Category: Alaska Wildlife

• Alaska Big Five on May 5, 2024

  

  We began our drive to Teklanika at 6 am, hoping to see wildlife. The day surpassed all expectations! The only easy wildlife siting was our first view of the large grizzly bear walking right down the road.  We stopped and turned off the car, and he just kept getting closer and closer!  About the time we…

  Melissa Rudacille

  May 5, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Wildlife

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Caribou, Denali National Park, Grizzly Bear, Ptarmigan, Teklanika River, Wolf

• Denali, Susitna River, and Fairbanks

  

  While it is warming up fast, much of interior Alaska’s infrastructure is closed for another month or more.  The George Parks Highway is open pavement, but most rest areas and overlooks to the side of the road haven’t been cleared.  Many people before us had trudged thru the snow to this viewpoint of the Alaska…

  Melissa Rudacille

  May 3, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, When to travel to Alaska

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, break-up, Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, Denali, Denali Highway, Denali National Park, Migration, moose photos, Trumpeter Swans

• Two Days in Palmer

  

  While C was in training, I explored the Palmer area.  He joined me on a trip to Reflections Lake after work  today.  Altogether, I saw 9 Moose, 4 Sandhill Cranes, 3 Bald Eagles, 2 Northern Harriers, 2 Merganser couples, 2 Trumpeter Swan couples, and a Ruffed Grouse. Palmer has an excellent visitor center/museum, though it…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 24, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Wildlife

  Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, Migration, Palmer, Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swans

• Denali and Wildlife,  Healy Week One 2024

  

  We have been back in Healy one week and have gone into Denali as far as Mountain Vista 3 times.  We saw The Mountain (and lots of beautiful lesser mountains).  Yesterday we watched a mostly white Ptarmagin walk along a gravel bar, and saw a moose grazing then lie down.   Today we saw fresh tracks…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 20, 2024

  Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Life in Alaska, Wildlife

  Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, Denali, Denali National Park, healy, Ptarmigan

• Day 10, Arrived in Healy April 13

  

  The forecast and rumors led us to believe we would have bad weather and sketchy roads today, but once again our luck held.  While we woke to a dusting of new snow and had a few flurries on the drive, the roads were great until the last 2 miles and passable right to our door.…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 13, 2024

  Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Travel to and from Alaska, Wildlife

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, healy, Migration, spring road trip, winter road trip

• Day 6, Alaska Highway

  We finished Alberta today, and shortly after entering British Columbia, we started the Alaska (Alcan) Highway.  I saw 2 Trumpeter (or Tundra?) Swans flying in Alberta as C was napping while I drove.  We have about 1600 miles remaining to Healy, Alaska. We planned to take a photo at the famous Alaska Highway sign in…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 9, 2024

  Alaska Wildlife, Travel to and from Alaska, Wildlife

  Alcan Highway, Kiskatinaw Bridge, spring road trip, Trumpeter Swans

• Alaska in July

  

  I had an incredible July in 2023. In June I was still figuring out how to best visit Denali National Park and see the wildlife there. August was focused on fishing. July was my best wildlife viewing, the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, lots of wildflowers, and the beginning of berries and fishing. Before pondering the…

  Melissa Rudacille

  March 1, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, When to travel to Alaska

  Alaska weather, Alaska Wildlife, Denali National Park, fishing, when to visit Alaska

• Alaska in June

  

  If you love moose calves, June is a great month to visit Alaska. Spend several days visiting Denali National Park in June and you are almost guaranteed to see moose calves with their mothers. Click the links for additional moose calf photos in earlier posts: https://roaming-nature.com/2023/06/08/wildlife-babies-iii/ https://roaming-nature.com/2023/05/30/wildlife-babies-ii-denali-national-park/ In Interior Alaska snow will be gone from…

  Melissa Rudacille

  February 16, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, When to travel to Alaska

  alaska, Alaska weather, Alaska Wildlife, daylight, Denali, Denali National Park, moose photos, travel

• Alaska in August

  

  C and I think August is the best month for sportfishing as we enjoy fishing for silver salmon (coho).  https://roaming-nature.com/2023/08/15/long-weekend-with-coho-count/  If you want to fish and visit Denali National Park, spend several days (or more) in Southern Alaska to fish, then head north for several days (or more) in Denali. We ate a lot of salmon…

  Melissa Rudacille

  January 20, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Camping in Alaska, Fishing in Alaska, When to travel to Alaska

  alaska, Alaska weather, Alaska Wildlife, coho salmon, Denali National Park, fishing, foraging, moose photos, when to visit Alaska

• Day 5, Valdez to Beaver Creek, YT

  

  We were on the Alcan Highway by mid-afternoon and are in Canada tonight. We drove in sun, snow, rain and clouds. The snow wasn’t sticking, so road conditions were much better than our March trip to Alaska. We saw a lot of swans. The white adults were always in pairs with 2 per pond. The…

  Melissa Rudacille

  September 25, 2023

  Alaska Wildlife, Travel to and from Alaska

  Alaska weather, Alaska Wildlife, Alcan Highway, fall road trip, Trumpeter Swans