Tour Alaska for Travel and Photography

Alaska!

Join host April Bielefeldt as she shares some tips for traveling and photographing the SPINE OF ALASKA!

Alaska covers 663,268 square miles- ranked #1 in size of the states yet is number 48 in population- which puts Alaska in 50th place for population density! About half of the population lives within the Metro Area of Anchorage-

When you consider that Texas, Montana and California would all fit in the space of Alaska you might start to grasp its size.

I call my trip to Alaska= Land, Sea and Sky- or the Spine of ALASKA!

All these facts may not make much sense especially if you look at how popular Alaska is for travel-

As a photographer I tend to look at my destinations for the photo quality—my story with Alaska started out much the same- I saw an article about seeing the Northern Lights in September when it would not be as cold .. and the wheels started turning!

Places we will Visit:

Seward:

Situated on the Gulf of Alaska. Seward was named after William Seward a Secretary of State who fought for the purchase of Alaska from Russia.

Seward is the start of the historic Iditarod Trail which originally was created to transport goods from the Port of Seward to the interior of Alaska. On average Seward receives 10-12” of snow each of the winter months. It is a beautiful seaport with access to fresh fish and is popular with nature enthusiasts!

We will take a full day to explore the waters outside Seward, where we may see mountain goats, whales, puffins, and views of Bear Glacier.

Optional: FREE DAY in Seward- visit the Alaska Sea Life-

http://alaskasealife.org/

Also spend time wandering the Seward Harbor where you may see otters.

Unique fine art shops dot the small community and you have a quiet private balcony overlooking the harbor.

Seward also has some fine restaurants serving fresh fish.

Denali National Park: Denali is truly a more remote, more rugged experience. For those like myself who prefer to not be out hiking with the bears. The park offers various shuttle buses-these allow you to see more of the park past the first 15 miles. You can only take a private car the first 15 miles.

We will be spending a full day on one of the buses. A full day increases our odds of seeing the animals like bears, moose and others. Also you will get to experience more of the park. Otherwise your other option would be to sleep in or do some hiking on your own and meet us back at the Visitor Center at end of day.

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Night Skies- outside Fairbanks:

Our day will flip flop so to speak and we will head out about 9pm to get our cameras set to photograph the night sky-

IF the group is more casual photographers we will get ready to go out for a viewing a tad later-

Activities in Fairbanks may include a trip to University of Alaska Museum of the North- a beautiful place which really showcases the history of Fairbanks, its native peoples and early settlers lives.

Visiting a Reindeer ranch- some activities are weather dependent

Tips for capturing the Northern Lights:

If you don’t have a camera capable of capturing the Northern Lights you may want to consider renting a camera like a DSLR or one of the SONY mirror-less

Tripod is also required since you are going to have the shutter open for a bit

Wide fast lens-

Fast cards – any little bit can slow processing time which can keep you from capturing

Location- get out away from the City lights

Clothing to pack:

Fingerless gloves – check sites like www.Cabelas.com or www.rei.com wool is good but can be itchy – you may want thinsulate.

Base layer- for women or men- www.Cuddlduds.com  or www.rei.com are good options-

UnderArmour is another brand that makes good layering pieces

Over that wool- lightweight wool is an option.

Hiking boots can be good- for ankle support and to keep your feet warm.

Socks- Wool padded hiking socks are really worth it- they cost closer to $20 a pair but you feel the difference on your feet!

https://www.smartwool.com/

Finally a really good coat- you can get some of the Coat Systems like Columbia- some of the new coats have heat

Columbia Omni Heat- check www.Rei.com  or Cabelas.  You can often find some of the discontinued colors on the sale portions of most of these websites.

Also this link will rent you winter clothes which may be a great option if you don’t have a need for them otherwise!

http://www.6thavenueoutfitters.com

The Price of my Photo Tour includes all ground transportation in Alaska for planned activities, lodging for 7 nights- an extra night can be added on at the beginning or end, all snacks on board the van, all breakfasts, a guided boat tour out of Seward, one tour in Denali National Park and a guided Northern Lights outing, driver and portraits to take home!

Discounts available to previous clients

Contact me with  additional questions.

April@aprilart.com

1 thought on “Tour Alaska for Travel and Photography”

  1. I liked how your podcast recommends what clothes to bring on an Alaska trip, and your photo tour offers discounts to previous clients.

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