Trip Reports & Stories

Brown bear (Ursus arctos), at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Brown bear (Ursus arctos), at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Reports, accounts, lies, mistruths and ramblings about ambling and rambling.

Trip Reports & Stories offers a look into real adventures from the Alaska backcountry. Told to you through guest experiences, guide insights, and detailed accounts from the field. These stories highlight what our trips actually feel like, from challenging terrain to the quiet moments that make wilderness travel unforgettable.

You’ll find firsthand perspectives, lessons learned, and the small details that don’t always make it into trip descriptions.

This category is here to inspire your next adventure and provide genuine social proof from people who’ve traveled with us. If you’re curious what an Expeditions Alaska trip is really like, this is the place to start.

Offtrail backpacknig Goat Trail Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Chitistone River, the Goat Trail, Wrangell-St. Elias

A backpack from Skolai Pass to Wolverine over the Goat Trail, with an evening hike to photograph Chitistone Falls and the University Range in late Alaska light.

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Alaska Noatak River Packrafting trip, Gates of the Arctic National Park.

Six Days on the Upper Noatak: A Packraft Trip Through Gates of the Arctic

The floatplane banks hard over a granite ridge and the valley opens below. A ribbon of turquoise water winds through green tundra, flanked by mountains streaked with late snow. Two hours ago we were drinking coffee in Bettles. Now we’re threading through the Endicott Mountains with Mt. Igikpak filling the horizon.

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Brown bear chasing salmon Katmai National Park Alaska.

Grizzly bear cub twins

A bold grizzly cub pokes its tongue out at the camera, but the reality behind the photo is less playful. Raising cubs along a river corridor with over 70 bears is a brutal game of survival. After watching this sow repeatedly lose track of her young, it is a stark reminder that in the backcountry, you have to have your head on straight regardless of your species.

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"Denali", officially again known as Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America, stands above the Alaska Range, a small kettle pond returning a perfect reflection. Denali National Park, Alaska.

Denali, Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

After years of backpacking trips in Denali National Park, finally catching perfect light on the mountain. Stories of photographing Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), failed attempts, and that one glorious week when everything aligned.

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Brown bear males fighting Hallo bay, Katmai National Park.

Brown bears fighting – Hallo Bay

Amazing weather for the duration of the trip, and some really, really great bear photography experiences. Photographing a bear fight in Hallo Bay on our Coastal Brown Bears Photos Tour.

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polar bear mother and cub at sunset.

Favorite Images from 2019

A gallery of photos, mostly bears. Poalr bears, brown bears, or grizzly bear, photos from our 2019 Photo tours to Katmai National Park and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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A bald eagle approaching directly at me, in light snow, Chilkat River, Haines, Alaska.

Favorite Photos from 2018

A collection of favorite images from 2018 with Carl Donohue and Expeditions Alaska. Polar bears, brown bear, aurora and bald eagles.

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Silhouette of Alaska polar bear Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska

Favorite Photos from 2017

A short selection of photos from Expeditions Alaska’s 2017 trips. All images taken by your Expeditions Alaska guides on real, actual trips. Tonsa’ fun. Come on out and give one a try.

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Rafting trip on Marsh Fork River, Canning River, ANWR, Alaska.

Rafting in ANWR – Marsh Fork River

Rafting trip on Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Travel Marsh Fork River to Canning River and the Coastal Plain.

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Icy Bay sunset, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Tyndall Glacier, Icy Bay

Glacier Sea kayaking trip in Icy Bay, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. This is a photo of our guide, Rhane, sea kayaking in Tan Fjord near the Tyndall Glacier.

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