I love Alaska, with its expanses of wide open spaces, fabulous scenery, and superb wildlife diversity.  Beginning in late May I’ll be leading an Alaska tour for the Audubon Naturalist Society, working with ANS Executive Director Neal Fitzpatrick.  We’ve got a great itinerary featuring visits to an amazing variety of habitats.

    We begin in Fairbanks and head south past Denali to Wasilla, where we search for wildlife in the alpine at Hatcher Pass and on the waters of Lake Lucille.

    The journey continues with a visit to Denali National Park, named for North America’s highest peak, known variously as Mt. McKinley or by the name used by Alaska’s natives, Denali.  The high mountain is often hidden, but even Denali’s foothills (seen at bottom) are spectacular, rivaling the most scenic peaks of the lower 48.  Denali is home to a great variety of wildlife, and with luck we’ll see Dall Sheep, Grizzly Bear, Arctic Tern (below, left to right) and much more.

     The tour is sponsored by the Audubon Naturalist Society.  Visit the ANS website or call the ANS travel desk at (301) 652-9188 x11 to request the itinerary and registration packet, or drop me a note by e-mail.  If you contact me directly, be sure to include your mailing address and I’ll see that you receive these materials.

    Next we visit two scenic seaside towns, Seward and Valdez, with two full day boat tours plus a ferry ride through this magnificent coastal region. Highlights of this region include tidewater glaciers, marine mammals, and lots of coastal wildlife.

A Nature Travel Program sponsored by the Audubon Naturalist Society.

    We then visit a cozy lodge “off the beaten track,” Sheep Mountain Lodge (right), for an immersion into the wild beauty and natural wonders of Alaska, and a chance to see Northern Hawk-Owl, Pacific Loon, Trumpeter Swan, and Arctic Warbler, among others.