The preserve extends westward from Gates of the Arctic National Park along the Brooks Range to the north and the Baird Mountains to the south, enclosing the valley of the Noatak River. It is bordered to the north by the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The lower valley of the Noatak is not part of the preserve, separating the preserve from Cape Krusenstern National Monument on the coast. The southeast corner of the preserve runs almost to the coastline at Hotham Inlet. The distance from the headwaters in Gates of the Arctic National Park to Noatak, Alaska is about . Land ownership within the preserve is mostly federal, with owned by native corporations or under easements.