Pond above Hyder, Alaska

Issue #065 - Bears on Fish Creek, Hyder, Alaska

An unpaved mountain road climbs several thousand feet from the village of Hyder, at the southern-most tip of Alaska, and Fish Creek, which is almost at sea level, to the 4,300 foot summit above Salmon Glacier. About fifteen miles up the road are several small beaver ponds. Beautiful reflections cover these still ponds in mid-morning and late afternoon. This is a good spot to photograph hoary marmots whistling from the edge of their burrows to warn other marmots of your approach. The road to the glaciers continues to climb past steep mountainsides dotted with alpine wildflowers that bloom through the middle of August. Summer is short in this part of the Pacific Northwest.

A trip to Hyder is the easiest way to discover Alaska with my newsletter #65.