Best Alaska Wildlife Locations?

[2new]

Can anyonerecommend some locations in Alaska for shooting wildlife, and or any resources on line or in print so that I may research my next vacation (hopefully). I would be looking for some target rich locations that are easy to reach as I am only a day hiker.

I went to Yellowstone this summer and it was fantastic.

Thanks,
Michael

[robertwgross]

The McNeil River for bears.

Homer, for bald eagles.

---Bob Gross---

[sparker1]

I thoroughly enjoyed Hyder, Alaska. It is much closer than other places and has some beautiful mountain and glacier scenery nearby. The main feature, when the salmon are running (late July and August), is the accessibility to bears...both blacks and grizzlies. People stand on a wooden deck about 50 feet from Fish Creek. The bears come up the creek and right by the deck. Oh yeah, there are quite a few eagles there, too. The bears show up early and again around dusk, so be prepared for low light shooting...no flash, of course. Parking is only 100-200 yards away.

[2new]

Thanks Bob & Stan for your input!
Michael

[MegaTrixel]

Michael,

There are a lot of variables. Such as the month you plan to visit, how much money you want to spend, whether you want to be self-sufficient or travel in a guided group, what animals you are most interested in photographing, etc.

Bears: The big browns are mostly located along the southwest peninsula. They are huge. But in general, they are so focused on eating salmon and defending themselves from one another that they often tolerate close human proximity. The interior grizzlies (smaller but technically the same bear, just different diet) are not usually found in large groups, tend to be more shy but potentially more aggressive toward people). This doesn't mean you can't encounter trouble with the coastal browns (google for timothy treadwell for a tragic story).

Popular locations for bears include: McNeil River (requires a lottery permit), Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park (getting pretty popular), Denali National Park (unless you can get a pro-photography permit you will have to travel by school bus into the park), Kodiak Island, and many air charter companies have their own special places they can fly you to.

Eagles: They're everywhere. But I think they are easiest to photograph in places where they congregate in large numbers. For instance, Homer, in winter. A lady in town feeds them fish heads, which I think is illegal but no one has stopped her. And Haines in late fall and early winter during a late salmon run.

Moose: Almost certainly you can see a moose along the road during your visit. You can also look for them specifically in Chugach State Park near Anchorage and Kenai National Moose Range.

Caribou: A really cool trip is to see the Porcupine Caribou herd migrate to the Arctic slope in June.

Dall Sheep: Almost always seen along the highway south of Anchorage. Look for cars pulled over to the side and everyones head looking up.

Marine mamals: Humpback whales, orcas, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, etc. Take the boat tour of Resurrection Bay out of Seward. Guaranteed to see most of these animals. Another good boat trip starts from the town of Whittier.

Walrus: Round Island, southwest alaska

Send me a PM if you want more specific details. I'll tell you all I can. Enjoy your trip!

[sparker1]

James mentioned Denali, and I had neglected to do so. By taking the bus tour, one can get off and spend some time hiking before catching another bus out. While we didn't leave the bus, our day-long tour provided caribou, a couple wolves, a wolverine (rare), but only distant grizzlies. One fellow who hiked all day and boarded our bus on the way in had seen a grizzly sow and triplets. I'm sure he got great shots.

Don't overlook British Columbia and Yukon Territory, as well.

[jdbulldog]

Dear Michael,

I spent this past summer traveling all of Alaska (8 weeks in an RV). We traveled from the artic circle to Juneau and all around the interior. The best trip we had was a photo safari for bears out of Homer, Alaska. We flew down to Katmai National Park with Halo Bay outfitters (used by National Geographic's bear programs as well as IMAX). There we walked with the bears, photographed wonderful wildflowers, and saw some amazing glaciers. The trip cost about $1100 for two people for a day of shooting but it was worth every penny. We saw 10 to 12 bears and had a wonderful time with excellent service. We went at the end of June and caught the end of the clamming season and the start of the salmon runs.

I noticed someone recommended McNeil River. Halo Bay is south of McNeil and does not require a special permit from the State of Alaska. To photograph at McNeil you have to enter a special drawing and be selected to go. I have known photographers who have waited years for the opportunity.

Brooks Falls is really crowded and hard to get a picture because of the people. Pay the extra money and go to Hallo Bay. Check out their web site and call Clint. He is the owner and takes excellent care of his clients. (I would not recommend him if we had not received such wonderful service. In fact In-laws were downed by the weather while at Hallo Bay and the outfitters allowed them to stay for free. Really a top notched service.)

If you stay in Homer, check out the bluff 2 miles outside of town on the main highway. There is a Shell gas station and an amazing RV park and log cabin rental places there. The bluff is a 750 ft drop to the ocean and has breath taking sunsets (if you can stay up that long.) There are at least 3 breading pairs of bald eagles that fly right into camp. I saw a small pet dog taken by one while we were there. I think my siberian husky saw it too and stayed under the RV most of the time. There are also great views of 3 of the 4 active volcanoes of the region.

I shot more than 3800 pictures while in Homer and enjoyed every minute of it.

Skagway and Juneau were both great and have great shopping. I highly recommend the run between the two cities on the Fjordland Express. It is a giant catamaran and is extremely stable for shooting from the deck. We saw lots of whales and sea lions. The lighthouses were also very cool.

You will be able to shoot eagles, moose (my father-in-law commented that you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a moose), and other birds just about anywhere but the real prize are bears and they are more difficult to photograph unless you go to an area well frequented by bears.

The trip out of Seward to Resurrection Bay mentioned above is really great, but be prepared for rough water. The trip into Kenai National Fjords takes you out onto the Gulf of Alaska where storms blow up in an instant. If you get sea sick check out the trips from Whittier as the Sound is much calmer and easier to shoot clear pictures. We got lucky in Seward and caught a smooth day on the ocean.

Places to skip:
We saw nothing in Hyder in the middle of July. It was cold, rainy and the roads "sucked". Do not drive the Cassiar Highway in B.C. either. Take the long way around if driving to Alaska.

Fairbanks was a bore. We stayed almost a week however we were ran out of town by the fires that burned most of the area north of Fairbanks.

Denali National Park unless you can stay a week and don't mind roughing it in the outdoors. Reservations are highly recommended during peak times. We stayed 3 days and never saw the mountain or any bears. You only have a 10% chance of seeing Denali because it makes its own weather. We did see it from Anchorage which was beautiful. (My aunt and uncle did enjoy Denali and were very luck to have clear weather one day, however, when they saw my bear pictures from Katmai they wished they had gone with us.)

Gear recommendations:
1. You need a good monopod that is lightweight.
2. Take a long, long lens (400mm plus). If you are only going to be there a short time rent one and take with you.
3. Rain gear is a must for your camera equipment as well as yourself. I recommend high quality rain pants, jacket, and rain boots. Pick subdued colors or you might find yourself in trouble with bears and moose. (This was recommended by 2 bear guides that I know personally.)
4. Memory Cards and batteries. I took 3 memory cards, and 4 batteries on a day trip and exhausted them all. There is always something to shoot.
5. Remember that you are going to a remote state that does not have all of the normal services you find here. Take everything with you or else you probably won't get it there.

Here are some links to pictures I shot while there:

http://www.ajgrizzle.com/Fine_art_photography/bear_images/index.htm

http://www.ajgrizzle.com/Fine_art_photography/eagle_images/index.htm

http://www.ajgrizzle.com/Fine_art_photography/sea_life_images/index.htm

http://www.ajgrizzle.com/Fine_art_photography/other_animal_images/index.htm

http://www.ajgrizzle.com/Fine_art_photography/wildflower_images/index.htm

You can send me and email at the address below if you want further information such as great places to eat. If you are a beer drinker make certain to try the Alaska Amber and Summer Ales from the Alaska microbrewery. If you stay in Homer, check out Bear Creek Winery for some really interesting wines (only winery in Alaska). I probably got long winded, but I can't say enough about the state of Alaska and how great of time we had. It was a once in a lifetime trip.

Sincerely,
Jerry

grizzlej@ajgrizzle.com

www.ajgrizzle.com

[robertwgross]

That's what I call a photo trip report.

---Bob Gross---

[2new]

WOW - "That's what I call a photo trip report."

I'll second that one!!! Thanks to everyone. I have not made any plans as of yet because I have not done enought research on the locations but I knew that I would get some real gems from our forum members.

The information I recieved from this board 'made' my yellowstone trip the best photo experience to date and I am really getting psyched for Alaska!!

I am in Las Vegas on business right now but will follow up when I return (I am on a slow connection and it is killing me)

Regards,
Michael