Alaska Photography Tours: - Skolai Pass Basecamp and Photography trip:
Trip outline:
* A fantastic scenic drive through the Chugach Mountains, then down the Richardson Highway, with classic views of the Wrangell Mountains.
* 2 Bush flights into and out of the backcountry, deep in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.
* 6 nights camped in Skolai Pass, with stunning views of towering snow-capped mountains, vast glaciers and open alpine tundra, in all directions.
* A range of wildlife opportunities, including grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep and more.
* An afternoon at the historic mining town of Kennicott, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.
This is truly one of the grandest destinations in Alaska, with fantastic opportunities for landscape and wildlife photography. We'll have beautiful campsites, great hiking, and scenery without par. We offer this trip as a fully-outfitted and catered trip, all gear and food provided, or a discount rate for those folks who will bring their own gear and food. Call or email us to start planning your backcountry photo tour.
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Visit and photograph Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, largest national park in the US, an internationally protected World Heritage Site, home to 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the US, the largest subpolar icefield in the world, the largest collection of glaciers on the continent, and the premier mountain wilderness in North America. On this trip, we spend 5 nights in the backcountry photographing one of the most beautiful places in Alaska; Skolai Pass. We'll fly in to the backcountry, do a short hike to our campsite, and then spend our time photographing the landscape. We'll probably move camp once during this week, to allow us more opportunities to shoot some of the scenery on the southern end of the Pass, towards Russell Glacier and the University Ranges, with 2 peaks over 15 000'.
This trip starts in Anchorage, and we depart early for the scenic drive to Wrangell - St. Elias National Park. Travelling along the northern edge of the Chugach Mountain Range, and then south along the Copper River Valley, we should have great views of Mt Drum, Mt Wrangell, Mt Sanford and Mt Blackburn, all of which are ice and snow-capped peaks that tower over their surroundings.
We spend the first night in McCarthy, before flying out in a small bush plane for the backcountry landing strip at Skolai Pass. A short hike takes us to our campsite on the tundra, and then we'll have lunch and head off for the afternoon for some photography.
From here, we spend the following 6 nights in and around Skolai Pass, photographing some of the grandest scenery in Alaska. We'll get up close and personal with Russell Glacier, visit Hole in the Wall, photograph Castle Mountain, hike over into the Chittistone Valley with it's sweeping views, as well as the Nizina Drainage and the eastern edge of the Alaska Range, including Mt Frederick
Wildlife are usually present in the area, and photography of grizzly bears, red fox, Dall sheep and caribou, as well as an array of birds, including shorebirds like Wandering Tattlers and Semipalmated Plovers, as well as raptors like the golden eagle and peregrine falcon is often possible.
We'll spend time during the day hiking and exploring the area for potential images, as well as resting so we're wide awake to shoot during the hours of good light - in Alaska during the summer, that can mean photography in the the midnight hours. On our final morning, we'll take some photos, return to camp and get packed to await our pilot's return for the pickup, then fly back to McCarthy for breakfast and a shower at Ma Johnson's hotel. Then we can catch a shuttle up to the small historic town of Kennicott, where we can explore and photograph the old buildings and machinery left behind from the days of the copper mining. For the adventurous, we can hike out onto the Root Glacier. We'll stay the night in our cabins in McCarthy, then have a quick breakfast and take the drive back to Anchorage on our final day. If the weather is in our favor, it is well worth taking a sight seeing flight around Mt. Blackburn for some aerial photography, with the potential for some truly spectacular views of the mountain range.
For more information, send us an email or give us a call: (770) 952 4549.
| Trip
dates: |
July 17 - 25, 2009 &
Sept 05 - 12, 2009. |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Trip Highlights: |
Unparallelled scenery, mountains, glaciers, gorgeous light, wildlife and the potential for some spectacular photography. |
| Trip Price: |
Fully outfitted: $2100.00
Bring Your Own Gear/Food: $1700.00 |
"My trip with Alaskan Alpine Treks in Wrangell St. Elias National Park was an absolutely phenomenal experience. It challenged me not only physically but mentally and gave me a much deeper appreciation for our planet. As I look back almost 6 months after my trip I can still say it far exceeded every expectation I had about the trip and look forward to hopefully returning next Summer .. the stunning beauty of the Wrangell mountains is something I won't forget. Once again I was able to see and appreciate how small we are in the universe.
Carl was extremely helpful to all in the group and very knowledgeable about the Wrangell - St. Elias range. He is really one of the more genuine people I've yet met. His passion for the environment and the Wrangells in particular was very infectious. He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful to all members of our group. You really got a sense that Carl would be out there regardless of whether we were there or not. I feel lucky to have had a guide like Carl out there with us. " -- Rob Boal, San Francisco, CA.
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