Wow 2025 has started off amazingly! I took a trip to Alaska at the very beginning of January when my cousin, Monica, kindly asked if I wanted to go with her. She had vet courses to take and invited me on a cool winter journey. How could I say no at the opportunity to check out Alaska in winter and do some genuine dog sledding.
We did a couple hikes the first day to two very beautiful frozen waterfalls: South Fork Falls and Thunder Bird Falls. These are both very close to Anchorage and both are an easy hike to view the waterfalls. South Fork Falls is on private land and when we got to where Google said the trailhead was we were unsure of where it actually was. It was a round-a-bout dead end with a wooden fence that had a gate that looked like a private residence driveway and then there was a metal gate with "Private Property" signs everywhere. After asking another hiker who emerged they informed us we go through the metal gate and it's a short walk to the falls which is on private property but the land owners are kind enough to let people visit.
It was a cool winter wonderland to explore as we visited the bottom and the top of the waterfall. We also did a hike into the forest to see what else we could find before turning back to the round-a-bout.
The second one; Thunder Bird Falls. A bit of a longer walk but offered up gorgeous crystalized trees and snow in the valley. Everything was covered in white and was so peaceful. We enjoyed wandering around and checking out both areas.
South Fork Falls
DENALI National Park & Preserve
While my cousin attended her classes I explored. I checked the weather and decided to capture sunrise over the Denali mountain range driving in the dark and reaching the south view point by sunrise which was only at 10am (sunset at 4pm). Even though the view points were closed (something I did not know) I parked on the highway shoulder and hiked in. The view was spectacular!
Denali mountains just before the sunrise.
Denali mountains just as the sun hits the highest peak.
I watched in awe as the sun rose and colored the mountains with brilliant hues of pink and orange receding the hues of blue. Denali is the tallest peak in North America at 20,310 feet. It towers over the mountain range. I was excited to photograph the sunrise over the mountain range at such a wonderful viewpoint. I also discovered that the sun stays low closer to the horizon in Alaska in January and is only up for a few hours each day. It created a beautiful day filled with magical light that was a treat for me as a photographer. I left the south viewpoint and headed to the north one but it was even more difficult to park at and I decided to continue north to the park's entrance and visitor center. The highway follows the park's east side and you can look at mountains all the way north. I walked around the park area for a little while but knew I had to get back as the light was starting to set. Leaving the north part of Denali I drove the highway back stopping along the way taking photos of the natural forests and the setting sun. I reached the south view point again for sunset and captured a few shots. How different the light hits the mountains at sunset. I wish I had more time to explore but I will have to return to Denali again one day.
Denali National Park & Preserve Map
Happy Trails Kennel ~ Dog Sledding
One of the best parts of my trip was joining my cousin in some dog sledding fun. She was taking classes at the Happy Trails Kennel and we were staying on their property in a beautiful lake house. We did an afternoon of "Learn to Mush" where we each got our own dog sled and a team of three dogs. This was SO much fun! My dogs were Alan, Lentil and Matt and they are Alaskan Huskies bred and trained for dog sledding. All the dogs get super excited to go sledding as they howl and bark like crazy. I must admit I was more interested in taking pictures and videos with my iPhone than controlling my dogs LOL but they seemed to know the way. It was wonderful learning the commands and how to control the dog sled as well as venturing out onto the frozen lakes for an afternoon ride.
We also did a special full day dog sled with my cousin's classmates which was equally spectacular. This special day is only available once a year for the students so I felt very honored to join in the fun. This day we were teamed up so my cousin drove the sled and I sat in it which gave me amble opportunity to take more photos and videos. We went dog sledding for 15km to a special outdoor camp they had set up for us with a big fire, lots of food, drinks and good company. Martin Buser and Kathy Buser are the owners of the kennel and Martin is also a four time champion winner of the iconic Iditarod Race so he shared some great stories while we cooked our moose sausages around the fire pit. We hung out for a while visiting and eating while the dogs got a break too in the straw hay we all helped laid out for them. Then it was time to hook all the dogs back up and be on our way back to the kennel. Our dog sled had four dogs this time and they all seemed to want to pull in different directions LOL.
It was so beautiful dog sledding at sunset as the sun was going down creating gorgeous light across the landscape. The weather wasn't too cold either which made the journey very enjoyable. It was truly a unique adventure!
If you're ever in Alaska in winter near Anchorage or Big Lakes then you have to go dog sledding at the Happy Trails Kennel. You won't regret it! They are so knowledgeable, helpful and all around great people. Super friendly and fun. We really enjoyed our stay here as well and even got to cuddle some super cute puppies.
The next day I wandered around the area taking photos while my cousin was in class. It had rained (I know rain in January in Alaska who would have thought) the night before so we decided not to venture out in the car as the roads were pretty much black ice. She had the afternoon off so we then wandered around the area together and it worked out to be the perfectly as the sun was setting and the second half of her class were doing the "Learn to Mush" with their dog sleds and I was set up on a frozen lake that had a skiff of water on top creating a gorgeous reflection just as the dog sledding teams drove by. It made for unique and spectacular shots. Dog sledding over the water with the sunrise reflected. I was very excited!
After this we journeyed a bit more and then made our way as fast as we could back to Martin's house. His house is high up on a hill with a beautiful 360 degree view of all the mountains and valleys. Martin and Kathy were kind enough to let me take photos from their roof and this day the lighting was beautiful. Sunrise over the vast mountain range that seemed to stretch forever. We spent a while up there as I photographed the fading light. There were even a couple of army planes that flew around in circles probably enjoying the view as well.
I had visited some other places during my trip which included hiking up Little O'Malley Peak. It's a bunch of switch backs that scale up the mountain and are relatively easy but the day I went the weather turned into a snowy blizzard while I was hiking. I continued on until I came across a beautiful big moose on the trail. He didn't seem to mind me there as he was snacking on some branches so I spent an hour photographing him on the snowy windy mountain side until he decided to venture onward. Moose are so well adapted to harsh climates and he didn't seem to mind the wind or snow. After this I made my way back down to continue on exploring other areas like the coast.
The Seward highway that runs along the coastline was a wonderful drive. There are lots of pull outs for people to stop and take photos. I pretty much stopped at every pull out along the highway to Portage. It was really neat to see the sea ice flowing in the water of what's called "Turnagain Arm". I was able to catch sunset happening behind the Chugach National Forest mountains on the south side of Turnagain Arm and at it's beginning where it opens up to the ocean.
My cousin and I also ventured down this highway a different day but the weather was not cooperating as it was pouring rain. I know pouring rain in January in Alaska. We did not expect that on our trip LOL. Either way we still went all the way to Portage as we were going to do the ice cave but due to the weather we just decided to take pictures and see the views along the highway drive. There were a few small waterfalls that opened up due to the rain which was kind of cool. I was unsure if we were going to get sunset as it had been rainy and overcast but I still wanted to see the beach just in case so we made our way to Kincaid Park which is the point where Anchorage juts out into the ocean. It was a beautiful day at the beach with the ice and snow and very subtle sunrise LOL. My cousin made for a great model to show the scale of the landscape. I even got some shots of myself at the beach.
The trip was amazing and a real treat to start off 2025! Alaska is full of gorgeous mountains, vast landscapes, friendly people and special treasures. Even in the winter there are wonderful places to visit, experience and see. I hope you all have the chance to visit Alaska in winter and discover it's wonder.
