Deep in the Brooks Range of central Alaska, the Arrigetch Peaks that lie within Gates of the Arctic National Park cup the headwaters of the Kobuk River. According to the National Park Service, the name of the Arrigetch Peaks comes from the Nunamiut word for "outstretched fingers."
Naval Lieutenant George Stoney explored the mountains in the mid-1880s. This is how he described the Arrigetch Peaks, which are located in the park's southwestern corner: