Fort Yukon, AK

Fort Yukon, Alaska, also known as Gwichyaa Zhee in Gwich’in, is an Alaska Native Gwich’in village of about 600 people located 8 miles above the Arctic Circle.  Fort Yukon sits on the north bank of the Yukon River at its confluence with the Porcupine River, about 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks. 

The highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska occurred in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915, when it reached 100 °F or 37.8 °C. Until 1971, Fort Yukon held the all-time lowest temperature record for Alaska and the United States at −78 °F or −61.1 °C.

There are no roads to Fort Yukon, so access to the village is primarily by air from Fairbanks, although in summer the Yukon River serves as a freeway of sorts for riverboats transporting friends, family, and cargo between the villages scattered along its length.