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.

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Eklutna Lake: An Endless Cruise

 

Eklutna Lake, a large reservoir on the fringes of the Anchorage Municipality, provides a hub for recreation of all types. On warm summer afternoons bikers, kayakers, hikers and backpackers flock to the 7-mile-long lake. The rugged peaks of the Chugach Range surround the upstream ends and melt from the Eklutna Glacier spills from the mountains to replenish the water. As the main source of drinking water and electricity for the City of Anchorage, it is not an overstatement to say that Eklutna Lake is a central figure in the life of Alaska's largest city.

On a recent trip to Eklutna Lake, my wife, daughter and I passed a night at one of the cabins on the lakeshore. I took the opportunity to photograph yet another new location, something I have been lucky to do quite a bit this summer. Though I found it somewhat difficult to find ideal compositions during my trip, there was plenty of curvy lake bends, side streams, and nearby mountains to frame up a few good shots. Though I doubt any will end up in my portfolio, I got a few worth sharing here in my blog. With an abundance of cottonwood and poplars, I imagine that fall colors can really explode here at the lake. I would love to return in mid-September when finding a true masterpiece might just be possible.

Besides the photography, however, spending a couple days in a cabin along the lake proved well worth the time and effort. Though the first mile of the trail was fairly busy, once we got down to our cabin a sense of calm and peace fell over the landscape. The trail is very easy, and more or less flat, making it ideal for a getaway without too much of a challenge. However, the twelve-mile trail provides an almost endless cruise for the taking for anyone motivated to try it. 

Eklutna Lake Image Gallery- Click for higher resolution images

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Denali: From the National Park and Beyond

Denali boasts many accolades. It is North America's highest peak and one of the Seven Summits. It is the world's third most prominent peak by the official "topographical prominence" measure. It has, by far, the highest latitude of the Seven Summits. By all measures, it is an incredible mountain. 

Denali is also elusive. A widely used anecdote claims that only 30% of visitors who seek the mountain even get to see it. The other 70% find only a swirl of clouds where the mountain should be. That is why on a recent trip when we got three full days of completely unimpeded views of the "Great One," we were truly lucky.

A visit to Denali National Park & Preserve, however, is much more than just a visit to this great mountain. Along the way we also saw two grizzly bears, six caribou and three Dall sheep, three of "Big Five" Alaskan animals (wolves and moose were elusive on this trip, though I have seen both, especially moose, before). Though many of these encounters were too far even for the 400 mm lens to capture a good image, there were times when I just had to put the camera down and realize this adventure wasn't just about photos.

After leaving the park, we were treated to incredible views of the big mountain all along the Parks Highway. The glaciated summit and ridges swan in and out of view like a ghost rising and sinking through the trees. We made several pit stops to frame up new views of the mountain's many facades. And before heading back to my home on the Kenai Peninsula, we passed a night in the quaint town of Talkeetna where the views of the mountain somehow seemed even better.

Though the skies were too blue and there was no sunrise and sunset in July to make for ideal photography conditions, it is hard to complain about three incredible days circling one of the world's iconic mountains, and some of the images I captured were good enough to satiate the photographer inside me.

Denali area image gallery (click to view higher resolution images)

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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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Kayaker's Cove

There is nothing like unplugging from civilization. Places like Kayaker's Cove in Alaska's Resurrection Bay, near the town of Seward, are perfect to retreat from the worries of civilization, even if only for a short while. You cannot get service at Kayaker's Cove, so unless you paddle out around the tall rock escarpments that surround the tiny cache of cabins, you are forced to entertain yourself the old fashioned way: with good company, and a sound mind.

We've made a point to take an annual trip out to Kayaker's Cove. Unfortunately, this year the weather didn't co-operate perhaps as we'd hoped. The rain didn't let up, not even for a moment, for the entire three days we were out there. From a photography standpoint, however, the mist and fog presented a different opportunity. Challenging conditions force me to look for compositions that differ from my normal style. I find myself finding shots that I might not have if the light and the weather had been different. 

So here is a small collection of shots from or three-day trip to Kayaker's Cove. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And if you really enjoy, consider liking my Facebook or Instagram pages, or sharing this post with your friends. It is always much appreciated.

(Click for higher resolution images)

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Eagle River Nature Center Photography

Black and white of dramatic peaks at the
Eagle River Nature Center

The Eagle River Nature Center is a nature reprieve near the town of Eagle River, Alaska. Resplendent with towering mountains and lush Alaska forest, this incredibly scenic area is shared by a bevy of wildlife such as bears and moose and a strong contingent of hikers, backpackers, packrafters and, of course, photographers. After hearing about it, and seeing photos of it for years, I finally had a chance to see it for myself last weekend and it did not disappoint.

While spending two night in the Rapids Camp Yurt about two miles up the Eagle River Nature Center trail, it was hard to know what to point my camera at. Incredible sights surrounded camp. Low clouds and fog gave the jagged peaks a moody, dramatic appearance, and frequent wildlife casually walked all around us. We had close-ish encounters with several bull moose, a mom black bear with two cubs and heard reports from other hikers about sightings of brown bears as well. When we hiked out on Saturday morning, signs at the Nature Center itself warned that a "small group of hikers" had been charged by a brown bear the day before. Needless to say it is a place where you want to keep your bear spray close at hand at all times.

A smattering of other images. Click for higher resolution

Bull moose at the Eagle River Nature Center

A

Butterflies on the shores of the Eagle River

Dramatic mountains 

Snow capped peaks and low clouds

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Hatcher Pass: Photography Wonderland

 

Cabins are available at the Hatcher Pass Lodge

In Southcentral Alaska, just off the Mat-Su Valley, is a veritable paradise for outdoor recreation and photography: Hatcher Pass. 

Hatcher Pass is famous as a convenient and spectacular destination for outdoor recreation. Easily accessible from some of Alaska's most populous munipalities, Hatcher Pass offers quick access to quintessential Alaska features, like deeply crevassed glaciers, cloud-scraping peaks, and endless hiking trails. With myriad campgrounds, backcountry huts, and even the Hatcher Pass lodge, options are abound for your head to hit the pillow after day spent exploring this wild paradise. It is hard to imagine a more perfect setting for an Alaska adventure.

For landscape photographers, Hatcher Pass is a dream. Steep peaks with jagged ridge abutments, tumbling streams dotted with gumdrop granite boulders, ambrosial alpine lakes and even historical intrigue at the Independence Mine State Historical Park provide plenty of fodder to frame up in your camera lens. Abundant wildflowers in the summer and endless trails curling through the rugged Talkeetna Mountain Range provide enough subject matter for a lifetime. If you are a landscape photographer visiting or living in Alaska, Hatcher Pass should be at the top of your list.

A random peony mid-channel in the 
Little Susitna River in Hatcher Pass made for
a great photo subject

Mountains as far as the eye can see at the Hatcher Pass summit

Alpine brooks make for perfect leading lines in 
a landscape composition

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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.
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