Camping in the boreal forest in the Brooks Range, near the Arrigetch peaks. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
[UPDATED: Feb 2026]
Hey Folks,
Well, it’s well and truly spring here in Alaska, and the summer/fall hiking season right around the corner. So for anyone heading north this summer, this page might be of interest to you. Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of the less visited national parks in the state, which makes it a great place to explore and “get away”. Miles upon miles of mountain wilderness, boreal forest and alpine tundra make it a diverse and fascinating hiking region.
At the same time, it’s also a challenging expedition. Logistics for getting there, getting ‘in’ to the park, hiking across muskeg, dealing with mosquitoes, bears, rivers, and trail-less terrain can be intimidating. Hopefully some of this is helpful.
Getting to Gates of the Arctic
Your options for hiking in Gates of the Arctic National Park, for most folks, start with Fairbanks. You want to head north, either up the Dalton Highway (Haul Rd), or fly.
The Wrangell mountains, near Nabesna, catch the first rays of the day. Sunrise near Jack Creek, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
Welcome to Expeditions Alaska. I’ve thought for a long time now about changing the name, so here it is. I’ve still got a few things to tweak over the coming weeks, so if you run across any glitches, please let me know.
This image was taken early one morning on the recent snowshoe/photography trip we took to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The folks who were drawn for the trip, Paul, Doug, Ryan and Jim were great fun, and it was really nice to have such a good troop of folks along.
We were treated to some awesome weather the whole time, which made the trip an easy time, for sure. Sunny skies and very little wind can make March a good time in Alaska.
We snowshoed, no skiing, as the group preferred to hike and photograph rather than ski around. I’ll try to post some more images from the trip soon enough. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one from one great morning out near Nabesna.
Oh yes, one more thing to add; I’ll throw up this photo in honor of Anchorage breaking its own record for most snow in a winter. Happened today – Wax ’em up!
Brown bears at Brooks Falls, in Katmai National Park, watch a spawning Sockeye Salmon attempt to leap up the waterfall. Brown bear, or grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
Many of you may or may not be aware of this critical issue. A proposed open-pit mine in Alaska, in the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed, potentially threatens some of the wildest and vital land in Alaska. The salmon fishery of Bristol Bay is one of the world’s most productive fisheries. It is also the pulse of a vibrant and productive ecosystem that’s home to the great coastal brown bears of Katmai National Park and surrounding regions. The bears we love to see and photograph grow fat on the riches of spawning salmon. The bald eagles that gather in the thousands every summer here thrive on spawning salmon.
The proposed mine, the Pebble Limited Partnership, would create a “10-square-mile-wide containment pond are intended to hold between 2.5 billion and 10 billion tons of mine waste that Pebble would produce over its lifetime”, a 700′ tall dam wall and several miles in length. One of the largest mines in the world, it’s expected to span a 20 mile swathe of Alaska State land. The acidic nature of the waste would require environmental treatment and monitoring for years to come. The potential devastation if something goes awry here, in the land of frequent volcanic and seismic activity, would be immeasurable.
I’ve shot this bear for so many years now; it’s awesome to go back and revisit these bears year to year, particularly the bears that are so great to photograph as this one.
[Update: It’s now 2025 and we photographed him yet again this past fall. Too cool to see this be around for so long. He’s nearly 20 now.]
A Growing Bear
When I first started photographing this bear, he was a young subadult, just out on his own. He’s nearly doubled in size over the last few years, and now is a good size bear, though still has a number of pounds to gain before he reaches his full size.
Bears & Personality
One thing that becomes so readily apparent when photographing bears is how truly individual they are. They can be as different from one to another as we are. Some bears will walk right on by, fishing and wandering the river, with little more than a sideways glance at us, while others wont’ come close at all, and seem to always keep an eye on people around the area.
How to Operate Around Bears
This means a lot when it comes to things like how to act in bear country.
Context is Everything
It means the generalized ‘protocols’ that we read about and hear are, while valuable, not set in stone. It’s more important to pay attention to the bear.
Closely watch the bear’s signals. This is more helpful than thinking about some line in a book at that said “In situation A, you should do B”.
Hard and fast rules rarely hold true, but never more so, perhaps, than when dealing with 1000lb+ predators.
Snowshoeing in winter in the boreal forest of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
A Holiday Season Special – Spring Equinox Celebration
Please note: – 10:00pm Jan 17th; entries are now closed. The drawing takes place the morning of the 18th – see below for details!!!
OK, this one is so simple it’s ridiculous.
In the best of the holiday spirit, here’s what I’m doing. I’m offering a free trip to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park. This offer is open to any who who think they’d enjoy a trip like this. The more people that enter, the more people will win.
If fewer than 250 people enter, I’ll give away a trip for free to 2 people. If I get more than 250 people enter, I’ll give away 4 free spots on the trip.
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park. 6 nights in a backcountry cabin; days spent snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and/or hiking, enjoying some winter landscape photography, possible northern lights photography and the quietest, peaceful-est cabin you never been to. Here’s what you need to know.
The Trip
We leave Anchorage, drive 5 hours to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. 5 nights in the cabin, March 18-23, and return to Anchorage on March 24. During the day, we can either snowshoe, cross country ski, or, depending on weather and snow conditions, hike.
We’ll have the van nearby so we can easily saunter down to the van, drive 10 miles down the road, snowshoe all day, drive back to the cabin and enjoy the comfort of a wood stove, hot food and a quiet like no other. Next day, we can do the same in the other direction.
The exploratory opportunities are literally endless here. Winter landscape photography opportunities abound. This is a massive landscape; Mt Sanford rises over 16 000′ right out the window. It’s also an intimate boreal forest, for some great shooting opportunities. There’s a decent chance of seeing moose in the area, and possibly caribou. The northern lights are a strong possibility; displays are typically strongest and most active right around the Equinox, so this timing is optimal for great northern lights viewing/photography. There are never any guarantees with the aurora, of course.
Price:Normally $1400.00 per person, this year 2, or possibly 4 people get to come out for free.
Dates: March 18-23, 2012
My holiday gift and thank you to everyone who’s supported what I do.
One question I’m frequently asked pertains to hiking poles and how important they are for backpacking here in Alaska.
In short, I’d suggest they’re more than useful – almost mandatory.
Of course, few things in the mountains are ever so objective. What’s right for me might not be right for you, and what’s right on August 15 might not be right on August 16 (or even 3 hours later on August 15). But as a general rule, I’d urge anyone coming to Alaska to backpack, particularly someone on their first trip here, to count on using hiking poles.
I can’t recommend them enough. I use one pole – a Black Diamond Alpine pole – with the flip lock design and carbide tip. I’ve had for more years than I care to think about. I bring it every time I’m backpacking in Alaska. Every time. Most folks use two, and that’s probably a sound way to go. Two is probably a good call. One is what works for me.
The Real Challenge: Sidehilling
Jon, pictured above, is a great hiker. In super shape, athletic, well-balanced – safe to say he’s a much better hiker than the average backpacker. Much better. He cruised the Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes route with virtually no trouble at all, and that’s a tough walk by almost anyone’s metrics. Even Jon mentioned how useful the hiking poles were for him on this trip.
One topic I thought I might write about here that readers might enjoy has to do with backcountry navigation for backpackers, pack rafters, etc; every off-trail backpacker has had issues with getting lost, even if only briefly, and being unsure of direction. So we learn how to read a compass and topographic map. We learn how to pay attention to our terrain and landscape. We learn about geology and landform features to help us navigate. We learn how to pay attention to the sky, and the sun.
Some of us even look skyward after dark and learn to read the constellations.
More recently, we’ve acquired and learned GPS technologies, for pinpoint accuracy, and for better navigation in adverse situations (clouds and fog, flat, featureless terrain, etc). But even this amazing GPS stuff is years old now. So what’s the “new” navigation technology?
Part 3 of my complete guide on aurora borealis photography. So far, on Page 1, we’ve covered the initial stuff. Finding the aurora borealis, scouting your locations during the day to find potential composition sites, what clothes you need to keep warm and comfortable, the importance of bringing along a good headlamp.
Page 2 addresses the question of what camera gear you need when photographing the northern lights, and what camera settings are most useful. Page 2 also covers a broader range of issues you’re likely to run into, like how to find critical focus in the dark northern sky. Page 3, to wrap things up, begins with some thoughts on composing your aurora borealis photos. You can learn this kind of stuff on Alaska Photo Tours.
Northern lights over Mt. Denali, Denali National Park.
Hey Folks
Page 2 of my complete guide to photographing the northern lights. We got started on Page 1 with a discussion on where you might find the aurora borealis, and then on scouting your locations during the day. Clothing to keep you warm in the cold polar winter and the importance of a good headlamp choice round out Page 1. We’ll start this page with a look at camera gear choices and considerations.
Updated: this post was edited and updated Dec 2025
Photographing the aurora borealis in September, surrounded by fall colors, Chugach Mountains, Glenn Highway, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
The aurora borealis is one of those experiences we can have that stay with us a long, long time. Not just in our minds and memories, but in our body, in our hearts, in our soul, in our very being; witnessing the aurora borealis stays with us in how we see the world around us.
It’s a moving and powerful event, and I’m always grateful and humbled by the moment. It is that incredible.
One that raises blood pressure, triggers depression and exhilaration in equal measure, and brings frostbite, tiredness, insomnia, and too many other ailments to mention.
It’s difficult, extremely challenging, and infuriating. It’s cold. It’s dark. The aurora borealis is often fleeting, ever changing, and virtually impossible to rigidly predict.
It requires a clear, or nearly clear, sky. That means long hours of waiting, photographing, deleting, photographing, waiting, not photographing, shivering, mumbling, drinking coffee. It means fighting to stay awake and tearing your hair out over location choices all before you even get the tripod out of the truck.
In short, photographing the northern lights is not easy.
This three-part guide will help you plan for and work around the struggles that await. It’s still up to you, your camera, and the gods of luck to bring home the images, but this should make it easier. If you see anything repeated here, that repetition is intentional. Add your thoughts and questions in the comments.
When you’ve finished the article, you can download a free ebook (with more info and articles) and feel free to check out my northern lights photo gallery as well.
