Alaska Photo Treks — Local services in Alaska

We got the 4-night pass with Alaska Photo Treks and ended up going out 3 nights. You will get picked up and dropped off at your hotel each time you go out. The website has a 3-day prediction of the likelihood of going out and you receive an email mid afternoon the day of confirming whether or not there will be a trip that night. Your destination is dependent on where clouds are forecast to be ABSENT, as it doesn't matter how strong the aurora is if there is a barrier preventing viewing.

We left Anchorage feeling fulfilled in terms of seeing the aurora. We saw it on every trip, with each one being better than the one before. Our first night was a small glimpse and not visible to my naked eye. The next night was better, and the final night was like a 4th of July fireworks display. If your goal is to see aurora, you have to give yourself enough time. You can't expect to go out on two successive nights and expect to see it, which I think is why many people return home disappointed. By giving ourselves a week, we maximized our chances and we left satisfied (we never went out on successive nights). It's important to choose a tour that travels. Do not lock yourself in to a fixed location because if that location has cloud cover, you will see nothing that night whereas a location 50 miles away could have prime viewing. As stated above, a key benefit of this tour is that they look to see where cloud cover is and where it won't be, and they go to the latter. I think that is critical to you achieving your goal of seeing aurora.

Thank you Carl and Amber for a trip that we will...

Had an amazing time on this tour! I enjoyed the communication before and after the tour. We were given the opportunity to cancel because of the lower possibility of viewing the aurora lights and I appreciated that. They gave plenty of explanation of why it may be harder to see and offered a refund or different day. They did need atleast 2 folks to go out to make the trip. I opted to go for the experience and I’m glad I did. Cory was our guide and he was phenomenal! It was me and three other people which I loved. It definitely got nippy at night and Cory left the van (which was very comfortable and nice) running in case we wanted to escape the cold. Cory provided us with plenty of information and awesome facts before and during the tour. We stopped on the way there to the bathroom and it’s about a 2 hour trip each way. We went to a couple different locations and at the last location, we were able to see the lights! It wasn’t super bright given the brightness of the moon however, much brighter when looking through your camera and taking photos. I actually used my iPhone 14 Pro Max and had great shots on night mode! Cory also took complimentary photos of us with his camera and made us hot chocolate and hot cider! Cory was incredibly kind, personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this...

I had the pleasures of doing a custom sunrise tour with Carl during our visit in Alaska. I am a beginner photographer looking to up my skills. Carl thru emails ascertain my goals and objectives and planned a 4 hour trip/tour based on this. I was picked up at my location on time. Carl provided fresh coffee (it was 530 in the morning!) and it was nice and hot. He also offered a variety of snacks if you choose to eat. We then headed off to 3 different planned locations, however on the drive he noticed a 4th spot (the mood/fog was just right). We worked on my composition skills, lighting, etc. We then went to gorgeous lake, fireweed fields and a waterfall. He was very patient and provided great tips. He also was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and plant life in the area and had good local tips. Unfortunately, I cannot post any of my photos until I get home as my SLR's card is not compatible with my computer. Overall, I really enjoyed this gift to myself and the tour. Not only did I get to "see" some really beautiful Alaskan sites, but also worked on my photography skills - a win-win - in my book! I will be in Alaska again next year and I am hoping to take one of his...