Photo Expedition to Lake Clark, Alaska: Bears, Cubs, Wildflowers, and Puffins
Trip Overview
- Dates: July 15-21, 2027
- Expedition Leader: Michelle Theall
- Group Size: 5-6 + Expedition Leader
This Alaska photo expedition is a fully immersive wildlife photography workshop designed to help you return home with gallery-quality images and the skills to create them again. Led by award-winning photographer Michelle Theall, Alaska Magazine’s executive editor, this small-group expedition offers hands-on instruction, personalized feedback, and intentional time with wildlife in the right place at the right time.
Long days are spent among coastal brown bears and cubs, puffins, sea otters, and Alaskan landscapes, giving you the chance to study behavior, understand habitat, and photograph in varied light and conditions. From bears foraging on rivers and beaches to puffins feeding chicks on islands, this expedition is designed for photographers seeking depth, patience, and repeated opportunities.
Charter flights carry the small group from Anchorage to our comfortable backcountry lodge, offering unobstructed aerial views of volcanoes and rivers during flights on clear days. Evenings at the lodge are devoted to image review, tutorials, and discussions.
Why Alaska?
Lake Clark National Park hosts one of the densest populations of coastal brown bears in the world. July is ideal for observing spring cubs playing, riding on mothers, and learning to clam. Purple lupine and other wildflowers provide stunning foregrounds for photography. Hundreds of horned and tufted puffins fly to their nests with fish, while moose, foxes, wolves, bald eagles, and sea otter sightings are also likely.
This expedition allows intimate, safe wildlife access without disturbing natural behavior.
Accommodations & Safari Experience
Guests stay five nights at our well-appointed backcountry lodge, with comfortable rooms, porches, electricity, heat, Wi-Fi, and full bathrooms (some shared). Bears often visit the lodge.
Travel includes charter flights from Anchorage, ATV rides along rivers and beaches, and a boat trip to Puffin Island to photograph puffins, kittiwakes, sea otters, and bald eagles. Daily instruction by Michelle Theall includes image review and optional one-on-one editing tutorials. Excursions are timed for tides, light, and wildlife behavior, including multiple bear-viewing trips per day. Optional activities include fly-fishing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, clam digging, and berry picking. Gourmet meals accommodate dietary restrictions.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Arrival in Anchorage
Guests should plan to arrive in Anchorage by July 15. Accommodations the night of July 15 are to be booked separately. Reach out for recommendations.
The expedition begins with a group dinner at 5:30 PM on July 15 at Lakefront Millennium to meet your guide and fellow travelers.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 | Fly to Lake Clark and Backcountry Lodge
This morning we’ll gather at Lakefront Millennium in time for charter flights to our lodge, with stunning aerial views along the way.
Upon arrival, orientation and initial photography opportunities take place, followed by dinner at the lodge.
Accommodations: Lake Clark lodge
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Days 3–6 | Lake Clark
Full days are spent photographing bears and cubs along rivers and beaches. Cubs can be seen playing, nursing, and riding on mothers, while adults forage for fish.
One day includes a boat trip to Puffin Island to photograph puffins, kittiwakes, sea otters, and bald eagles.
Optional activities include hiking, kayaking, canoeing, fly-fishing, clam digging, and berry picking.
Evenings are for image review, tutorials, and discussions of wildlife and habitat.
Accommodations: Lake Clark lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7 | Fly Back to Anchorage / Departure
After a morning photography session, charter flights return the group to Anchorage. Guests depart independently for home.
For anyone wanting more time in Alaska, contact us for extension recommendations.
Meals: Breakfast
About Your Photo Expedition Leader
Michelle Theall is a professional wildlife photographer and the editor-in-chief of Alaska Magazine, where she has spent decades capturing the state’s iconic landscapes and wildlife. Her images have appeared in numerous publications globally, including National Geographic, where two of her photographs were named in the Top 20 Travel Images of the Year. She’s been interviewed in Oprah Magazine and has appeared on the Travel Channel, and the Today Show.
Her photography has been recognized for its storytelling and technical excellence, and she is celebrated for her ability to place viewers in the midst of unforgettable wildlife encounters. Michelle is now a guide with Reefs to Rockies, leading small groups to extraordinary wildlife destinations around the globe, from Alaska’s grizzlies to Australia’s koalas and kangaroos.
As an instructor, Michelle is known for her approachable, enthusiastic teaching style. She combines decades of field experience with practical, in-the-moment guidance, helping photographers of all levels improve not only their images, but their understanding of wildlife behavior, light, and composition.
Details
Price: $11,595* per person. Due to the lodge setup, private rooms aren’t available.
Includes: All charter flights to and from Lake Clark lodge; all meals and beverages as indicated in the itinerary; five nights at our backcountry lodge; guiding and daily photography instruction by Michelle Theall; ATV excursions along rivers and beaches; 1 boat trip to Puffin Island; some gear provided (waders, hip waders, rubber boots); national park fees; taxes; image review and optional one-on-one editing tutorials; and unlimited wildlife photography opportunities under expert guidance. A donation to support brown bear conservation in Alaska will be made on behalf of all participants.
Excludes: Flights to and from Anchorage; accommodations on arrival night in Anchorage and any post- hotel nights; gratuities; fishing licenses; mandatory trip insurance with emergency medical evacuation and trip interruption benefits (quotes available); personal expenses; and meals not listed in the itinerary.
*Reflects payment by check or ACH. Credit card fees, if applicable, will be assessed at the time of booking.
Group Size: 5-6 photographers + Michelle Theall.
Level of Difficulty: This expedition is designed for travelers comfortable with early mornings, long days of wildlife observation, and moderate walking. Guests should be able to walk up and down stairs, ride comfortably in small planes, boats, and shuttles, and walk approximately 2-3 miles per day on natural but level terrain.
Important Information: This itinerary is designed to allow flexibility in response to charter flight guidelines, bear movement, tides, weather, and local conditions. While every effort will be made to deliver the itinerary as described, expedition leaders reserve the right to make adjustments as necessary to ensure the best possible experience and the safety of all participants. Travel insurance with trip interruption and emergency medical evacuation benefits is required for participation.