associated with late summer precipitation. As the snowpack begins to melt toward the end of May, flow in the Kobuk River increases with most of the runoff occurring during June. Flow during the summer (July through September) is dominated by variable precipitation events. Most of the major tributaries of the Kobuk River flow from the north, draining the mountains in the southern Brooks Range. From east to west, these include the Reed River, Beaver Creek, Mauneluk River, Kogoluktuk River, Shungnak River, Ambler River, Akillik River, Tutuksuk River, Salmon River, and the Squirrel River. Within Kobuk Valley National Park, are the Kallarichuk, Kaliguricheark, and Adillik rivers. All of their headwaters are in the Baird Mountains. The major tributaries flowing north from the Waring Mountains are the Pah River, Pick River, and Niaktuvik Creek. The Pah River drains a lowland area of the basin. Most major tributaries draining high relief areas have higher unit runoff than tributaries draining the lower relief areas. Walker Lake is at an altitude of in the headwaters of the Kobuk River. Other surface water features within the basin include Lake Selby, Nutuvukti Lake, and Norutak Lake. Additionally, numerous small lakes and ponds occur in the lowlands along the river, some formed as detached oxbows of the meandering river and others formed where permafrost has melted and caused depressions. Flow records are available from USGS monitoring stations at Ambler and Kiana. Average annual flow for the Kobuk River at Ambler has ranged from to over the period of record 1966–78, with peak discharge ranging from to . Near Kiana, average annual flow has ranged from to for the period 1977–99 with peaks of to . Peak flows can result from large volumes of water released when ice jams fail. Flow records are also available for Dahl Creek, a tributary of the Kobuk River with a confluence near the town of Kobuk. See also List of rivers of Alaska List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers Kobuk River Stampede References External links Alaska fish and game species descriptions Kobuk Valley National Park Gates of the Arctic National Park List of birds observed at Selby Lake in the Middle Kobuk River basin Kobuk Wild and Scenic River Kobuk River Stampede Kobuk, Alaska Alaska Department of Natural Resources Kobuk Area Map (big file) Rivers of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska Rivers of Alaska Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States Gates