Photography in Denali

If you are serious about photography Denali, don’t do what most visitor do.  Most people book a room at one of the hotels at the entrance of the park, and then spend a very long day sitting on a bus traveling through Denali, when the light is bad, and the animals are least active.

Camping

There are a number of better options.  If you are comfortable camping in a tent, considering staying at the Wonder Lake campground, or backpacking into the backcountry.  Beware, in late June through much of July the mosquitoes can be pretty bad, especially out West near Wonder Lake.  The biggest drawback to backpacking; it is much more difficult to carry extra photo gear, especially the big tripods and telephotos necessary for much of the wildlife.

Kantishna

If you are not comfortable roughing it, check out some of the Kantishna area lodges.  The Kantishna area consists of private in-holdings located well into the park; a couple of the lodges there even have Mt McKinley views.  This option allows you to break up the long drive, and puts you in one of the best parts of the Park.  They all seem to have good reputations, and look beautiful from the outside, but since I have not stayed at any of them, I really can’t make any recommendations.  The biggest drawback with staying in Kantishna, the lodges tend to be fairly expensive.

Denali Entrance and Savage

I think a great way to photograph in Alaska is with an RV, and it is also a great way for a photographer to experience Denali as well.  In Denali, the public is only allowed to drive the first 15 miles of the road.  Now I believe the best parts of Denali are beyond this stretch of road, but it can still be a productive area.  Over the years I have seen a number of moose and caribou, owls and ptarmigan in the first 15 miles.   I have also seen grizzly bears, fox and wolves, but they are much less likely.  The earlier in the morning, or the later at night you drive this road, the better the possibilities of seeing wildlife.  For this reason, I like to camp at the Savage Campground my first night; it is conveniently located about 13 miles into the Park.  In September this area can be very active during the moose rut.  I should add, although this area can be productive, I have also driven the first 15 miles many times without seeing a thing.

Teklanika

There is a way to drive an additional 15 miles into the Park, and that is to camp at Teklanika or “Tek” as it is commonly referred.  There are a number of advantages to camping at “Tek”.  You can now drive 30 miles into the Park, this still isn’t the most productive area, but if you get up early and drive before the buses, you never know what you might see.  On subsequent days when you do take the bus, you have now knocked 60 miles round trip off what can be a long day of bus riding.  The area around the Tek Campground is one of the more productive parts of the Park; I have watched many wolves, bears, moose, caribou and fox in the Teklanika riverbed adjacent to the campground.    I have even seen wolves walking right through the campground!  Because of the high wolf activity in the area, the last couple of years camping has been limited to hard-sided vehicles.  You will want to check with the Park Service, but I have a feeling the days of tent camping at Tek may be a thing of the past.

Tour Buses

Now when you stay at Tek, you can get a "Tek Pass".   The Tek Pass is a bus pass that will allow you to ride the bus as often as you want during your entire stay at Tek, and it costs less then some of the one day round trip passes.  I could write a separate article on riding the bus in Denali, but here are a few pointers.  Make sure you get off the bus and hike around.  Even if you aren’t comfortable in the backcountry, at the very least climb a small ridge or walk the road.  If your bus is crowded, watch for an empty one and switch.  At the turn-around point of Eielson or Wonder Lake, keep your eyes open for an empty bus, the more room you have, the easier the photography.  Generally speaking, the later in the day the better chances are of finding an un-crowded bus.  It is a treat when you do find a near empty bus, as you can shoot out the windows on either side.

Bikes

Another good way for getting around in Denali is with a mountain bike.  They have room for bikes on any of the camper buses.  Bikes allow you to cover a fair amount of ground quietly – we have come across wolves and other animals by traveling this way.  But the best part of using bikes, they enable you to travel the road when the buses and people aren’t out, and the best light and wildlife is.

The rest of Alaska

For more recommendations about Alaska, take a look at Where to Photograph in Alaska.