Eskimo Whaling and the Point Hope Whale Festival:
The long dark Arctic Night is over and with 24 hours of daylight the High North is alive with returning birds and migrations of wild sea life.  A few Bowhead and Gray Whales can still be seen from the point on their migration to fertile plankton concentrations in the Beaufort. 

  

Arctic Air Expeditions - Polar Bear ToursExcitement is everywhere as hunters head out looking for seal, walrus, oogrook and ducks.  A change form frozen food to a diet of fresh is anticipated with much happiness in the village.  By July much of the ice pack will be melted and schools of salmon will be caught in the beach nets set from summer camps all along the coast.  Fish drying on racks lean as the strong summer wind blows.

  

Preparations for the Whale Festival are under way and there is much work to be done.  The captain of the crew that took the first whale in April or early May will set the date.

 

Eskimo Whale TossSkin will be cut from several umiak frames and sewn together by women to make the blanket for the blanket toss (Usually the 2nd weekend of June).    Still others will be hunting, gathering and preparing in traditional ways. The modern age is creeping in with its comforts and problems but more than anywhere in Alaska, Point Hope holds fast to the most important of its ancient traditions. We are invited to observe and learn about these age-old ways making new friends and memories along the way.

  • - Bird Watching & Photography
  • - Native Alaskan Culture
  • - Sea life migration route
  • - Bowhead and Gray Whales
  • - Seals, walrus, oogrook, ducks
  • - Arctic fishing opportunities
  • - Annual Whale Festival
  • - Traditional Blanket Toss
  • - ATV Quad Bike Rides
  • - Flight-seeing Trips
  • - Trip Insurance Recommended