Walker Lake, lake in the United States of America

Walker Lake is a large glacially-formed body of water on the south slope of the Brooks Range in northwest Alaska. The lake stretches about 14 miles long and a mile wide on average, filling a basin carved by ancient ice and bounded by moraines of rock and soil.

John C. Cantwell led an expedition to the lake in 1885 under the authority of the Revenue Marine, the service that preceded the U.S. Coast Guard. The National Park Service designated it a National Natural Landmark in 1968, and it was later incorporated into Gates of the Arctic National Park.

The lake carries two Indigenous names: Qalugluktuaq in Iñupiaq and Taah K'ehoolaanh in Denaakk'e. It is also called "Big Fish Lake", after Iñupiaq stories of giant, ferocious fish in its waters. When the Cantwell expedition passed in 1885, a Native member of the party tried to catch one with a hook made from a whole set of reindeer antlers baited with an entire goose.

Walker Lake lies in the southern part of Gates of the Arctic National Park, with its outlet draining south about 5 km to the Kobuk River; the Kaluluktok Creek enters at the northern end. There are no roads, so access is by small aircraft or on foot, and visitors must carry all supplies and plan for cold, changeable weather.

Local legend tells of a giant fish that a native hunter once tried to catch using a hook made from reindeer antlers and a whole goose as bait. This Inupiat tale reveals how the water held deep meaning and mystery for the people who have lived here for generations.