Description
Noatak Canyon is located of the Noatak River, N of Maiyumerak Mts., 40 mi. NE of Noatak, Brooks Range. 4 miles long.
History
The Noatak was first explored in July 1885, by S. B. McLenegan, U.S. Revenue-Cutter Service (USRCS), who referred to this feature as the first of "The Grand Cañons of the Noatak * * * Here the perpendicular walls rose hundreds of feet on either side, seldom offering a foothold along the bases * * *" (Healy, 1887, p. 64). The first use of the name "Noatak Canyon" appears to have been by P. S. Smith (1930, pl. 5). The name "Grand Canyon" has been relegated to the broader valley area upstream.