Are There Sand Dunes in Alaska?

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Karen Hill

Far in the northwest portion of Alaska, there is an amazing valley. It is the valley of the Kobuk River.

Here, 40 miles above the Arctic Circle, there are sand dunes, some of which are 100 feet high! The Kobuk River Valley looks like the Sahara Desert, with great stretches of endless sand.

There is one great difference. Here, the winter temperatures reach down to a shivery minus 40 degrees F. It is in the summer when the Arctic sun never sets, that the sand of the Kobuk heats up to a sizzling 100 degrees F. or hotter.

Parts of this valley have been declared a national monument and are under the care and management of U. S. National Parks Service.

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