Planning an Alaskan Adventure

[denise_duhamel]

I'm in the process of trying to put together trip plans for Alaska -

probably for next July or August. In an effort to make the most of

the trip, I'm looking for advice on the best places to see. My goal

is to photograph Mt. Mckinley, bears [other wildlife too, but

specifically bears] and glaciers. I hope to allow at least 10 days

[but not more than two weeks] for the entire trip. Is that enough

time to do Denali, Katmai and Kenai? Are there other/better

locations that will help me achieve my goals? I'll be driving and

thought that I might spend 2-3 nights in each of those areas. I won't

be camping - and will physically just be able to do relatively short

walks/hikes [less than 3 mi]. Also, I've read a little about

flightseeing tours - does anyone know much about them? Are they

worth the expense? For some of the stuff I hope to see, it seems

like the only way to do it [ie. mckinley flightseeing tour]

 

At the moment, I'm looking at a blank piece of paper, so I was hoping

to get recommendations from folks who have been there and done that -

to help me build a memorable trip.

 

Photo gear isn't an issue - I've got an array of lenses that cover

all angles of view, but I wonder if my 300mm lens will be long enough

for wildlife. I do have a 1.4 teleconverter that I could use. Film

speed recommendations would be helpful. Also, what sort of

clothing/outerwear gear will be best suited for July or August

travel? That might be a dumb question, but where I live - July and

August range between 80-100+ degrees. I don't want to pack shorts. t-

shirts and sandals when the weather calls for snow parkas, thermal

underwear and fur lined boots! I think you get the picture :-)

 

I realize this is a loaded request, so any info anyone is willing to

share would be most helpful and greatly appreciated. I'm totally

open to suggestions and look forward to your responses. Thanks a

bunch!

[Jerry_]

Uncle Sam had the kindness of sending me to Eielson Air Force Base from mid-1984 to Sept. 1987. It was about 20 some miles south of Fairbanks.

It was a 21-day 'drive' from Tampa, Florida, to Fairbanks.

 

 

 

Ten days in Alaska may be enough, but if the weather (or like lately, the fires) is less than clear, you may be there and not see all of that area in Alaska. You might skip the shorts unless you like feeding the little mosquitos that are throughout Alaska in the summer months. It can get into the low 80s in the daytime -- one year we had frost for the 4th of July.

 

 

 

The Mt. McKinley (Denali National Park) is something like 90 to 125 miles one way, and the park service runs a shuttle bus until they determine the weather is not so good. You can check the national park service web site for how the 'lottery' goes for tickets and/or reservations.

 

 

 

The road from Anchorage to the Kenai Penn. is fairly good: the Alaska Railroad trip is very scenic.

 

 

 

 

Good luck!

[louie]

Denise,

 

I think you're trying to fit in too much. Don't forget to factor in travel time as this will

eat up a lot of your vacation in Alaska.

 

First of all, for the locations you've listed, I'd suggest first half of July or last half of

August. If you want the shots of bears at the top of the waterfall catching leaping

salmon, then you'll want to be in Katmai during the early part of July. Later in summer,

the salmon aren't running upsteam and the bears are more dispersed. Conversely, the

mosquitos in Denali can be terrible in July - especially at Wonder Lake. Late August is

fall in Denali, and you get fall colors along with much fewer mosquitos. The wildlife is

better, too. The animals have their winter coats, and the moose are in rut. Of course,

the weather is much more variable - greater chance for rain, overcast, and even snow.

There are lots of tradeoffs.

 

Given the expense of travel, I'd suggest at least 3-4 days at Katmai. I have a trip

report posted about my visit to Katmai here: http://www.photo.net/users/Louie/

travel/katmai.html. 300mm should be fine at Katmai, but I'd take the teleconverter.

400 speed film or film you can push would be adviseable. Provia 400 is very nice, but

Sensia 400 will do as a cheaper alternative.

 

For Denali, definitely take the TC. It sounds like you'll be shooting mostly from the

bus, so you'll need the reach. Also, some fast film is adviseable as you'll have to shoot

from the window rather from a tripod. I'd recommend 4-5 days at least at Denali.

Figure the mountain will only be out 1 out of 3 days.

 

For both locations, I wore t-shirts and shorts. Long-sleeve t-shirts for the bugs. I also

wore synthetic long underwear under my shorts for cooler days- dorky looking, but

very effective. I'd suggest packing for 3 seasons - you won't need any winter gear.

 

As for the flightseeing - I did a flightseeing trip around Mt. McKinley, and it was

excellent. Definitely worth the money. I'd do it again given the chance. I flew with K2

Aviation.

 

I suppose you can do the Kenai Peninsula in a couple of days, but it only gives you

enough time for a survey. Say, you drive down stopping by Portage and Exit Glaciers,

maybe take a tour boat out of Seward.

 

I suppose 10 days is doable, but you'll be constantly on the move, and bad weather

can lead to disappointments. I'd go for the full two weeks.

[denise_duhamel]

Thank you both for your responses. Louie, I think you are right - I am trying to cram in too much. Living in a New England city where everything is a hop, skip and a jump away, I tend to forget the vast travel distances in planning this Alaskan trip. Decisions, decisions ... As much as I would truly love to do Katmai - it is really cost prohibitive getting there. So, by default, I'm leaning more towards Denali and Seward. Will have to travel mid to late July or after, because I have a wedding I'm shooting on the 15th. So that also helps me to rule out Katmai for the bear/salmon run. I'm after quality photos - not quantity. I can tell I've got lots more research to do these next several months. But planning is half the fun!

[roy1]

Sounds like we have a lot in common.<p>

I also had to wait for wedding season to die out (Jewish weddings) so I could go.<p>

I am leaving for Alaska on Tuesday (2 fulls weeks), planning to get to Denali (state and national parks) and to Kenai fjords.<p>

i'll let you know how it went.<br>

--Roy

[john lehman, college alask]

I live in Fairbanks, so my answers may be biased by not recognizing what is different here :-)

 

Most of the tourists seem to wear shorts and T-shirts -- and go through alot of DEET due to the bugs. Long sleeves and pants are much kinder on one's system long-term.

 

In terms of lenses for Denali, from the bus a 200mm and a 500mm would be about ideal -- plus a beanbag, so take your teleconverter. Given normal weather and time for wildlife (i.e. morning and evening), either 800-speed film or f/2.8 lenses help; one clear evening at Wonder Lake I needed both to photograph a family of beavers. If you go day-hiking and want to shoot bears, the longer the better. After our last Wonder Lake hike with grizzlies around, my wife decided I should invest in an 800mm lens :-)

 

Given the right weather, flight-seeing is great (probably a personal bias -- I sold my airplane two years ago).

 

Denali to Homer in the Kenai is a full-day's drive. Even if you try to ignore the speed limit, it is a two lane road and there are alot of RV's driving down the middle of the road at 40mph.

[phyrpowr]

Denise,

 

don;t know if we'll be there in Denali at the same time, but if you see a bus with "Green Tortoise Adventure Tours" writ large on it,come on over and yell for Jack, you can tell me why your Canyon and Yosemite shots are better than mine.

[denise_duhamel]

Jack, thanks for your compliments. Everyone has been helpful in their recommendations and I've also found more helpful hints on Alaska travel in the Nature forum. I am learning a great deal and have so much more to learn. Just the research alone is an adventure! Next summer can't come fast enough for me. I'm sure I'll have many more questions before then. Thanks!