1985 Map of Utukok River B-2

About this map

The Utukok River snakes through the heart of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a landscape defined by its braided watercourses and remote topography in the mid-1980s. This survey illustrates a complex network of seasonal transport, where the Tractor Trail and Winter Trail provide the primary means of traversing the North Slope's tundra. These paths follow the contours of the land, connecting the drainages of Carbon Creek and Elusive Creek. Prominent landmarks such as Eskimo Hill and Omicron Hill rise above the alluvial plains, serving as essential points of orientation in a region largely devoid of permanent settlements. The mapping reflects a period of specialized industrial and scientific interest in the Arctic, with the entire quadrangle falling within the federal petroleum reserve established for its resource potential.