Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I always appreciate the help I receive here on the Hog. I thank you in advance for all that take time to offer some suggestions.
My daughter has booked an Alaskan cruise for the family for next May. While this was not high on my bucket list of places to visit, my wife said I would enjoy it. So far: We depart from Vancouver with our first stop in Ketchikan. There we have booked a visit to see lumberjacks and totem poles. Our second stop is Juneau, the third stop at Skagway, and ends in Anchorage. We have also booked a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway and a guided jeep tour of about four hours. While in Ketchikan I would like to see the waterfall the town is named after but don't know how accessible that is. I have a bum knee and a mile round-trip to view something is about all I can take. I'm sure a lot of you have done one of these cruises and some of you may live in the area between Ketchikan and Anchorage. My daughter also suggested for the benefit of my photography, I might want to stay an extra day in Anchorage if there is something worth visiting there. Thanks again for anyone with info they would like to share. One thing I know I do not want to do is take a side trip on a boat -- like whale watching. If I'm going to be on a boat for seven days, I would prefer not to get off one boat just to get on another one!

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

Ketchikan: Skip the shows. Take a flight or boat tour to the Misty Fjords National Monument!
Yes, the train ride at Skagway.
Juneau, be sure to go to Tracy Arm Fjord!
Anchorage, take a tour over to KATMAI National Park!!! Oh MY KATMAI!!! Wow it is beautiful! And/Or maybe Lake Clarke NP. The drive up to and in Denali NP, is definitely worth the time.
Too bad you won't be stopping at Wrangell, or a BUNCH of other places! You will need at least a month more to see much of what Alaska has to offer... Like the drive down to Valdez, Dalton Hwy, Homer, Seward, Haines, just for starters! We spent 1 month there the 1st time, 2 weeks the second time (in winter!). Still much to see, and want to go back. 1st trip was in May-June

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

Here are a little of what we saw there:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-481870-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-485529-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-482418-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-369602-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-482184-1.html
You will NOT see the aurora. It will probably be daylight most of the "night"!

ricardo00

"Worth visiting"? Not sure what type of photography you are into. There are several places near Anchorage where you can potentially find some wildlife? Like moose, birds, etc. Personally I am also not into cruises. I also have a bum knee but can walk a mile or so (with occasional stops). Potential places to go photograph near Anchorage are Kincaid Park, Potter Marsh, Powerline Pass, etc. Now if you are willing to go further and spend some money (and aren't afraid of flying in small planes), one can take a small plane to Lake Clark for example for a few hours of brown bear viewing, assuming it is running when you arrive in Anchorage (think it starts mid-May). Or other places.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Lake Clark is a little tougher to reach, the methods are by air or foot. You might not be able to see much in a single day, and the Farm Lodge has 2 busy, really busy, seasons, Tourist and Hunting.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

Since you are in that area, do a search here on UHH for... British Columbia/Seattle area has lots! In the state of Washington: Near Vancouver, in Washington state: Olympic National Park, North Cascades NP, Mt. Rainer; further south: Mount St. Helen. The 1st link is for 'drive up' waterfalls. And the rest are, well pretty much the same can be had!
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/hidden-waterfalls-in-wa/
https://www.reneeroaming.com/olympic-national-park-guide/
https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm
When we were on the Alaska Marine Highway, I spent almost(?!) all of my time outside on deck, taking photos. Ask the purser (head steward) if you can visit the bridge. If the Captain allows, it is pretty interesting.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Thanks for sharing your beautiful shots. I hope to come home with a few dozen of my own. If I get to see a bear/bears or moose, it will be worth the trip!

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I saw there was one preserve in Anchorage that had bears, moose, eagles elk, etc. It is a rescue operation for injured or abandoned wildlife. I would like to see that if the animals are in natural enclosures but have little interest in seeing them in cages.

ricardo00

If you want brown bears, definitely see if a day trip to Lake Clark is in "your budget". A few hours there is worth it.
And you can get lucky at Kincade Park for moose:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72157719581507224

Wkndr Loc: Sitka, Alaska

Things to remember is that between Ketchikan and Skagway you will be in a temperate rain forest, the Tongass. We get a lot of rainy, cloudy days, and when the sun is out it's fantastic! The pink and red (humpies and sockeye) salmon will not be running (going up rivers to spawn) in May so not much river activity...eagles, bears. Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway will most likely be very crowded with multiple tour ships in town. Logging used to be very big around here, but not any more. I'm guessing when you leave Ketchikan bound for Juneau you will go back out into the ocean and come back in at the south end of Chatham Straits, connecting into the Inside Passage. Back in the 60's you would see logged off areas all over the place. Now most of them can be seen as different color, younger trees. In Juneau if the weather is nice the helicopter tours of the glacier might interest you. The Mendenhall glacier has receded quite a bit since the visitor's center there was built, so the glacier is now viewed from quite a longer distance away (why I suggested the helicopter tour). I think you'll enjoy the train ride in Skagway, especially if the weather cooperates. Check online which side of the train to sit on as you will be traveling along side mountains. I think they said the left side going north. You can get online with Google Maps and street view to do some planning of what you'd like to see and do. Check the dates at the bottom in fine print in street view as some are old. As for camera gear? I have my own boat and we did a lot of camping and fishing on the weekends (thus "Wkndr", my 34' Tollycraft "Weekender") The only camera I ended up using was my Canon SX 50 HS (thanks to UHH). When you spot something, you gotta be quick. Hope this helps.
Alan
Sitka, AK

ricardo00

We did go to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and thought it was well done, don't think there were any animals in cages.

Fleckrc Loc: Lufkin, TX

I hope you take the time to visit Denali. You can take a train to the park and then buses through the park. Plenty of wildlife and of course the majestic Denali.

phildee Loc: Oceanside, NY

You’ve got it pretty well covered. Enjoy!

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

For more information, at the top of this page the click 'search' button. Enter " Alaska ", and you will find lots more inspiration!
Lake Clark and Katmi NP's are the best places to see Brown/Grizzly bears, in the wild. We flew over to Katmai NP, from Homer, AK. I allowed 3 days for that 1 hour flight (each way), due to the fact they are often cancelled due to wind! The 1st day/attempt was scrubbed for this reason. Several visitors from Germany missed going due to not allowing for this fact-of-life. We saw around a dozen Browns while in Katmai! The lead bear in the top photo is being 'chased away' from the female, by the trailing, older male.

When we flew into the Misty Fjords, there was a fellow tourist who had had his leg amputated! A little difficult to board the float plane, but he DID IT!

The best photos of AK, are from blacks2, who used to post to UHH. Search his posts in the search box above: " Alaska BlackS2 "

Katmai NP

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Katmai trio, the one in the middle is a female.

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Older/dominate male Brown bear, Katmai NP

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ricardo00

Not sure but if the distance is proportional to the cost, Lake Clark is closer to Anchorage than Katmai? So may be cheaper? And Lake Clark is also phenomenal:

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