Arrigetch Peaks

Arrigetch Peaks are rugged granite spires in the Endicott Mountains of Alaska’s central Brooks Range, known in Iñupiaq as Argaich, meaning “fingers of the outstretched hand.” Rising around glacial cirques near the headwaters of the Kobuk River and nearby tributaries, their summits reach about 6,000 feet, with dramatic granite walls creating one of the region’s most striking mountain landscapes. Geological Survey work was recorded there in 1911 by Philip S. Smith and H. M. Eakin. Robert Marshall’s explorations in the 1930s helped make the peaks a symbol of remote northern wilderness. The area became a National Natural Landmark in 1968, and climbers have visited since the first successful expedition in 1964.

Alatna, Alaska · United States