Gates of the Arctic National Park ─ Twelve Years of Wilderness Exploration

After retiring from both the military and from teaching at The University of Illinois, Joe Wilkins returned wholeheartedly to the recreational backpacking trips through the Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska that he had always enjoyed. He has since served as a Volunteer Backcountry Patroller for the National Park Service, completing and leading more than 50 backpacking, packrafting and canoeing trips through some of the most remote wilderness in North America. Gates of the Arctic National Park: Ten Years of Wilderness Exploration provides thorough, accurate and detailed information about Gates of the Arctic National Park along with a collection of Wilkins' own personal photographs. Wilkins has created a definitive, perennial book about one of the country’s most enchanting national parks that will stand the test of time.

Joe Wilkins served as an Air Force officer and is a Vietnam combat veteran. He is currently a Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield, and has been a guest lecturer at many prestigious schools including the Sorbonne in Paris, France. After retiring from his teaching and military careers, he began volunteering as a Backcountry Patroller for the National Park Service at the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska. He resides in Pleasant Plains, IL with his wife of 50 wonderful years, Jean.