Alaska Nature Guides

09/02/2024

08/30/2024

The fireweed is now going to seed and producing gorgeous fall colors! As the saying goes, “when fireweed turns cotton, summer is soon forgotten.”

08/22/2024

Nature is the best artist! Byers lake is looking beautiful with fall colors emerging. This picture features the mountain ash turning orange and red, with golden scalycap mushroom growing on an old birch. 🍂🍁🍄

08/21/2024

One of our awesome guides, Taryn, captured this gorgeous double rainbow at Byers Lake! These are the moments we live for in the midst of rainy season. 🌈🌧️🌈

08/08/2024

the amanitas are out 😍😍😍 we love seeing these gorgeous orange, yellow, and red mushrooms on our hikes in Denali State Park and in Talkeetna.

The amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as fly agaric, has white gills and white spots on top of the colorful cap. It is not recommended for raw consumption due to some unpleasant side effects, although some cultures have used it therapeutically in small doses for its psychoactive and stimulant effects!

08/05/2024

We found this cutie cow moose on our trail cam! What should we name her?

08/02/2024

Meet another one of our ANG guides! This is Marie, one of our Denali State Park guides 🌳🍎🥾

A little about Marie…
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢?
I am originally from Arlington, VA. I grew up visiting museums in DC and hiking/camping in the Shenandoah mountains. For the past few years I have been working as an Environmental Educator in New Haven, CT.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮?
I love hiking, botanizing, picking berries, smelling the flowers, and cloud watching!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠?
Over the summer, I have had many visits from a porcupine (Kevin) who lives in my backyard. One time I saw Kevin drag a walking stick off of my porch!

I’ve also been really lucky to have some incredible views of Denali!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙/𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙡/𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩?
My current favorite bird is the magpie and my favorite mammal is the black fox. As for plants, I love the twisted stalk, crow berries, and birch trees.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧?
I have learned so much this summer about local plants and wildlife, and I am so excited to continue learning and soaking it all up! It’s pretty sweet to share my knowledge and love of nature with guests on my tours.

Thank you for joining us, Marie! 🥾🍂🫐

07/13/2024

We love introducing you to our fantastic guides! Today we are excited to brag about
🐶TARYN🎿🌨️ one of our Denali State Park guides.

Meet Taryn…
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢?
Originally from San Antonio, TX but I have been living all over the Alaska peninsula for the last 7 years. Currently I live in Tok, AK.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮?
Snow machines, dog mushing, hiking. I really enjoy the winter sports here. 

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠?
Seeing Denali mountain is a really cool thing!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙/𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙡/𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩?
I really like the little stoats here! They are pretty cute. I see them everywhere where I live and they are always yelling at me, haha.

Fireweed is really pretty and makes a good jam!

Puffins are a really cool bird.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧?
Hanging out with guests! Getting to know where everyone is from and sharing information on Alaska!

Thank you for joining us, Taryn! 🥾🐕🌨️

05/21/2024

Our guiding season starts this week and we couldn’t be more excited! We love kicking off the season by cleaning our highway after a long winter. We are also exploring the trails now that the snow is (mostly) melted. Swipe to see one of our training hikes in beautiful Talkeetna! Join us for a hike in Denali State Park or in Talkeetna this summer 🥾🐻🌲

05/08/2023

Denali bound! Best of luck to our illustrious guide Bernard Federspiel (left) who flew in today to climb 20,310-ft. Denali. He and partners Loren Saint Amand and Matt Stoller are the Alaskan Proactive Denali Expedition Team 2023. We’ll be following along for your 18-day adventure. Bon voyage!

03/06/2023

Our vans are buried in snow, but it will soon be summer! We’re busy gearing up for another fun season of naturalist guided hikes and nature walks. We hope you join us for one!

03/03/2023

Would you play chicken with a porcupine? They have poor eyesight, and this one happened to come right to where I was sitting, surprising us both. Did you flinch too?

08/07/2022

Heli hikes are a great way to get out and explore the alpine tundra without relying on human-made trails. Plus, our friends at are always happy to give us a ride!🚁

08/03/2022

Meet our guides! Zaraya is one of our Denali State Park guides! She loves Alaska and loves bringing people out into nature! She is passionate about wildlife conservation and hopes to teach others about its importance. When she's not guiding she still loves to play outside! You'll find her rafting, climbing, hiking or on her paddle board in the summer, and skiing in the winter. Her favorite trips to guide are hiking trips and heli-hikes! She can't wait to hike with you and teach you something cool about nature! 🌿🏔🌞

08/03/2022

Meet our guides! Jake is one of our Denali state Park guides! His favorite trip to guide is the Byers Lake Nature Walk! Jake loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking in the summer, and skiing in the winter. When he's not guiding he is studying to become a teacher! His favorite subject to teach is world history! 🌎📚🌲🏔
Jake can't wait to teach you something wild about Alaska!

08/02/2022

We’ve waitresses patiently all year, and the blueberries are finally here! If you’ve been craving some delicious Alaskan blueberries, our guides know where all of the best spots on the trail are to find them. Come take a hike and get your berry fix for the summer. Yum!🫐

07/16/2022

Meet our guides! Mo is our lead guide in Denali State Park and is a lifelong Alaskan. Her favorite trips to guide are backpacking trips and heli hikes. When she’s not guiding, Mo is a firefighter and loves to bike, pick blueberries, and ski with her dog, Sophie. She can’t wait to meet you out on the trail!

07/06/2022

When you backpack in Alaska, you don’t sleep out under the stars…you sleep under the midnight sun!🌞
Our backpacking trips on Kesugi Ridge are the perfect way to experience the magic of the midnight sun here in Denali State Park. Come join us for a 4 day trip and experience the magic for yourself!

06/25/2022

Welcome to our natural garden! So many wildflowers have been popping up around Byers Lake in Denali State Park. Come join us for a nature walk and see for yourself. These beautiful blossoms belong to our native plant species, the Wild Iris (purple) and Wild Rose (pink)
🌷🌿