The Last Frontier

Grizzly bears, old-growth rain forest and state-sized glaciers are just a few of the photo opportunities in Alaska‚’s Chugach Mountains

By Tom Bol

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

Looking out the window of the small, red Super Cub, Alaska’s two-person version of an air taxi, I’m awed at the jagged, snowy peaks rising out of the dense, temperate rain forest. There are no roads, buildings or signs of humans—just mile after mile of thick green forest, turquoise lakes, alpine meadows and crevasse-laced glaciers. Having guided wilderness trips for years around the globe, I’m struggling to remember a location to match the raw beauty below. This pristine landscape consists of some of the most rugged mountains anywhere. Known as the Chugach Mountains, this Alaskan wilderness is an outdoor photographer’s paradise.

The Chugach Mountains, named after the Inuit people who lived in this area, stretch 300 miles from the St. Elias Mountains in the east to the head of Cook Inlet near Anchorage. Bordering the Gulf of Alaska, these jagged peaks get more snow than anywhere else in the world, more than 600 inches a year. This snowfall contributes to some 8,200 square miles of glacial ice, a quarter of Alaska’s total. Wildlife is abundant. Wolves, grizzly and black bears, moose and Dall sheep are regularly seen. Take a coastal trip on Prince William Sound bordering the Chugach Mountains and add humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, otters and more bald eagles than you can count to the list.

Horned Puffin, Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska

The good news for photographers is, despite the rugged nature and remoteness of the Chugach range, there are easily accessible areas to photograph close to the road. You can access many areas simply by flying into Anchorage, renting a car and spending a week or more visiting locations along the road system.

Photography in the 49th state can be a little tougher than in the "Outside" what Alaskans call the Lower 48. Summer temperatures are normally in the 60s during the day and 40s at night, and in winter, temps range from zero to the 20s. A huge bonus to photographing in Alaska during the summer is 20 hours of daylight, with hours of beautiful, warm twilight. Rain is always possible, so bring good rain gear and sturdy hiking shoes. Despite being famous for its mosquitoes, bugs are similar in quantity to many other areas outside of Alaska, although having bug repellent is a good idea. All of Alaska is bear country, so be alert when hiking, and make noise when traveling in low-visibility areas (yell "Hello, bear!"). You want to see the bears, but you don’t want to count their molar teeth. Surprising a bear, especially a sow and cubs, is dangerous.

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