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by Marty on Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:49 pm
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My wife and I are planning a trip to Cordova, AK sometime in May. Any recommendations on places to stay, hikes, guides, boat and plane trips. I have visited AK five times, but never made to Cordova. Thanks.
Marty Colburn
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by godfather on Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:55 pm
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Marty, I think you will enjoy Cordova.  Last time we stayed at the Reluctant Fisherman and I found the rooms clean and comfortable and the restaurant was very good IMO.  We flew to AK in a personal plane and found the staff at the airport very accommodating and the rental car company (located at the airport) was very convenient.
 

by Marty on Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:29 pm
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Thank you. Did you have good luck with your photography? What time of year did you go?
Marty Colburn
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http://www.lighthouselanding.com
 

by Leo Keeler on Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:06 pm
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Marty,
Not sure when in May you'll be going to Cordova, but there's lots to see/photograph there - between the raindrops :-(. While living there, we had 21" in 24 hours and 10" per day is not uncommon in the fall. April/May are the driest months.
Usually in the first week of May, Cordova holds a Shorebird Festival, which is why the Copper River Delta is often called the land of millions of heart beats. Here's a link to the Chamber of Commerce talking of the Festival and local accommodations etc. http://cordovachamber.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=131
The shorebirds hit Hartney Bay real well. Its about 10 miles out of Cordova. Taking a bucket to sit on out on the beach at low tide and letting the rising tide push the birds to you usually works really well.
Milo Bircham is a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service at Cordova and a contact with him will help you a lot. He's a contributor to Naturescapes and a great photographer. Here's a link to his web site and contact info http://miloburcham.com/home.html.
As for things to do/photo etc. the Copper River Highway is a good road and goes 50 miles to the Million Dollar Bridge - use to be able to go a bit past the Bridge, but not much past there. Childs Glacier comes into the Copper River just below the Bridge and is usually actively calving as the river rises etc. Lots of calving scenes in moves taken from there.
The Highway goes through a lot of wetlands area and moose and bear are sometimes seen, especially early in the morning. Along with the shorebirds, Trumpeter Swans and Dusky Canadian Geese are showing up. Geese and Swans nest at several places on the Delta. A small pond along the road at about 19/20 mile use to have Swans and another pair often used the ponds at mile 32.
The Alaganik Slough road at about mile 17 leads to a boat ramp and a boardwalk with a bird viewing/photography blind - if it's still there. As the Cordova Ranger District folks or Milo. The road to the ramp goes through more moose and wetlands habitat, and the USFS has put some nesting islands for the Dusky Geese in some ponds along the road.
At mile 21 there is a boat ramp/ picnic area right at the Alaganik bridge. To the west of the picnic area is a bluff and steep trail to an overlook that is an old Shawman's vision quest site. There is also a trail to a great overlook at about mile 15/16 (put in after I left Cordova)
At mile 19 there is a trail to McKinley Lake. Not a lot up at the Lake but there is also a USFS rental cabin just off the road at an old trailhead and another cabin up at the Lake. Staying in a cabin on the Delta is a lot of fun.
Other hiking includes the trail up Power Creek, which also has a nice cabin up in the valley above Power Creek Falls, which are nice, but hard to find a good photo spot. The Valley is really beautiful. This trail is alos part of a loop trail that ties in with the Crater Lake trail which has a trailhead near the Cordova small plan landing field/seaplane base.
For boating, there are several Charter services shown on the Chamber site above for the Shorebird Festival. If you go boating, ask them how the halibut fishing is. I've caught some over 100 pounds just out of Cordova. Also ask about the sea otter population/location and young otters (may usually has lots of mom's carrying their young on their bellies.
I've mentioned U.S. Forest Service rental cabins. There are also fly-in cabins on the outer beaches of Hawkins, and Montague Islands that are good for photography and great for beach combing in the spring. If that's interesting to you, I'd recommend the Hook Point cabin, which is the closest to Cordova.
Not sure what else I can offer, and know that Milo will have a lot better info than I have. So wish you the best. Leo
http://www.akwildlife.com
Fellow Member International League of Conservation Photographers, North American Nature Photographers, Past President of Friends of McNeil River
 

by Tim Grams on Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:12 am
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One of the bridges over the Copper River washed out last year so you can no longer drive out to the Million Dollar Bridge. The hiking will be limited in early May due to the snow but will be better later in the month. Another very cool thing to consider is spending a few days out at the lighthouse on Kayak Island. You'd have to hire an air taxi to get you there. There are usually sea lions hauled out on the beach and you can reach a very long, exposed beach which offer world class beach combing.
Tim
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by milosphotos on Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:13 pm
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I just noticed this post. There are lots of great photo opportunities here and the Shorebird Festival the first weekend in May is certainly a highlight. Be prepared for everything that mother nature can dish out, but if you come prepared, this place has a lot to offer. PM me with specific questions and I would be happy to help.
Milo Burcham
Cordova, Alaska
http://www.milosphotos.com
 

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