The Arrigetch Peaks are a cluster of rugged granite spires in the Endicott Mountains

Endicott Mountains

The Endicott Mountains are a range of mountains, part of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. They are located in the middle of the Brooks range and run some east-west. To the east are the Philip Smith Mountains and to the west are the Schwatka Mountains...

 of the central Brooks Range

Brooks Range

The Brooks Range is a mountain range in far northern North America. It stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km . The mountains top out at over 2,700 m . The range is believed to be approximately 126 million years old...

 in northern Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. The name Arrigetch means 'fingers of the outstretched hand' in the Inupiat

Inupiat language

The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100...

 language. The peaks ring the glacial cirques at the head of the Kobuk River

Kobuk River

The Kobuk River is a river located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. It is approximately long...

 and 2 tributaries of the Alatna River

Alatna River

The Alatna River is a federally-designated wild and scenic river partially contained within the boundaries of Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. It is called one of the most beautiful rivers in the United States...

: Arrigetch Creek and Aiyagomahala Creek (Creek 4662). They are located at latitude 67 degrees 24' N and longitude 154 degrees 10' W. All of the summits of the peaks are around 6,000 ft, 1825 m elevation. The Arrigetch Peaks area was designated as a National Natural Landmark

National Natural Landmark

The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...

 in 1968 for its spectacular geography.

The earliest recorded visit was in 1911 by Philip Smith, a geologist. The renowned conservationist Robert Marshall

Robert Marshall

Robert Marshall may refer to:* Robert Marshall , former basketball coach at the University of Richmond* Robert Marshall was a businessman and politician in New Brunswick, Canada...

traveled through the area in the 1930s. These trips were described in his 1933 book Arctic Wilderness, and posthumous Alaska Wilderness: Exploring the Central Brooks Range. A British climbing party completed the first successful rock climbing expedition to the peaks in 1964. The peaks have been visited by a number of rock climbing expeditions since then.

Further reading

• Marshall, Robert. Alaska Wilderness: Exploring the Central Brooks Range. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1956. ISBN 0-520-01711-0
• Marshall, Robert. Arctic Wilderness. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1933.
• Wood, Michael and Colby Coombs. Alaska: A Climbing Guide. Seattle: The Mountaineers. 2001. ISBN 0-89886-724-X
• List of rock climbing routes in the Arrigetch Peaks http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/arrig/index.htm Retrieved on 2008-3-1