Alaska Winter Travel Photography Guide

Alaska is appropriately called the Great Land in the native language. It’s by far the largest state by area (more than twice the size of Texas) and therefore contains an abundance of landscapes and wildlife. Visitors to Alaska generally go in the summer because that is when most of the national parks are easy to access and the diverse wildlife is out and active. People making a trip in the winter are generally there for the Aurora Borealis which makes appearances from September to March. The purpose of this guide is to cover locations I visited during my winter trip and show you why, despite the harsh conditions, Alaska is not to be discounted as a winter landscape photography destination. I’ll be covering logistical advice as far as getting there and getting around as well as location specific details.

Logistics

Getting There

The two main airports in Alaska are in Anchorage to the south and Fairbanks in the center of the state. If you’re visiting strictly to see the auroras I would recommend flying straight to Fairbanks otherwise you can fly into Anchorage and make the 6 hour drive to Fairbanks later in your trip.

What to Wear

When you think of Alaska in the winter you probably think of the cold. In the dead of winter temperatures can easily reach -40 F but during my trip the average around Anchorage was 18 F and further north in Fairbanks between -5 and -10 F. Needless to say you should do your research on the appropriate attire but the general advice is to wear layers. I got by wearing a base, mid, and shell layer around Anchorage with a heavy duty parka and $200 gloves but in Fairbanks I had to add snow pants and ski mask as well especially on cold mornings and nights. Any exposed skin will begin to feel cold and burn within seconds or minutes so gloves are very important since you need dexterity with your camera gear.

Winter Pros/Cons

One benefit of visiting Alaska in the winter is that it’s low season. This means few crowds and lower prices on lodging and car rentals. On my trip I only saw a few other photographers on nights I was shooting the Auroras. There isn’t a lot of wildlife around unfortunately and I only saw some moose and even then they didn’t have their antlers which made them just look like very large cow-like animals, not very photogenic.

Getting Around

Driving in the snow can be challenging and for those unaccustomed to it I advise them to drive very carefully and to rent a 4x4 vehicle. Depending on the snowfall you will be slipping around a lot and when stopping, starting, or cornering so leaving enough room between you and other cars is important. Be sure to research techniques on getting out of a snowbank or tall snow because it can be inevitable that you get stuck at some point. I had pulled over to a pullout that hadn’t been plowed recently and even in my SUV the snow was too high for the tires to gain traction. Fortunately a snowplow driver happened to be driving by and he used a technique where he drove forwards and backwards a few times until there was some space to gain enough momentum to eventually reverse out of the snow. It can be very tempting to pull over just anywhere as you’re driving around because of all the epic views but take care to only pull over on designated marked areas (of which there are many) because as I found out in Denali I pulled over to what seemed like a solid shoulder but ended up being a 2 foot snow bank. The car slowly leaned into a 45 degree angle and I got lucky that a Park Ranger happened to be driving by and pulled me out. They said that had there been damage to the vehicle and if I would have needed a tow it can cost in the 2-3 thousand dollar range, quite an expensive hiccup.

In addition to the car advice I would recommend renting a pair of snowshoes for hiking because the snow can be several feet deep sometimes on trails and walking around with heavy camera gear can make it very difficult to get through. These can be rented fairly cheaply at places like REI and I believe I paid around $100 for the 10 days of my trip.

Where to Stay

Lodging is plentiful and on the cheap side in the winter. In Anchorage there weren’t any hostels open but the cheapest Airbnbs were in the $50/night range. In Fairbanks I did find a hostel and it was $35/night. There are more expensive options of course such as hotels and lodges if your budget allows for it.

Camera Gear Advice

An important note on dealing with the cold weather is how it affects your camera gear. In below freezing temps camera batteries do not at all behave normal and it’s common to have a fully charged battery last only a few minutes. Techniques to working with these issues are to keep your batteries as warm as possible before use by either putting them in a pocket possibly with one of those hand warmer bags or heating them on the car vent on the way to the location. Additionally you should not recharge the batteries right away when you return after a shoot because you risk overcharging them. Instead warm them up or wait for them to return to room temperature and you might find that they are still almost fully charged. Another tip when it comes to photographing these landscapes is lens choice. Some of my favorite photos from my trip were these close up detail shots of the light hitting the mountains or the snow blowing since there wasn’t always foreground interest available because of all the snow. Definitely bring a telephoto lens to obtain these kinds of shots.

Locations

This guide will be covering only locations I personally visited. In the winter many locations are inaccessible unless you have a snowmobile or only plowed until a certain point so in some ways your options are more limited compared to summer but with a little creativity there is an abundance of compositions to be found especially since you won’t be simply pulling up to a popular viewpoint where everyone gets the same shot. Be sure to check the websites for national parks and road conditions because sometimes things are closed due to recent snowfall or avalanches.

Seward Highway

This is a scenic 127 mile highway which runs mostly along the coast of the bay near Anchorage. The bay itself is a chunky mess of icebergs and some surface sheets of ice which make for interesting foreground for compositions. There are numerous pullouts along the road some of which you can walk down to the edge of the water. This is where caution must be taken because the tide rises and falls very quickly and although the water seems to be slow moving it’s very powerful and a fall into it can be fatal. You should also be careful when shooting close to the waters edge because the icebergs tend to accumulate on the land and it’s hard to tell where the land ends and the water begins so there is the danger of walking out onto the ice and falling through. All this aside the Seward Highway makes for great sunrise and sunset shoots depending on what portion of the road you’re in. I would recommend using an app like Photopills or Google Earth to determine the angle of the sun for the location you choose to set up in. This spot is also great for drone flying because it’s just outside of the Chugach National Forest.

Glenn Highway

Another one of my favorite scenic drives is Glenn Highway which heads east from Anchorage towards Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Here there also are numerous pullouts and amazing views of mountains and valleys. This highway is great for sunrise or sunset and as with Seward I would scout some locations earlier in the day and determine the angle of the sun for later.

Chugach National Forest

Eagle River Valley

This location is about 35 minutes from Anchorage and makes for a great sunrise spot. From the visitor center it’s a short 15-20 minute hike to 2 different viewing platforms. This might be a little tricky in the dark if you’re trying to make sunrise but the trail is fairly obvious. I would recommend shooting from the second platform because it’s bigger and offers a wider view of the valley and mountains. The river can be used as a leading line or you can pick off close up detail shots of the mountains with a telephoto lens.

Portage Lake/Glacier

About an hour and 10 minute drive from Anchorage is Portage Lake and Glacier. This spot is a little outside Chugach National Forest so you can fly drones here which I did to get some epic footage flying over the glacier at sunrise. There’s also an iconic tunnel here that leads to a small town called Whittier. The surface of the lake will look different depending on the time of year and snowfall because I have seen photos online of ice bubbles similar to the ones found on Abraham Lake in Banff. On my visit, however, the lake surface was snowed over. The hike to the glacier takes about an hour and snowshoes might be helpful depending on the snowfall. This location is very popular so I would recommend going for sunrise as you will most likely have it to yourself. Once you get to the bend where you can see the glacier it’s another short hike to get to the glacier itself but definitely worth doing because from the distance you really can’t tell how big it is. Shooting the glacier can be tricky because of the layout and so my favorite image was a closeup of the textures which reminded me of a frosty dessert.

Selfie Along Aklutna River — Selfie Along Eklutna River

Thunderbird Falls

Another location close to Anchorage is Thunderbird Falls which is about 30 minutes away. This spot is great for overcast days but don’t make the mistake I did and visit on a day when it is snowing or after there has been heavy snowfall. The waterfall will be frozen and if there has been recent snowfall it will cover the ice and you’ll be left photographing a snowy slope. It can be viewed from above on a viewing platform a short hike from the parking lot though the angle I think looks better is from the base in which case you have to hike down a steep hill to the left of the parking lot and follow along Eklutna River. Another thing to be aware of is the trail forks to the right which leads to Thunderbird Falls. If you miss this turn you will continue along the river which goes on for many miles. When I made this accidental detour I happened upon another unnamed frozen waterfall which actually made for better photos than Thunderbird Falls because it wasn’t covered in snow.

Detail Shot of Waterfall Along Eklutna River

Denali National Park

Probably the most well known of Alaska’s national parks, Denali is about 4 hours from Anchorage and 2 and a half hours from Fairbanks so if you’re not staying in the area it makes most sense to drive down from Fairbanks. The lodges near Denali were closed when I was there but I can’t confirm if it was because it was winter or whether it was covid related. The area surrounding the park is beautiful and mountainous and offers plenty of opportunities for compositions. This area is a preserve so unfortunately drone flying isn’t allowed even though it’s outside of the park. In the winter Denali National Park is only plowed until a certain point (usually Mountain River rest top at Mile 13) which you can check on their website for the current status. This means less options as far as trails but there’s still an abundance of opportunities. It was on this main road that I actually kept pulling over to take photos and then accidentally pulled over to where there was no shoulder and the car became stuck.

One of the two hikes I made on my visit was the Mount Healy Overlook Trail. I hiked this for sunset but what I didn’t take into consideration was how tiring it was to hike in the snow with all the camera gear even with the snowshoes on. The hike begins from the Taiga Trail at the visitor center and is supposed to take around an hour and 15 minutes but I would plan for a little longer considering that you want to arrive an hour before sunrise. There aren’t any views until you almost reach the summit and you will be hiking in the forest for most of it. Admittedly I didn’t make the whole hike because I was running out of time and so I stopped at the first viewpoint I encountered about 3 quarters of the way in. The trail is 2.7 miles each way and 1700ft of elevation gain so it is quite steep. The other hike I did was called Savage River Trail which I had intended on making for sunrise but due to my incident with the car getting stuck the sun had risen to a point where the lighting was too harsh and I can’t confirm whether the hike is worth it or not.

Murphy Dome

There are a few spots like Murphy Dome around Fairbanks that make for good Aurora watching because there’s little light pollution. This location is 40 minutes away and is up on a hill. While there isn’t light pollution from the city up here there is a telescope with lights on it that you will have to work around. At Murphy Dome you will most likely just get shots of the Aurora in the sky itself rather than any kind of interesting foreground subject. I visited this spot after my long drive from Anchorage and there was supposed to be a good Aurora forecast but I might have arrived too late after it had already faded away.

Castner Glacier

Two and a half hours southeast of Fairbanks is one of my favorite locations from the trip, Castner Glacier. The area surrounding the glacier is very photogenic and I spent a lot of time here. Google maps will take you to a small plowed parking lot near a bridge from which you make the 2.2 mile hike (45 minutes to an hour depending on the snowfall). I would recommend snowshoes here because although the beginning of the hike seems easy enough you will soon find yourself in as much as 3 feet of snow. Though quite remote the glacier is surprisingly popular so it would be best to get there early and avoid having to shoot around people. The glacier is actually an ice cave and very large and cavernous. The shot I envisioned and ended up taking used a fish eye lens to exaggerate the size of the cave as I walked in through the entrance for perspective. This is definitely a location that can’t be missed.

Delta Junction/Paxson

As mentioned the area surrounding Castner Glacier is very beautiful and is actually the same mountain range that continues west from Denali. The only difference is that this area isn’t a national park so you can fly drones here which I did with my FPV drones and got some very cool lines flying around the mountain. There are compositions to be found at sunrise and sunset depending on where you set up and I also shot the Auroras here using the mountains and valleys as my foreground. During the day it can be windy but if you continue driving around you will find small areas sheltered by the valleys and mountains.

Coldfoot/Airplane Tours

Coldfoot is essentially a truck stop about 6 hours north of Fairbanks. Why it appears to be the subject of tours is beyond me but I signed up for a “flightseeing tour” with a company called Alaska Tours which promised an “Alaska flightseeing opportunity to see the Yukon River, the Brooks Range, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline from the air”. What I was most interested in was seeing the Gates of the Arctic National Park because it is completely inaccessible by road. Of course when I arrived to check in I was told that the tour was actually a GROUND TOUR of Coldfoot (the truckstop) and the flight was just the transportation there. There would be no actual flight tour and we would not be seeing the Gates of the Arctic National Park despite it being mentioned on the website. By that time, of course, it was too late to cancel and I made the most of it. I shot photos of the mountain ranges visible from the plane but there was really nothing epic and the tour starts early enough in the day that there is no golden hour light even on the return trip. Needless to say the ground tour at Coldfoot was uninteresting and there weren't even opportunities to stop for photos except when we visited the pipeline. For $530 it was most definitely not worth it and ridiculously they don’t even throw in the lunch for free, the mediocre sandwich will cost you $15. In conclusion of this rant I would strongly advise anyone against booking this plane tour or any other prepackaged tour and it seems the only way to get some sort of aerial photography tour is to hire out a private pilot.

This guide is by no means an exhaustive list of locations in Alaska especially when you consider everything there is to see in the summer but I hope it has inspired you to consider making a visit to the beautiful great land of our northernmost state. Linked below I have posted the video version of this guide as well as the behind the scenes vlog of the trip and my drone travel film “Alyeska”.

About

Chris Crass is a landscape photographer and travel filmmaker whose passion for creativity draws from his jetsetting lifestyle. Born in San Francisco, growing up in Dominican Republic, and now living in Miami for the last 8 years he has always sought out new experiences in far flung and exotic places and cultures. This pursuit of adventure combined with a knack for the visual arts has culminated in the founding of Boss Talk Productions and bred an artistic style that showcases locations through a flattering lens and hopefully inspires viewers to embark on their own journeys.