Beaver, Alaska, located above the Arctic Circle, is about a 50-minute flight from Fairbanks. Travelers cross some 110 mi/177 km of wilderness of the White Mountains and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge between the two towns.
Beaver has about 80 village residents of Japanese, Eskimo, Gwich'in Athabascan and Koyukon Athabascan descent, and most live a subsistence lifestyle by hunting, trapping and fishing. There are no roads connecting the village to the outside world, and everything must be flown or barged in. So, residents hunt or catch much of what they eat.
The streets of Beaver are mostly gravel paths, just wide enough for a car to pass, but you'll only find a few vehicles there. Most of the transportation is via four-wheelers, snowmobiles or sleds pulled by sled dogs.
Beaver was founded in 1910 by Frank Yasuda, a Japanese explorer who arrived in Barrow on a whaling ship. He hired Eskimo guides who led him across the Brooks Range and up the Yukon River, to where he settled on the site that is now Beaver.
A tour of Beaver can be arranged through Beaver Lodge Tours (phone 907-628-6622). For flightseeing information, contact Warbelow's Air Ventures in Fairbanks. https://www.warbelows.com.
To request access to the full version of this destination guide, please provide your email address below. Your email address will only be used for verification purposes and will not be used for marketing purposes.