Of all the tours we conduct and lead, autumn in Southcentral Alaska is my favorite! I get to showcase my backyard of 30+ years. There is simply so much to see here. As we first discovered in the fall of 1989 and is still true today, Southcentral Alaska is a hidden paradise of fall photography. We have miles of colorful forests, easy to reach untold miles of blazing tundra, glaciers and lots of lakes and waterways. On clear nights you are in peak aurora season with a wide variety of great foregrounds. The sheer scale of Alaska is just like no place else I’ve been to.
And the best part – no crowds.
Though tourism in the shoulder season in Alaska seems to grow a little each year, we NEVER see crowds or hordes of other photographers that is commonplace now in Colorado and other Rocky Mountain hot spots during fall colors. In General, Alaska has a lot more days with moody low clouds clinging to steep mountain sides than anywhere I’ve seen in the Rockies or Sierras for fall colors. The soft light and moodiness really bring out more details and colors in the autumn foliage than days with hard, full sun.
This year was no exception. We saw and photographed most of what Alaska has to offer such as big steep mountains with new snow, great fall colors both in the boreal forests of the lower elevations as well as in the tundra. I was pleasantly surprised, as were our participants, at how long the great tundra colors lasted. On our 2023 tour, we got an unusually heavy snow on the tundra that buried the colors but also created more visual interest on the mountain peaks.
Due to unforeseen maintenance delays we were unable to get out on to our favorite glacier, the Matanuska but here’s the thing: Alaska has more than one accessible glacier. I think we were all in awe at the shear expansiveness of tundra colors above the massive Knik Glacier where we went instead. Even though it was cloudy there were still magical photo ops.
In addition to accessible glaciers, a uniquely Alaskan landscape not found anymore in the lower 48 we had great shoots with tolerable moose right around Anchorage where the big bulls start pushing each other around ahead of the rut season. How convenient is that? Some big moose photography in the morning followed by coffee and a late breakfast 15 minutes later and with most of the day still ahead of us.
There is still space on our 2025 tour. Come join us for a quiet and relaxed tour full of colorful forests, tundra, rugged peaks, massive glacier landscapes with camaraderie and a creative spirit.
“This was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. First and foremost, Michael & Lauri are fantastic. Great hosts, knowledgeable and passionate about photography.
The sites we visited were amazing, the photos I got were simply incredible and the experience was even better than that.”
Charles L (Tustin, CA)