern preserves archaeological sites along a succession of 114 lateral beach ridges. Sites of Eskimo communities dating back as far as 4,000 years are found among the ridges and the one-time shoreline of the Chukchi Sea. Even older sites are located inland along the foothills.

In summer, a rich display of wildflowers appears on the beach ridges and nearby hills. Subsistence hunting of marine mammals and inland game is permitted. Other possible activities are bird watching and archaeological observation, but for many, witnessing the wild land of the Arctic coast is enough. A road crosses the northern boundary of the unit to reach the Red Dog zinc mine.