Notices by Lee Petersen (leepetersen@alaskan.social)

Self-portrait on Murphy Dome, outside Fairbanks, about ten years ago. The aurora was mostly quiet that night, with a few brighter moments. Good company made it worth the cold.

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights #fairbanks

The Harding Icefield feeds dozens of glaciers across the Kenai Peninsula.

On overcast days, mist settles along the ridges and softens the scale of the landscape, but the ice beneath is still moving, still reshaping the valleys below.

Looking down on Exit Glacier from the Harding Icefield Trail.

I wrote more about this hike and the landscape here:
https://lwpetersen.substack.com/p/harding-icefield-trail-august-2025

#alaska #glacier #hardingicefield #hiking

Just a Fairbanks winter sunrise.

#Alaska #sunrise #fairbanks

Aurora over the trees - Fairbanks, Alaska

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights

Stopping to smell the flowers.

An arctic ground squirrel pauses to feed on alpine sweetvetch in Denali National Park.

Wildlife gallery:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#alaska #wildlife #flora #denali

Golden morning light filters through mist and spruce trees along the UAF trail system in early autumn.
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images

#fairbanks #alaska #forest

A meltwater channel on the Black Rapids Glacier, divided by a narrow ice island and a balanced boulder. In the early melt season with limited englacial drainage, much of the water flows on the surface, making foot travel difficult at times.

Prints and Wall Art here:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-7P723g7/A

#alaska #glacier #hiking

Late August above Gakona Glacier during a solo backpacking trip in the Eastern Alaska Range in 2023.

From the western marginal moraine, the glacier’s movement is visible in looping moraines, while active icefalls continue to feed the upper basin.

Trip report and more photos here:
https://www.lwpetersen.com/trip-reports/gakona-glacier-hike-info-and-august-2023-trip-report/

Prints and wall art:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-3Rchh3Q/A

#alaska #glacier #mountains #hiking #backpacking

Some of the most intense and vivid light pillars I've seen on the south side of Fairbanks tonight! I took a few more photos: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#alaska #lightpillar #atmosphericoptics #fairbanks #nightsky

The light in Fairbanks around the winter solstice.

It’s cold, dark, and some days it’s hard to get moving at all. Some winters are harder than others, and I don’t always know why. What I do know is that getting outside helps.

Even on the shortest days, there’s a brief stretch of low sun, long shadows, and quiet color. It’s subtle, short-lived, and always worth stepping out for.

This image is available as a fine art print or wall piece:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-MW5rhXN/A

#alaska #fairbanks #winterlight

Gorgeous red auroras tonight over the Goldstream Valley in Fairbanks, Alaska. A rare show, strong enough for the red emission to be clearly visible to the eye.

More in my Recent Photos Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#fairbanks #alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights

Methane bubbles frozen in the ice on Smith Lake in Fairbanks, Alaska, taken in late October. Part of my Water and Ice series exploring the forms and transformations of water in Alaska’s landscapes: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Blogs/Lwpetersen/Water-and-Ice

#alaska #ice #water #nature #abstract

Frost on glass.

Prints and wall art available here:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Macro/Macro-Portfolio

#frost #macrophotography #photography

Brown bear sow and cub among the autumn colors in Denali National Park near Igloo Creek a few weeks ago.

#Alaska #wildlife #denali #hiking

Another big bull moose in Denali National Park on Saturday. This one was letting out calls as it moved through the fall foliage.

#alaska #wildlife #moose #denali

Here are four of the well over 100 fungi photos I took tonight. I miss spending hours in the dirt. This was fun and very meditative.

#alaska #macrophotography #fungi
#mushrooms

Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), the only member of the cat family native to Alaska, in Denali National Park.

In my Wildlife Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#Alaska #wildlife #hiking #wildlifephotography

Aurora borealis lighting up the sky above the Angel Rocks Trail on a windy night.

Hiking guide to the area: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/angel-rocks/

#auroraborealis #northernlights #alaska #hiking

A moment of near-whiteout in the Rainbow Basin of the Alaska Range. Just enough visibility to catch a glimpse of the mountainside through the shifting fog.

More about this area in my hiking guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/canwell-glacier-and-rainbow-basin/

See more of my work: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images

#Alaska #MinimalistPhotography #hiking

The Asgard Tor at the Granite Tors in the Chena River State Recreation Area near Fairbanks, Alaska. One of my favorite places to hike (or snowshoe) year-round.

Info in my hiking guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/granite-tors-trail/

#alaska #hiking #backpacking #fairbanks