Frequently Asked Questions

We understand your itinerary is probably packed with exciting adventures while you are in Alaska.

ONLY our Denali Photo Excursion can be booked at a custom start time. 

ALL of our tour offerings (Denali Photo Excursion, Midnight Sun Photo Excursion & Backcountry Photo Excursion) CAN be booked Privately.

Click here for more details.

Of course you can. Tours canceled with at least 3 days notice will be fully refunded.

Actual weather conditions vary greatly from weather forecasts and conditions change rapidly in Denali. Storms move in and out very quickly and the weather is likely to change several times over the duration of your tour. This can be really exciting and can provide some great opportunities for cloudscapes and dynamic lighting on the mountain range.

Mountain weather changes fast – we sometimes have clouds, storms, low visibility, while other days are clear blue skies or offer dramatic sunset colors. The conditions from day to day and even hour to hour are out of our control, however our guides are experts at reading the conditions and will bring you to the best possible locations for the conditions you are experiencing. There is always something to gain from going out, especially for beginners who are looking to learn how to use their gear and better understand exposure. Shooting in challenging weather helps us grow as photographers – some of the best images are captured in the dramatic light on the edge of a storm, or after a rain-storm has moved through.

We rarely need to cancel due to weather, but in the case of a weather cancellation, participants who cannot reschedule will receive a full refund. Weather cancellations are at the discretion of Denali Photo Guides. We do not make decisions based on weather more than one day in advance of the tour, and we usually cannot make the call until right before the tour starts. Typically, your guide will meet you at the start of the tour to discuss the current conditions, your skill level & expectations, and determine the best option for each guest. Safety and quality of experience are our top priorities.

We recommend that you ignore forecasts and weather apps. There are very few weather stations in our area and many microclimates which makes predicting the weather very difficult. It may be cloudy and rainy at your lodge and completely different at the locations where we will go to photograph.

Denali is in a remote part of Alaska and there are only a couple of roads available for tours. Most tours travel roughly the same route but each one may make different stops depending on the lighting and weather conditions. If you book multiple tours, we will do our best to take you to different spots, but some stops will be the same. We are also fairly lenient with our reservations policy. We want to you to have a great experience, so if the weather turns bad for your second tour, we will reschedule or offer a refund. If you want more than our standard tours offer, consider booking a private tour so we can take you to more locations without repeating anything. 

Supporting your loved one’s passion? We get it! We have found that people who are not photography enthusiasts still really enjoy our excursions because it is a way to experience more of the beauty of Denali. However, due to our limited seats available, we are not able to offer a reduced companion fare or for anyone to ride along for free.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: In most cases, we can accommodate limited mobility. Individuals requiring wheelchairs can take this tour if they are able to get in and out of the truck at least once (at pick-up and drop-off) either on their own or with assistance from a companion. Guides may not be able to provide assistance. Please let us know your specific needs before booking so that we can make sure this tour is suitable for you.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: Please contact us so we can determine if this is an appropriate trip for you.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: There is no minimum to book, but we do have a two-person minimum for a tour to run. If in the rare case the minimum is not met one day prior to the reservation, we will try to reschedule or issue a refund.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: There is no minimum to book, but we do have a two-person minimum for a tour to run.

All tours have a maximum of 4 guests and a minimum of 2. With such a small group, almost every tour is essentially a private tour experience.

Perfect! Our guides will help you better understand your camera and teach you simple techniques that you’ll be able to use for years to come on any camera.

The scale of Alaska is massive and due to limited road access, we are still miles from the mountains themselves. Wide angle lenses (12-24 mm) typically used for landscape photography can almost be too wide. A lens in the range of 24-105 mm is ideal for the Alaskan landscape and a telephoto lens (200-500 mm) is ideal for wildlife, as sightings can be close or quite far away. We do have DSLR bodies and 28-405 mm zoom lenses available to rent for use during the during. See our gear page for more information and recommendations.

Yes!  The best camera is the one you have. No matter what camera you have or your experience level, our guides are here to work with you and your own gear.

Yes! We offer DSLR cameras with zoom lenses to rent for use during the tour. This includes a memory card which you can keep afterwards.

Please set up your rental with us ahead of your tour.

We do not rent cameras or lenses for use outside of our tour.

We allow drones on the Backcountry Photo Excursions and private tours. Drone photography is not allowed on the Denali Photo Excursion or the Midnight Sun Photo Excursion unless booked privately.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: The activity level is easy. Your guide will do the driving and stop at several locations to get out and shoot pictures. You have the option to walk on the landscape if desired. There are no trails. Comfortable shoes are recommended.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions : Activity level is moderate. You will be flown with your guide and land on the rolling tundra of the Alaska Range where you will photograph with your guide for 2+ hours. There are no trails, and the tundra is uneven terrain which can be challenging. Comfortable and supportive shoes are recommended. Please be prepared, there will not be comfortable places to sit for the duration of the excursion and the helicopter may be challenging to get in and out of.

All tours are between 3-3.5 hours. 

Denali Photo Excursions: Tours are approximately 3 to 3.5 hours from pick-up to drop-off. Your tour begins as soon as you are picked up at your hotel and your guide will answer questions and start giving you tips and pointers on the way to the first location.

Midnight Sun tours: Tours are approximately 3.5-4 hours from pick-up to drop-off. Your tour begins as soon as you are picked up at your hotel and your guide will answer questions and start giving you tips and pointers on the way to the first location.

Backcountry Excursions: Excursions are approximately 3 to 3.5 hours from pick up to drop off. You will be picked up from your hotel and report to the private heliport 45 minutes prior to the start of the tour for a safety briefing for the helicopter. Once you take off, you will be out for 2 hours and 20 minutes in the backcountry including flight time.

We will pick you up! If you are staying at any of the Denali area hotels, your guide will pick you up outside the main lobby. If you are staying in Healy, we ask that you drive to McKinley Chalet Resort, park, and we’ll pick you up outside the lobby. We will confirm pick-up location and time with you upon booking. 

For all Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: Weather can change quickly in Denali so bring an extra layer and a raincoat. Comfortable shoes are recommended – there may be some walking on variable terrain if desired. Don’t forget your camera, lenses, and extra battery! We provide tripods, polarizing filters, and graduated neutral density filters.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: This excursion is in more exposed terrain at higher elevation. Weather can change quickly in Denali. Bring an extra layer to insulate and protect from wind, a hat, gloves, and a raincoat. Comfortable shoes are recommended – there is walking on variable terrain. Don’t forget your camera, lenses, and extra battery! We provide tripods, polarizing filters, and graduated neutral density filters.

We encourage you to bring water with you in a reusable container. We do have bottled water and snacks available.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: There are limited opportunities to use a bathroom on the tour, however there are many “facili-trees” that you can use at any time. We do not have scheduled stops for bathroom breaks but we will stop if needed. There is a gas station and a coffee shop that could be used after the first 40 minutes to an hour and again in the last 40 minutes. The bushes are always an option and we carry toilet paper, trash bags, wipes, and hand sanitizer in all of our trucks.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: Once we are in the backcountry, there will be no facilities for 2 + hrs. Your guide will have toilet paper, trash bags, wipes, and hand sanitizer should you need it. You will have the opportunity to use the restroom before getting on the helicopter.

No, but you will spend considerable time standing outside. On the Denali Photo Excursion and Midnight Sun Photo Excursion, your guide will drive you to several locations where you will get out to shoot. You may walk a short distance if desired or stay near the vehicle.

On the Bacounty Photo Excursion, you will fly to a mountain tip and you will want to explore the area by walking and hiking. The terrain is uneven and steep. You will be in one location for the whole time and the helicopter will pick you up where it dropped you off.

This tour has been created by photographers for photographers. We have curated our tour times to take advantage of the light so any tour time is going to offer great photographic opportunities. Our far north location is truly special. Thanks to the lower angle of the sun, summer in Denali offers good light around the clock, as opposed to locations in lower latitudes where afternoon light may be harsh and challenging. The light in Denali during summer is a photographer’s dream.

Don’t take our word for it – The number one thing that our guests say about our tour is that they wish they had taken it at the beginning of their trip regardless of the time of day. That way they would be prepared to capture their adventures in the park and during their other experiences in Alaska. Our guides make the most out of the conditions and you will learn a lot and have a great time no matter what time of day or season.

Yes, sunrise offers spectacular lighting for landscape photography. However, sunrise in Denali during May, June, and July occurs between 3:30 am and 5:00 am. If you would like to take a tour during this time, you would need to book a private tour. Click here to submit a request.

All tours have a maximum of 4 guests and a minimum of 2. With such a small group, almost every tour is essentially a private tour experience.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: The activity level is easy. Your guide will do the driving and stop at several locations to get out and shoot pictures. You have the option to walk on the landscape if desired. There are no trails. Comfortable shoes are recommended.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions : Activity level is moderate. You will be flown with your guide and land on the rolling tundra of the Alaska Range where you will photograph with your guide for 2+ hours. There are no trails, and the tundra is uneven terrain which can be challenging. Comfortable and supportive shoes are recommended. Please be prepared, there will not be comfortable places to sit for the duration of the excursion and the helicopter may be challenging to get in and out of.

All tours are mainly focused on landscape photography. Our guides do their best to find wildlife on every tour, but wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. Many guests will see moose and sometimes they are very close.

While Denali is frequently marketed as a wildlife-viewing mecca, it is important to keep perspective and have realistic expectations. Denali National Park includes six million acres of wild land, and there are only about 300 grizzly bears and 2500 moose spread across that entire area.

The best way to see wildlife is to cover a lot of ground over a long period of time – which is best accomplished by taking a bus tour into Denali National Park. We recommend taking a photo tour before you go on the bus tour so that you can acquire the skills you need to photograph the animals and beautiful scenery.

We highly recommend the green transit bus for photographers. On this bus you have the option to get off when and where you want, then flag down another green bus heading in your direction when you want to continue. The other option is the tan tour bus, which costs much more and you cannot get off except at designated rest stops.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: This tour focuses more on the expansive, rugged backcountry landscape of the Alaska Range. Wildlife sightings are limited on this tour.

“The Mountain,” as it is commonly referred to by locals, is officially known as Denali, and previously known as Mt. McKinley. Standing at 20,310 feet high, it is the tallest mountain in North America. As such, it has a way of creating its own weather and is often shrouded in clouds. The average visitor to Denali only has a 30% chance of seeing any part of the mountain.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: In addition to the weather, the location of the roads in relation to the mountain also makes it difficult to see. There are 90 miles of other mountains between the highway and Denali, so you can only see it if you drive to particular locations on the highway (or take a flightseeing tour above the range). If the mountain is out, your guide will take you to the best locations to see and photograph it.

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: From where we will be dropped off there are 360 degree views of the Alaska Range and if the weather is clear, this includes Denali. We cannot guarantee visibility of the mountain.

For Denali Photo Excursions & Midnight Sun Photo Excursions: The park does not allow commercially guided trips so our tour travels on the edge of the park boundaries and into a nearby wilderness area via the Denali Highway, which offers equally stunning vistas as the park road. 

For Backcountry Photo Excursions: We will be on the eastern boundary of the national park where we have 360 degree views of the Alaska Range, including the park and Mt. Denali if the weather is clear.

Temperature, time of day, amount of wind and general weather conditions all factor into how many mosquitos will be out. As guides, we always wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect ourselves from bites. In locations where the bugs find us and become a nuisance, then we will use bug spray sparingly on the outside of our clothing and hats. Guides carry bug spray, but if you are extra sensitive, we recommend bringing your own bug spray or wipes, and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect your skin.