The open tundra here exudes an ancient mood. In every direction reaches a spider network of trails and routes and paths. This high country appears extraordinarily inviting, giving you the impression that you could step off the highway shoulder and walk directly to any hill or ridgeline, boulder or spruce, within sight. This landscape has been drawing people into its fold for millennia. With more than 600 archaeological sites scattered across its ridges and hillsides, the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District has been used for the past 12,000 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Scientists say it contains the densest concentrations of archaeological resources in the North American subarctic—often rocky overlooks where prehistoric hunters sat down to sharpen and retrofit spear points while they scanned the country for caribou and other game.
