Overview
Kaktovik (also known as Barter Island) is a village of just under three hundred people on the Beaufort Sea in Arctic Alaska's North Slope Borough.
2 things to do · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Kaktovik
Kaktovik Arctic Tours
Bear watching, camping and ice fishing with a native Inupiat Eskimo guide.
Kaktovik Tours
Polar bear safaris, iditarod racing.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jul. Summer highs reach about 55°F; winter lows dip to about -22°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Aug and Jul. (climate data from nearby Deadhorse)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- BTI Barter Island Long Range Radar Station Airport, Barter Island — 1 mi away. Directions
- SCC Deadhorse Airport, Deadhorse — 114 mi away. Directions
Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Kaktovik Arctic Tours
- Afternoon Kaktovik Tours
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Katkovik is one of the few places in the Western world where the consumption of whale meat is legal and normal. In a delicate balance between conservation concerns and the Inupiats' right to practise their traditional lifestyle, the villagers are allowed to hunt up to three whales per year; this provides enough meat for the community for a whole year.
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Kaktovik (the name means "Seining Place") is an isolated Inupiat Eskimo settlement whose subsistence depends upon traditional caribou and whale hunting. This tiny city is on an island in the Beaufort Sea, facing onto the Arctic Ocean; traditionally, Barter Island was a native trading place.
Directly to the south is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a large expanse of federal parkland. An airport was established as part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line effort of the Cold War 1950s; in the modern era, more than two thousand people arrive annually (usually in the fall) to see polar bears in the wild. The local road network in the city does not extend beyond the airfield so a visit to this remote location usually entails flying in by bush plane, being transported into town in a van operated by the local hotel, then going back out into the wilds of Alaska with an outfitter.
Get in
Go Ravn Alaska (BTI)
Ravn Alaska, the only airline serving Kaktovik, ceased operations in April 2020 due to the coronavirus, you should contact your travel agency or airline.
Do
Eat
Katkovik is one of the few places in the Western world where the consumption of whale meat is legal and normal. In a delicate balance between conservation concerns and the Inupiats' right to practise their traditional lifestyle, the villagers are allowed to hunt up to three whales per year; this provides enough meat for the community for a whole year.
Drink
Not booze. Katkovik is a dry community, by choice of the local Inupiat people. The borough police have been known to search the luggage of people flying to town, and the penalty for smuggling alcohol can be a jail sentence and a fine of up to $10,000.
Sleep
Stay Marsh Creek Inn
Airport pickup van (with advance notice), motel-style rooms with TV/VCR, dining room with three meals daily.
Go next
- Anaktuvuk Pass
- Utqiaġvik (Barrow) - The borough seat of the North Slope Borough
My experience
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