Little Susitna River, Houston: Lowbush cranberries are quite red with some white unripe blotches remaining on undersides; most berries crunchy. A few plants are still flowering. Everything is looking good for picking later. Very impressive bunchberries this year, good snacks. Also snacked on nice timberberries and found a few trailing currants for snacks, too soft to keep.
August 17
Swamp land, Big Lake: Picked lots of perfect early blueberries in select spots.
August 16
Matanuska River Park, Palmer: Highbush cranberries are cherry red and good to snack on; tart. Serviceberries are nice and ripe or past their prime (shriveled). Soapberries are ripe. There are still watermelon berries to snack on.
Aug 15
North Shore, Big Lake: Picked lots of perfect bog blueberries! Also snacked on low bush cranberries while picking.
August 5
Swamp land, Big Lake: Tried to pick every kind of berry around. Picked tons of wild raspberries. Also picked quite a few red currants and very ripe watermelon berries (almost too squishy to get.) Picked many perfect trailing black currants from one spot. Picked a few ripe crowberries, cloudberries, and rosehips here and there. Snacked on ripe timberberries. Lowbush cranberries are large and green and highbush are turning red. Huge, interesting mushrooms are everywhere as well as a ton of mourning cloak caterpillars in feeding frenzies.
August 28
Talkeetna Lakes, Talkeetna: Picked lots of very nice forest blueberries, at the perfect ripeness level. Also picked a couple bog blueberries here and there. The highbush cranberries were good, and actually there were quite a few nice red currants too.
August 27
Hatcher Pass, Fishhook: Picked lots of blueberries in alpine areas. Nice and ripe berries and plants happy from rainy weather.
August 20
Hatcher Pass, Fishhook: Picked lots of high blueberries in subalpine areas. Easy to pick around green berries and just choose ripe ones now. Crowberries are also good. Other berries like bunchberries are ripe too. The whole place seems pretty dry. Lots of crispy dry plants.
August 19
Alcantra, Wasilla: Highbush cranberry in these woods and all over the Valley are turning clear, ripe enough to pick, though later is better. Rosehips are pretty good everywhere. Some old red currants, watermelon berry, etc. are still available.
August 15
Government Peak, Fishhook: Last chance for tons of ripe watermelon berries and trailing raspberries. Rosehips are good everywhere, probably time to gather some.