BarrowLeg 7. BARROW, ARCTIC OCEAN
plus Steese Highway to Arctic Circle
BarrowBarrow, the northernmost village in the U.S., is perched on the Arctic coast of Alaska, 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle. We'll cross the circle while in flight from Fairbanks. In Barrow, walk along the beach of the Arctic Ocean, as far north as you are likely ever to visit. We'll be seeing Barrow within a few days of the equinox, so we'll surely experience the Land of the Midnight Sun. Did you know natives who have adapted to the extreme climate have occupied Barrow for over 5000 years? We'll visit Alaska's largest Eskimo village and learn about the ancient Inupiat Eskimo society and lifestyle.
Barrow is listed as one of the top 100 birding spots in America. Here's our chance to see all four eider species, which nest locally, along with swans and many other ducks. Although declining in recent years, small numbers of Steller's, Spectacled and King eiders occur on the tundra melt ponds. Shorebirds in bright breeding plumage - including Red and Red-necked phalaropes - will be there in large numbers. Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings are plentiful.
The native name for Barrow translates as "the place to hunt Snowy Owls" and that's what we will do with our binoculars. And, if we are ever going to see a Polar Bear in the wild on our trip, this is the place. One was spotted on the 2002 trip, so maybe we'll be lucky again. And I've got Arctic Fox on my list of "want-to-see's."
Bearded Seal, Red Fox, Brown Lemming, Barren Ground Caribou. Greater
White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Brant, Tundra Swan, Steller’s Eider, Spectacled
Eider, King Eider, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck
,
Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon ,
American Golden-Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit 
,
Baird’s Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Red-necked Phalarope, Red
Phalarope ,
Ivory Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Arctic Tern, Pomarine Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger,
Snowy Owl, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll.
There are only a few Alaskan roads where you can drive north until you escape the coniferous forests and enter the short tundra-like subalpine mountains devoid of trees. Here we can find northern species such as Northern Hawk-Owl, Northern Wheatear, Bohemian Waxwing, Lapland Longspur, American Tree Sparrow, White-winged Crossbill and Common Redpoll. Subalpine flowers should be in brilliant display when leisurely hike the Pinnell Mountain Trail. The highway starts out paved, then turns into smooth gravel and gets a bit worse as we drive to the Arctic Circle. We will dry-camp near Circle and bird along the Yukon River.
Additional expenses not included are meals in Barrow and Fairbanks.