PHOTOGRAPHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON LOCATION SERIES: ALASKA

INDEX

KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK
WRANGELL– ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK

KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK
SEWARD, ALASKA
Text and image copyright Ron Niebrugge, all rights reserved

ACCESS
Kenai Fjords National Park is located at the end of the Seward Highway, about 130 miles south of Anchorage. The park is open year round although access outside of summer is difficult due to a lack of regularly scheduled boat service, and the road to Exit Glacier is gated and not plowed. In the summer the entrance fee to Exit Glacier is $5 per car and is good for 7 days. Although fees are only collected during the day, access to Exit Glacier is open for 24 hours during the summer months. The visitor center for the park is located in the Seward Boat Harbor. There is also an interpretive center located near the Exit Glacier parking lot.

AREA LAYOUT
There are two primary ways to access Kenai Fjords National Park: by driving to Exit Glacier or taking a boat into the fjords.

Exit Glacier is a 12-mile drive from Seward. From the parking lot it is another half-mile hike to the face of the glacier. There are a number of trails around Exit Glacier; my favorite is the Harding Icefield Trail. Running up the north side of the glacier, it provides spectacular views of Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield. The Harding Icefield trail climbs 3,000 vertical feet and is about 7 miles round-trip, this is a strenuous hike and you should allow a full day.

Access to the fjords is provided by a number of operators offering boat tours into the park. Make sure you take the full-day tour, as these are the only ones with the time to travel into Kenai Fjords. The more adventurous may prefer to kayak. Again, there are a number of operators who rent kayaks and will taxi you and your gear into the park. Backcountry skills and experience sea kayaking are a prerequisite, as the cold waters and the remoteness of the location can make small mistakes fatal.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND
At Exit Glacier you will be able to get very close to a glacier and an icefield. If you have never stood close to either one, it is an experience you won’t soon forget. Around Exit Glacier you may see moose and Black Bears. On the Harding Icefield trail, Mountain Goats, marmot and Black Bears are common.

Your boat tour will take you into beautiful fjords surrounded by five- and six-thousand foot snow and glacier-covered mountains. You will get up close to a very active tidewater glacier; the roar of the calving ice is amazing. Chances are very high that you will see whales (Humpbacks and Orcas), Sea Otters, endangered Northern Stellar Sea Lions and nesting Bald Eagles, along with thousands of sea birds including puffins, kittiwakes and murres. The list of possible bird and wildlife sightings is long; it is safe to say that no two trips are the same.

LIGHT
The tidewater glaciers and Exit Glacier face somewhat easterly, so morning can offer the best light. Try to take the earliest boat tour; not only does the light tend to be better, but it is usually less crowded making it easier to find railing space.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Shooting from a rocking boat can be challenging. A lens with IS or VR can be beneficial. I like to hook one leg through the lower railing of the boat so that I can keep both hands on the camera, and use my legs and body to hold on to the boat.

For more information on the Kenai Fjords National Park, you can visit the Park Service website at: http://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm.

Ron Niebrugge is a stock photographer based in Seward, Alaska with a newly released book on Kenai Fjords National Park published by the Alaska Natural History Association. To see more of Ron’s photos of Kenai Fjords National Park visit: http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Kenai_Fjords_National_Park.htm.

WRANGELL– ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA
Text and image copyright Carl Donohue, all rights reserved

ACCESS
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park lies on the eastern edge of Alaska, adjoining Canada. The park lies nearly 200 miles east of Anchorage and is usually accessed by one of 2 roads: the McCarthy Road, running east/west from Chitina to McCarthy, and the Nabesna Road, which enters from the park's northern border.

Getting to Wrangell – St. Elias is an adventure in itself. McCarthy is a solid 8-hour drive from Anchorage, and probably best done in 2 days to allow the visitor to photograph enroute; it's a spectacular drive across the northern edge of the Chugach Mountains. Regardless of which entrance to the park you take, I'd suggest spending the night in Glenallen, or somewhere near Chitina, to break up the trip. The McCarthy road has a fearsome reputation for taking out tires, so drive carefully and carry 2 spares, if possible.

AREA LAYOUT
Wrangell – St. Elias is larger than Switzerland. It's more than 25 times larger than the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Almost all of that land is backcountry. Most visitors typically see little more than the McCarthy Road, then the relatively small area around McCarthy – Kennicott, which is little more than a sniff of what the park actually has to offer.

You cannot drive into McCarthy. The 61-mile dirt road effectively ends for the public at the Kennicott River. Park here and then walk across a footbridge and the 1/2-mile into town. Kennicott is 5 miles north of McCarthy. There are shuttles from the footbridge to both McCarthy and Kennicott, but you will need to check the schedules to see what's available for your visit. They change all too regularly. Accommodations are available in both McCarthy and Kennicott, from camping to hostels to the expensive Kennicott Lodge.

There are opportunities for great photography right along the roads and around the old mining towns of McCarthy and Kennicott. Kennicott Glacier sits one mile north of the town and is an easy hike. Be careful if you choose to hike out on the glacier; it's slippery and can be dangerous. Crampons can be rented in both towns, and are recommended for people not experienced in glacial travel.

You can also hike up to Jumbo and Bonanza Mines, and see the relics of the old copper mining days. Bring plenty of water; it's steep and arduous climbing, but well worth the hike. Wildlife can be found relatively close to town. I've seen black bear and lynx within 1/4 mile of Kennicott. Similarly, the McCarthy Road can be a good spot to see moose, particularly during the early and late hours of the day.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is nearly 14 million acres. It's the largest national park in Alaska and the largest national park in the USA. It's a part of the world's largest internationally protected heritage site. Here the world's tallest coastal range, the St. Elias Mountains, converge with the Wrangell mountain range, the Alaska Range and the Chugach mountain range. Nine of the 16 highest mountains in the United States lie within the park boundaries, and 4 of them rise over 16,000 feet. Glaciers are everywhere. The world's largest icefield, Bagley Icefield, is found here. One of the areas above the Chittistone River is known for its incredible geologic history with geodes and fossils and a myriad other features of interest. Wildlife are present, but require some work. I've photographed coyote, red fox, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, mountain goat, grizzly and black bear, peregrine falcon, golden and bald eagle, tundra swan, willow and white-tailed ptarmigan, bohemian waxwing, and a myriad other birds. The alpine country is home to a rich array of wildflowers.

Most of the backcountry in the park is accessible via bush plane. If you have the chance, definitely take a flight to see some of the grandest landscape anywhere. If possible, try camping out somewhere in the backcountry to spend a little time exploring the region. There are no trails, so brush up on your map reading skills, and talk with your pilot about the best places to hike.

Wrangell – St. Elias is six times the size of Yellowstone National Park, so it's not feasible to give any kind of specifics on the highlights. The park itself is a highlight. I will suggest that anyone interested in an overnight backcountry trip for a real wilderness experience and some unique landscape photography opportunities visit Skolai Pass and the Chittistone River area, Iceberg Lake in the Chugach Mountains, or the Nizina Ridge. All three areas are accessible only via bush plane, but offer limitless opportunities for nature photography. There are 2 flightseeing companies in McCarthy, and both also provide backcountry drop offs and pickups.

LIGHT
Great light can be hard to come by in mountain regions like this. This far north, during the summer months, great light requires work. A lot of work. It's not uncommon to be out shooting close to midnight, or 3AM. Mt Blackburn, just north and west of McCarthy, can get some very nice early light in the spring and fall. Depending on the time of your visit, you could be shooting dawn light at 2AM, or 8AM. Camping up at Bonanza Mine requires some effort, but, with clear weather, can be rewarding to those who make the effort to be up there early.

Be safe.

Carl Donohue is a passionate wilderness advocate, and his love of the wild has taken him from the outback of Australia to the mountains of Alaska . He lives in Atlanta, GA, and half the year guides backpacking trips into some of the most remote and pristine wilderness areas in North America including Wrangell – St. Elias. For more information, go to www.alaskanalpinetreks.com. For his stock photography, visit www.skolaiimages.com.

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