I spent two weeks in Alaska in September 2016 and did my best to see and photograph as much of the USA’s 49th, and biggest state, as time and road access would allow.
Alaska Is Huge.
Alaska is an absolutely massive state – the biggest in the US, by far, at an area of 663,300 mi² (Texas ranks second, with an area of 268,597 mi² – less than half that of Alaska). Most standard maps don’t really represent Alaska’s physical area well in comparison to the rest of the United States. It’s much easier to understand the hugeness of Alaska by overlaying it on the contiguous 48 states, like so:
The size of Alaska compared to the contiguous 48 states.
Alaska is Wild.
Not only is Alaska big, it’s also very wild, and many areas are not fully developed. Most of the state, aside from its southeast quadrant, is not at all accessible by road, and is only reachable by plane and/or boat. Alaska’s interstate system is shown on the map below in yellow.
Looks like a small portion of the state, but given the scale of Alaska, it’s still a huge area. I drove almost the entire interstate system in Alaska in my two weeks there, and put nearly 3000 miles on my rental car in that short time. I entered Alaska by car from Yukon province of Canada, and my route looked something like this:
Tok -> Anchorage/Girdwood -> Seward -> Homer -> Girdwood/Anchorage -> Denali State Park -> Denali National Park -> Fairbanks -> Glennallen -> Girdwood/Anchorage -> Whittier -> Anchorage
I knew very little about touring Alaska when I arrived, but quickly found that Alaska.org has solid information on just about everything a first-time visitor would need to know, from boat tours of the Kenai Fjords National Park to viewpoints of Denali, and tips on how to see the northern lights (aurora borealis). It’s a well-organized, easy to navigate site and I can’t recommend it enough.
Despite often rainy and overcast conditions, I did my best to shoot more or less every day I was out, and came back with a number of photos I’m quite happy with. Here they are, in date/time order.
Two Weeks in Alaska: Selected Photos
Autumn colors and mountains in eastern Alaska, on the Alaska-Canada Highway. East of Tok, Alaska.
“The Boy Who Became A Caribou” Alaskan folklore / legend. Tok, Alaska.
Ann, my roadtrip buddy for portions of the trip. Near Glennallen, Alaska.
Looking down on Girdwood, Alaska and the Turnagain Arm.
Norwegian Sun cruise ship in port in Seward, Alaska.
Kenai Fjords National Park. Near Seward, Alaska.
A helicopter flies near the edge of the massive Aialik Glacier, a tidewater glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.
Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park.
Steller sea lions sun themselves on a rock in Kenai Fjords National Park. Near Seward, Alaska.
Overlooking Harding Icefield, in Kenai Fjords National Park. Backpackers for scale.
A hiker wearing crampons walks on the Harding Icefield. Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.
Exit Glacier in heavy fog. Kenai Fjords National Park. Near Seward, Alaska.
Evening in Homer, Alaska, facing the mountains across Katchemak Bay. Homer, Alaska.
Overlooking the Homer Spit and Katchemak Bay. Homer, Alaska.
Buoys in Homer, Alaska.
A lone boat in Katchemak Bay in the afternoon. Homer, Alaska.
Katchemak Bay, viewed from the Homer Spit. Homer, Alaska.
Fishermen surrounded by gulls in Katchemak Bay. Homer, Alaska.
Playing fetch in the cold waters of Katchemak Bay. Homer, Alaska.
Homer, Alaska.
Homer Small Boat Harbor. Homer, Alaska.
Skilak Lake in Kenai Peninsula in autumn. Near Cooper Landing, Alaska.
Trees burned by a forest fire, reflected in a pond. Near Denali National Park, Alaska.
Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, comes out from behind cloud cover. Viewed from Denali State Park, Alaska.
A closer look at Denali.
Eerie fog obscures the mountains in Denali State Park.
The defunct and abandoned Igloo Hotel on the Alaska Parks Highway.
Snowy mountains in September in Denali National Park, near Savage River ranger station.
A park ranger shows the horn of a male Dall sheep to kids in Denali National Park.
Polychrome Overlook, at Mile 46 in Denali National Park.
Denali National Park.
Denali National Park, near Savage River ranger station (mile 15).
Aurora borealis activity and moon, as viewed from Fairbanks, Alaska.
Late afternoon at Chena Lakes in North Pole, Alaska.
Underground pedestrian tunnel in Whittier, Alaska.
Satellite dish in Whittier, Alaska.
Bulldozer in Whittier, Alaska.
Mountain stream in Whittier, Alaska.
Whittier, Alaska as viewed from its train tracks. The vast majority of the town’s ~200 residents live in the building deep left in frame.
“KIDS DON’T FLOAT” signage on a crate full of public use life vests in the marina of Whittier, Alaska.
I shot the majority of my trip with the following equipment:
- Nikon D610
- Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
- Nikkor 70-200mm f4G VR
- Ricoh GR
- Sirui T-1205X Carbon Fiber Tripod + Arca Swiss p0 ball head with a Really Right Stuff B2-40-LR-M6 Lever-release clamp.
- Mindshift Gear Backlight 26L backpack (new for this trip)
- batts, filters, cleaning supplies, etc.
See Matt’s Photo Gear List for Travel for more information on what photography gear I use and why.
Thanks for reading / viewing!
