USFWS · Wilderness area · Alaska

Selawik Wilderness

Situated within the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Selwick Wilderness is located on the Arctic Circle to the east of Kotzebue Sound, right in the heart of northwest Alaska. Refuge lands extend eastward...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Selawik Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateAlaska
Size240,000 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1980, by Congress
Center point66.9028, -159.0412
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Selawik Wilderness?

240,000 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Selawik Wilderness?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Selawik Wilderness in?

Alaska.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Selawik Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1980.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Selawik Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Selawik Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 66.903, -159.041. Kobuk Valley National Park is 28 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Selawik Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 18 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Selawik Wilderness?

Kobuk Valley National Park (28 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.