Switch your camera out of automatic mode so you can manually set the exposure setting. Use a hand-held light meter, an ISO dial or an exposure compensation dial to set the camera to 1 – 2 stops of overexposure. Alternatively you can decrease the exposure to show added texture in the glacier and snow. Some cameras have a Cloudy setting that helps during the frequent cloudy winter days. Use your custom white balance mode on sunny days and point the camera at a patch of snow. This prevents a blue tint in your photographs.
Photograph the glacier using close-up, middle-distance and far-away images. Close-up photos show added details while far-away photos give you a perspective of the entire landscape.
Photography is an art that requires a broad skill set. Varying conditions must be taken into consideration when taking a photograph. One scenario you should be …
Enter Denali’s annual Road Lottery for a permit to travel farther along the Park Road by private vehicle. For several days in late September, Denali allows full park access to winners of the Road Lottery. Depending upon weather conditions, winners may then drive up to 85 miles into the interior of the park. Information on the Road Lottery can be obtained at the Wilderness Access Center. Permits are transferable, and are valid for one day only.
Plan your trip in the summer or early fall, as roads in Kenai Fjords and Denali are seasonal, and many close to visitors upon the arrival of first snow (usually in October or November).
Drive from the town of Seward along Seward Highway to Mile 3 and turn onto Herman Leirer / Exit Glacier Road. The road is paved throughout, and is accessible to any vehicle.
As a glacier moves through a V-shaped valley created by a river, it smashes through rocks, soil and vegetation, slowly rounding off its shape until it resembles a “U.” The rocks and soil are deposited along the sides and front of the valley in mounds called moraines. Chunks of ice in the rubble form depressions that eventually turn into lakes called kettle lakes.
A glacier is a giant, moving mass of ice created by years of snowfall. As glaciers slowly move across the land, they shape the landscape in a variety of ways.
A fjord is a steep-sided sea inlet that scientists believe formed when a glacier reached the coastal end of a valley and then retreated. After the glacier retreated the valley filled with water. Fjords can be more than 3,000 feet deep.
Operating since 1991, Alpine Air Alaska offers helicopter tours of Whiteout Glacier, Lake George Glacier, Colony Glacier and Lake George Valley. The one-hour Helicopter Glacier Landing Tour includes a landing on Colony Glacier. For a longer tour, Alpine Air offers the three-hour Columbia Glacier Tour, which travels to Prince William Sound and Columbia Glacier. This tour includes views of glacier pools and ice fields. Many of the helicopter tours require a two-person minimum. The company recommends making reservations at least one week in advance during the summer months and up until the day before during the winter months. Alpine Air Alaska is located in Girwood, Alaska; complimentary pick-up service within the Girwood area is available.
Helicopter tours of Alaskan glaciers include visits to Godman Glacier, Colony Glacier, Lake George Glacier and other well-known glaciers. Whether you’re interested in learning about environmental aspects of the glaciers, or participating in a walking tour on the glaciers, most companies provide helicopter tours that cater to a variety of interests. Some companies offer daily tours and include complimentary pick-up service from designated areas.