Five Alaska Photography Locations You MUST See!!

The Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National Park

Alaska is a state of incredible natural beauty. Wildlife, mountains, glaciers, flowers… It is a photographer’s paradise. There is an endless list of photography locations to visit, all of which will provide stunning landscape photography that will dazzle your friends and social media followers. But here are five Alaska locations for landscape photography and wildlife photography that you shouldn’t miss the next time you’re visiting the Last Frontier.

Hatcher Pass

One of Alaska’s great playgrounds is Hatcher Pass. Located just outside of Palmer, Alaska, Hatcher Pass is accessible, dynamic and spectacular. Casual hikers can find excellent views along the road, from the Hatcher Pass lodge or at the historic Independence Mine. And even more drama is available to the more adventurous with one of several long day hikes, such as the Gold Mint Trail or Reed Lakes, or for backpackers who take on the ultra-classic Bomber Traverse.

Kesugi Ridge (Denali State Park)

A lot of travelers make a beeline for Denali National Park when they reach Alaska, and for good reason. But some of the best views of Denali and the Alaska Range are found in Denali State Park. And though some of these views can be seen when you drive the Parks Highway north from Wasilla towards Denali National Park, the very best views come from Kesugi Ridge, a raised escarpment in the Talkeetna Range that parallels the highway. A classic multiday Kesugi Ridge backpack trip is the best way to experience the numerous compositions for photographing Alaska that Kesugi offers, but for those with less time, several trailheads allow you to day hike up to ridge and find those classic views of North America’s tallest mountain and its friends.

Kachemak Bay State Park

Located a short boat ride from the scenic coastal town of Homer, Kachemak Bay State Park is a relatively accessible wonderland for adventure and photography. Individual locations are numerous, but some favorites include Grewingk Glacier Lake, the town of Seldovia, and Grace Ridge.

Harding Icefield

Though the Harding Icefield Trail, known locally as the “H.I.T,” is a strenuous nine mile hike that gains nearly 3,000’, it epitomizes Alaska and climaxes with an astonishing view of the Harding Icefield, the largest icefield entirely in the United States. The Harding Icefield and the many glaciers that flow off it form a continuous sheet of ice approximately 1,000 square miles in size. It is one of the crown jewels of Kenai Fjords National Park. The sheer scale of the icefield is almost impossible to believe when you stand its edge from the end of the H.I.T.

Boat tour

All right, this feels like a cop-out because it isn’t really a location. But one of the best ways to see and photograph the stunning coasts of Alaska is on a boat tour. From the sea you get views of some of the most beautiful but otherwise inaccessible terrain in the state. In the process you’ll almost assuredly see whales, puffins, sea lions, and other Alaska wildlife. There are many locations from which you can launch on a boat tour, but some of the best include Glacier Bay National Park, Prince William Sound, and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Here is the video:

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What is Alaska Actually Like?

 What is it like to live and spend time in the Alaska, the 49 state? In this video I show you a little glimpse into the world of the Last Frontier. Include drone video, timelapse photography, and some of my best landscape photography, street photography and mostly set in the Kenai Peninsula of southern Alaska. Locations include Seward, Alaska, Resurrection Bay, Homer, Alaska, Denali, Hatcher Pass, and more.

Alaska. One minute you’re as serene as heaven, the next you serve me a dose of humble pie. I stare in awe at your highest peaks, and dance under your wondrous northern lights. But you are fierce, cold, unforgiving. Just when I think I’ve mastered you, you send me scurrying like a scolded pup. You are intense. Playful. Powerful. You make us weep for joy and in fear. But what would we do without you. We became addicted to your highs, and now nothing ever quite holds a candle to them. From the meanest grizzly to the tamest shrew, tallest mountain to tiniest flower… You just are…. Well, Alaska.

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Homer, Kachemak Bay & Grace Ridge

My wife and I had not had a night alone together since our daughter was born. Not that I am complaining; I love my sweet little two-year-old daughter more than anything. But when the chance came to hand our kiddo off to the grandparents and do an overnight exploration of Grace Ridge in Kachemak Bay State Park near Homer, Alaska, we took it.

Kachemak Bay State Park is a wonderland of impressive crags, sharp ridges and cracked glaciers. It was one of the first places in Alaska I was able to explore back in 2007 and one of the reasons I fell in love with Alaska. In 2020 we backpacked in to Grewingk Glacier with our packrafts and paddled around the towering icebergs that splinter off in the lake at the toe of that mammoth glacier. This time, we wanted to see a new area of the park, and we were not disappointed.

Grace Ridge is a 9-mile hike up and over a mountain through the alpine tundra with views of Tutka Bay and Sadie Cove off to each side. We approached it by staying at the Kayak Beach yurt the night before. It was what I kept calling an "old school" adventure for us, the type that we used to take all the time before undertaking the even bigger adventure of becoming parents. It had all the features of one of our trips circa 2010: a mountain climb, some evening lounging after gulping down backpacking food, even a splash of inclement weather. We were treated to an incredible display of light that left me clicking the shutter for hours on my camera the evening before our hike. The pictures I got that night and during the foggy climb the next day were incredible.

All-in-all it was a super successful overnight trip in a part of Alaska that gives a taste of adventure without being too out-of-reach. I highly recommend it to any photographer (or anyone, really) who happens to be in the area. The views and the photographic compositions are hard to beat.

(A collection of photos from the location/trip. For best results, click to enlarge)

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link