Hey Guys,

Would late May/June be too early? I have gone to Yellowstone in Late May and found it virtually unpassable in several locations (I have also gone in March and had the exact opposite problem).

James

In mid May we have the shorebird festivals in Homer and Cordova. In mid May to June is when most babies are born here in Alaska. At that time we have 18-19 hours of daylight per day so you don't run out of light. Mid May to June are the months that you are least likely to have rain.

Thanks, David, for the information. If we are to go forward with Alaska, do you have ideas in terms of itinerary?

Thanks
James

Alaska is 3 times larger than Texas and 1/5 the size of USA. I have to ask: what do you want to photograph? With that answer I can direct you to where you want to go.

We have 57 species of land mammals, 18 species of marine mammals and 457 species of birds. We have more shoreline than the east coast, west coast and the carribean coast of the lower 48 States all added together. If you put Alaska on a map of the lower 48 States, the Alaska/Canadian border would be the East Coast, Western Alaska would be along the Mississippi River, Barrow (most Northern City) would be around Lake Erie and Ketchikan would be around Key West. The Aleutian Island chain would run clear out past Hawaii.

LOL, if I knew what I wanted to photograph, I would be able to say where I wanted to go!! I enjoy landscapes, but I am a wildlife guy at heart. I associate Alaska with bear - but obviously that is a very unfair association given Alaska's amazing abundance of wildlife.

James

The famous large bear concentrations at McNeil River, Brookes Falls or Silver Salmon Creek doesn't happen until July & August when the Sockeye Salmon runs up the rivers. For bear photography in May or June, I would go to Denali National Park. I would spend a week at Denali NP. Spend at least one night at Wonder Lake to get the "Wonder Lake with Denali in the background photo". You would have great chances of photographing Dall Sheep, Moose, Caribou, Bear, Beaver, Pika, etc. When I go to Denali, I take my 200 -400mm or my 600mm lenses for my long lens.

Hey David,

Thanks for the feedback. I am going to start googling some of these areas to look at them. Honestly, I am still not 100% sure what I want to do, but this is a really good start.

Tony, not sure if you will read this or not, but would you have a Glacier 'itinerary' for late May/early June?

James

Denali National Park That should get you started.

Hum, i dont know what happened to my reply, i wrote up a long winded explanation but I dont see it now. . .

basically, i said that spring, and june is spring here, is a good time for bears, some waterfowl, and whales in the ocean. That's about it. Antlered critters dont have much growth yet, horned animals look like they are sick because they are have not recovered from winter and all their air is falling out most in clumps. I'd say shoot for landscapes and a bear or two. Here in Glacier, you cant even be sure that logan pass will be open by that time, and even if it is, its going to be snowy and not much for flowers at that elevation. There are lots of lower elevation shots to take, but logan will be mostly white if it's open. . .