Fish Creek, a few miles north of Hyder, Alaska, is the prime salmon spawning stream in southeastern Alaska. In August and September, black bears and grizzlies head for Fish Creek to feast on spawning chum and sockeye salmon. To photograph black bears, grizzlies, and bald eagles, plus some of the most dramatically rugged landscapes you’ll ever see, there is no better place to visit than southeastern Alaska. Starting in Seattle, you can drive 900 miles to Hyder, Alaska, on paved roads in less than three days. The landscape photography in Hyder, Alaska, is as exciting as the wildlife photography. The road to the glaciers north of town is even more exciting than the Ice fields Parkway to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

In northeastern Pennsylvania, on the southern edge of the Appalachian Plateau, mountain streams have cut deep gorges through old-growth forests of pine, oaks, and hemlock  Fast-flowing cascades, (like the Delaware Falls above) drop a thousand feet down the Allegheny front in a series of dramatic waterfalls before they unite at the bottom and flow into the Susquehanna River. There, at Ricketts Glen State Park, is an overabundance of dramatic waterfalls, some as tall as ninety feet. In late April, most of this forest’s deciduous hardwoods have no foliage to block your view of the waterfalls. The vistas are not all monochromatic. Spring color is provided by ferns and moss growing on the walls of the glens and the many large evergreens–pines and hemlocks. In early spring, the streams are at their fullest and the falls are most dramatic. A loud and constant roar is heard. Through the middle of Summer, the bugs are at their worst and the trails are filled with tourists. The campgrounds are open and rental cabins are available for visitors. By Autumn, the summer crowds have gone, the falls have almost dried up, and the constant roar heard in the spring is gone. That’s when a 4-stop (1.2) neutral density filter is useful. With much longer exposures, a few small trickles multiply to give the appearance of more water flowing over the falls. The peak of autumn color usually arrives in this park around the middle of October on the birch, beech, cherry, maples, and oaks. The park is open through the Winter for cross country skiers, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and winter camping. The Falls Trail is closed by snow and ice through the winter.

After four days in the Tampa area, I headed north on US 19, up the Gulf Coast, looking for more wildlife refuges. A few, like Homosassa Springs, are worth a second look. Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, on the Gulf Coast, seventy-five miles north of Tampa, is a rehabilitation center for endangered West Indian manatees that have been orphaned or injured in the wild or have been born in captivity. In addition to all the manatees, there are shorebirds, pelicans, herons, storks, wild turkeys, cranes, and egrets, there’s a variety of hawks (above), owls, and bald eagles in natural-looking environments. There are native bobcats, black bears, otters, foxes, and most of the birds native to Florida. Most of these bird enclosures are close to the trails. Photographers using a 400mm telephoto can easily fill their viewfinders with tight head shots. Many of the enclosures are open, so you won’t be shooting through wire mesh or bars. After paying the entrance fee, you can explore the grounds all day, photographing at your own pace. Park rangers roaming the trails can answer your questions. Carry your longest telephoto  to capture close-ups of the birds and the alligators. A shorter lens, even a wide-angle, is necessary to photograph the large manatees through the windows in the underwater observatory. Use an extension cord or raise your flash head high enough to prevent problems with reflections on the underwater windows. Using a digital camera, you can double check your exposures and flash settings as you go. Get your hand stamped at the gate, and you can come and go all day. Park visitors can take a jungle cruise upriver to the source of the springs. There’s a cafe, a gift shop, and free parking in the paved lot. The park is just north of the small, historic fishing village of Homosassa, where lodging and restaurants can be found. For more information, do an Internet search for Homosassa Springs.

If you are traveling north or south on Interstate 5 take Exit 68 and drive east on Highway 12 to the town of Randal where you’ll turn south for 19 miles toHeading north or south on Washington Forest Road 25, watch for the sign marking Iron Creek Falls. It is across the road from a sign warning of the approaching junction of FR99. This spot is 19.5 miles south of the village of Randle. There’s a wide, unpaved parking area on the east side of the road. The trail to the falls drops a hundred feet down a long string of wooden steps. Iron Creek Falls shoots out through a notch in the black basalt cliff and falls thirty feet into the middle of a large pool. The dark cliff face makes an excellent background for the bright spray of water. There are several good tripod locations on the near side of the stream. To discover the only access to the eastern side of Mount St. Helens, continue driving south on Forest Road 25, and take the first right turn onto Forest Road 99. A large brown sign marks the turn onto this side road. For several miles, the road passes through lush, old growth red cedar and Douglas fir groves. This part of the forest was just far enough away from the volcano to survive the blast and the shock wave of hot gasses. The first marked turnoff at Bear Meadows, on the left side of FR99, offers an excellent view of Mount St. Helens in the distance, framed by Douglas firs. This is the first viewpoint of the mountain along this eastern access road. From this angle, you’ll see the best light on the mountain in the early morning.