Photo Trip to the Tombstone Territorial park during Fall Colours
Getting to Tombstone Territorial Park felt a little like the movie, "Plains, Trains, and Automobiles,"
But the journey to get up to Dawson was every bit as spectacular as the greatly anticipated day we were dropped deep inside Tombstone Territorial Park by a helicopter.
Timing our trip during peak fall colors was our goal, and as we winded down the roads north to Dawson City, the landscapes appeared like they were painted in hues of orange, yellow, and red. The normal 6hr drive turned into a photographic trip all on its own. We stopped at many of the usual places I would stop on my winter trips here. Birch forests, meadows of fir trees that towered out of meadows of crimson fireweed, we captured the mountain views and the lakes, and while we photographed we dined on the wild blueberries that tasted like purple sugar pops. Our first day of traveling in the Yukon during the fall color season was laying the groundwork for what was appearing to be a landscape lovers’ dream trip.
We finally arrived in Dawson 9hrs after our departure from Whitehorse. We checked into our hotel and did some exploring in this quaint little town up near the arctic circle. Dawson is one of those towns that seems to be frozen in time from the days of the Gold Rush.
Despite its foreboding name, Tombstone Territorial Park is teeming with life. Colorful lichen, shrubs, and wildflowers paint the landscape, while countless birds and mammals migrate through or live here year-round.
Beautiful in the summer, Tombstone Territorial Park is arguably even more spectacular in the fall when we were there. Autumn arrives early this close to the Arctic Circle, and most years the kaleidoscope of fall colors begins to appear by late August. Vivid yellows, oranges, and reds spread across the valleys and hills, painting one of the Yukon’s most picture-perfect scenes.
Photo Gallery of Images between Whitehorse and Dawson city - click on images to view large
The rough, unpaved Dempster Highway is the only road that provides ground access to Tombstone Territorial Park and seems a fitting gateway to such a wild, untouched place. You won’t find any fancy coffee shop drive-thrus here; instead, travelers get served extra-large landscapes and incredible scenery right from the road. But an even more jaw-dropping way to access the park is by helicopter. We choose this method in order to eliminate the long, difficult hike to the campgrounds. Our helicopter ride was a mere 25 minutes to our campsite… and WOW, what a view from our campsite at Talus Lake. Just keep in mind that a helicopter flight is not an inexpensive endeavor. But it eliminates the time, and effort to hike from the road to get to Grizzly Lake. That initial hike is a difficult 11km hike that will take you a good 6-8hrs
It was now time to start exploring the area with our camera. For the next three days and two nights, we called this extraordinary part of the world our home. While there we embarked on a 6km hike from Talus Lake to Divide Lake. It would normally take 3 hours. Our hike took 7 hours simply because there was so much to photograph along the way. The return trip took the entire day, but OHHHHH what a day it was for a photographer. Endless valleys, mountains framing us in on both sides. You can't take a bad photo up here.
The weather while we were there changed every hour from sun, rain, and light snow. So, be prepared to see a ton of rainbows and sun rays through the clouds. On my trip, it probably rained 40% of the time, was sunny 25% of the time and 35% of it was a mixed bag of weather patterns that had the mountains and valleys screaming, “photograph me.”
For landscape lovers, the sun's height is a bonus in the autumn season. It never went above 40 degrees in height. Golden hours are elongated, the alpine glow mesmerizing, and at times the light was pure magic for those that exercised patience when they saw the perfect composition.
The aurora will always be a bonus in late August. You will get darker skies that last longer in early September, but you risk weather patterns that will be cold and a lack of the fall colors that are the main reason to go up there. But, it does happen. Make sure you watch the night skies if you do go. See the aurora photos I took below.
Photo Gallery From Tombstone Territorial Park – Click on the images to view large
It was now time to head back to the Whitehorse area. We had two more highlights to explore on our trip. One was the lodge we booked up in the mountains around Whitehorse, and the other was a guided photo opportunity at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve (YWP). While we had seen different animals along our travels like Mountain Goats, Grizzly Bear, and Lynx, YWP was going to give us the opportunity to photograph some of the indigenous wildlife in the Yukon. The location serves as an educational facility and a repopulation and rehabilitation facility for the wildlife. They have a filming and photography program where photographers can participate in behind fence lines, guided encounters in natural environments.
Don’t expect to get the same level of access if you want to go photograph the different species at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve that I get. You need to be a business with a certain level of liability insurance to get to go behind the fences. That doesn’t mean you will not get good photos of the different species there, just not to the same level as I am showing in this post.
The lodging that we chose in southern Yukon was putting us right into the mountains near Fish Lake… the perfect place to stay to position ourselves for the possibility of the aurora dancing in the skies, and be at some of my favorite sunrise locations at the streams coming out of the mountains.
The lodge is a comfortable, off-the-grid location where you are free to wander the area and get a guided horseback ride up into the mountains for some of the best views in Southern Yukon. In the winter you can go on dog sled tours and snowmobile rides to some of the same locations you see in the fall season on horseback.
While we were there we explored many of the ponds and streams that dotted the forested valleys in the Ibex mountain area. I could have spent a week in this area alone during the fall season. We will save that for other trips that I plan on taking up in the Yukon.
Photos from Southern Yukon - Click ON IMAGES to View Large
As you have seen, this trip has been mostly landscape photography. But we also photographed wildlife and northern lights. I thought you might want to hear my TOP 10 landscape photography tips, five key elements for wildlife photography, and my Aurora photography tips.
My TOP 10 Landscape Photography Tips
Always do your homework on a location in preparation for a shoot and if possible ensure that you have visited the location to pre-visualize your desired composition. Pre-visualise also how the scene would appear under the optimum lighting conditions, or a moody weather image, and then return well in advance of the optimum lighting arriving. I would suggest you use the harsh daylight hours to perform your homework on a location.
Capture Movement. When most people think about landscapes they think of calm, serene, and passive environments – however, landscapes are rarely completely still, and to convey this movement in an image will add drama, mood and create a point of interest.
Don’t just rely on a single capture to create an image. Take two or three different exposures and blend them together later in Photoshop by combining the best elements of each.
It’s amazing the number of times that the elements conspire to ruin a perfectly composed photograph. Landscape photography requires patience. Cloud positioning, the elevation of the sun, lack of clutter depending on the time of year, unwanted people in your image. The key is to always allow yourself enough time at a location so that you are able to wait if you need to.
Use a remote cable release or the self-timer in addition to a tripod to increase sharpness. This makes such a big difference especially when long exposures are required! To increase sharpness even further, engage the camera’s mirror lock-up feature if it comes with one.
Shoot RAW! If you like to edit your images on the computer, there's really no reason to not shoot RAW for landscape photography. The RAW image file will preserve much more of the data than a JPEG, allowing you to pull much more detail out of the shadows and highlights.
Neutral Density filters and polarizers are essential pieces of kit for any landscape photographer. Often you will need to manipulate the available light, or even try to enhance the natural elements.
Take this example… if you are taking photos that include water, you may find you get unwanted reflections from the sun, which is where a polarizing filter can help by minimizing the reflections and also enhancing the colors (greens and blues). But remember, polarizing filters often have little or no effect on a scene if you’re directly facing the sun, or it’s behind you. For best results position yourself between 45° and 90° to the sun.
A strong foreground element can be very important in creating landscape images. Think of the foreground as the introduction or the first impression of your image. As they say, you only have one chance to make a good first impression. That's what the foreground should do. A strong foreground element draws you in and then leads your eye deeper into the image to the main subject. It gives a sense of depth and makes a viewer feel as if they are standing right there where the shot was captured.
I've always found that driving a car around to scenic viewpoints and planting a tripod in the holes left by the previous photographer is a surefire way to come home with a collection of mediocre postcard shots. Even if you've learned all of the necessary technical skills from a magazine and how-to books, unless you venture out onto the land, you stand the chance of making clichéd or redundant images.
Some people like their landscapes unadulterated with any sign of people, giving the appearance of total seclusion and wilderness. Many other photographers use the human element to forge a connection with the viewer. Not only can human elements add a very quantifiable sense of scale, but including a person, cabin, bridge, tent, etc… can help to elicit feelings of wanderlust and a strong desire to experience the mood and magic of the scene.
Five Key Elements For Wildlife Photography Success
Have you ever stood next to someone photographing the same animal and wondered why their photos were so much better than yours?
Part of their success is that they understand their camera settings, but most of their success is because of their thought process before, during, and after the photoshoot. They are outthinking you.
This eBook will take you inside the minds of two professional photographers, myself and Kevin Lisota, to help you improve your wildlife photography skills. You will learn how to research, pre-visualize your images and make the right decisions before you click the shutter. You will also learn post-processing tips.
Northern Lights Photography Tips and Tricks
If you would like a copy of my field guide for photographing northern lights, please contact me to request a copy.
Why don’t you join me on an adventure in the Yukon? I have been taking groups of photographers to the Yukon since 2013. I will take you to the right place, at the right time to capture amazing images of this northern location.
You can see the trips I will be leading there on my workshop page. Click Here