The Terra Galleria Blog – QT Luong

For last winter’s trip to Alaska where I drove the Dalton Highway and photographed the Aurora Borealis, I didn’t pack light. I flew with two carry-on bags and two pieces of checked in luggage. In this post, I’ll discuss some of my equipment choices for that trip. Clothing I had a large assortment of hats [...]

There are several hot springs around Fairbanks. They were discovered around the turn of the 19th century by miners seeking an escape from the cold. The most easily accessed is Chena Hot Springs, which is the terminus of its own highway (Chena Hot Springs Rd), 46 miles East of Fairbanks. All water around Fairbanks is [...]

Winter lasts more than half of the year in Fairbanks. The snowpack is established by October and remains until May. From November to March, all the water is frozen solid. Besides the fact that the month of March is the most favorable for photographing the Aurora in Alaska, another reason to visit Fairbanks at this [...]

The Dalton Highway has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is one of the northernmost roads, crossing well into the Arctic, and reaching the highest road point in Alaska that is maintained throughout the year, Atigun Pass. Then there is the extreme remoteness. Along its 414 miles [...]

Last winter, I traveled from March 12 to March 23 with my friend Regis Vincent to Alaska to seek the Aurora Borealis, also called Northern Lights. Since this was my first attempt, I sought to maximize chances of seeing the Aurora: Auroral activity is strongest slightly above the Polar Circle, which in North America is [...]

Kobuk Valley National Park is located in Northwestern Arctic Alaska, entirely above the Arctic Circle. It has the distinction of being the least visited of the 58 US National Parks. Following our summer 2001 trip to Lake Clark National Park, the expedition to Kobuk Valley National park in 2002 was the first wilderness trip that [...]

Katmai National Park is located near the end of the Alaska Peninsula, in the middle of which is situated Lake Clark National Park. Although further from Anchorage than Lake Clark National Park, Katmai sees a slightly larger visitation, 9000 annual visits versus 6000, making it the fourth less visited National Park. Katmai was created in [...]

Lake Clark National Park, situated on the Alaska Peninsula, does not include the superlatives of the other Alaskan parks such as highest or northernmost mountains, largest icefield or glaciers. Instead, the park preserves a supremely varied wilderness where all the geographical features of Alaska can be found in a relatively small area. Maybe because the [...]

Glacier Bay National Park is centered around the Y-shaped fjord of the same name on the Southeast coast of Alaska. The Bay is sheltered from the ocean by the Fairweather range, the tallest coastal range in the world. Only two hundred years ago, when Captain George Vancouver sailed by its mouth, he saw a solid [...]

Kenai Fjords National Park, like many other Alaskan parks, is a place of superlatives. Its centerpiece, the Harding field, is the largest ice field in North America, covering more than half of the park. At some places, the thickness exceeds a mile. Unlike other Alaska parks, one section of the park can be easily reached. [...]