Harriman Fjord – Prince William Sound

Location: Lookout Point in Harriman Fjord
Date of Photo: August 8, 2019
Temperature: 66F
Current Weather: Clear and sunny

Camera Settings for photo

This image was made with my Canon 5D-Mark IV with a Canon 24-105mm f/4.0 lens at 24mm at f/7.1 at 1/800th second at ISO 250 with a polarizer and a 2-stop hard-edge graduated ND Filter hand-held.

Image Description

Late morning light beings to shine on a meadow boreded by fireweed plants as glaciers sliding down the sides of the Chugach Mountains stand in the background. The water of Harriman Fjord in the mid-distance.

History and Information about this location

Harriman Fjord was named after the American railroad tycoon, Edward Harriman, who put together a two-month expedition by boat along the coast of Alaska in 1899. He was lured to Alaska and fascinated by the idea of being able to hunt Alaska’s legendary brown bears.

Harriman assembled a huge team of many well-known naturalists, geographers, geologists, zoologits, artists and botanists including: Cint Merrian, John Muir, Edward Curtis, William Dall and others for the trip which sailed in the name of science. Including staff, the ship carried 126 people. This was front-page news in US papers.

When they discovered the previously undocumented fjord, they name it after Harriman. Indeed the expedition made many discoveries in their two month voyage including 600 new species and many new areas and glaciers previously not known to the white man.

Today Harriman Fjord and its adjacent Barry Arm attract many adventure seekers and sightseers. The protected waters, private beaches and unparalleled scenery create a haven for kayakers. The amount of glaciers are a large draw for many day-tour boats beginning from Whittier.

The tidewater glaciers attract many sea birds, and harbor seals to the ice bergs. The area has a large population of sea otters and black bears. Whales and bald eagles frequent the fjord as well.