Page 222 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Homer Air, great bear viewing experiences. Bears
guaranteed or your money back!
Sasquatch Alaska Adventure Company provides
bear viewing, flightseeing and packrafting on a
glacial lake with river running.
To enjoy a truly once-in-a-lifetime wilderness
adventure, visit Scenic Bear Viewing at the Homer
airport. Employing two 5-passenger Cessna 206
aircraft, Scenic offers safe and affordable flight
seeing and bear viewing trips to Hallo Bay on the
Katmai coast and to Lake Clark National Parks.
Both parks are roadless wilderness areas on the
wild west coast of Cook inlet, boasting the highest
concentration of brown bears anywhere in the world.
Your Pilot/Naturalist Guide Martin has well over
30 years flying experience, all with a perfect safety
record. Land right on the beach and walk for a mile
or two through grassy meadow to a vantage point to
Bob’s Trophy Charters observe brown bears in their natural habitat. Watch
photo by:
Bob’s Trophy Charters them play, clam, mate, eat sedge grass and fish for
salmon. Scenic Bear Viewing provides all safety
equipment, Park fees and digital photos of your day
with the bears. Bear Viewing season generally runs
from the 3rd week of May to the 3rd week in Sept.
Phone 907-884-2655 or visit scenicbearviewing.
com.
Visitors will definitely want to experience
Homer’s major sightseeing destination, the Alaska’s
Islands and Ocean Visitors Center. Virtually visit
the remote Alaska Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge, the world’s largest seabird refuge, through
exhibits such as the Seabird Experience Theater, the
Refuge through Time, and an award-winning film
voyage to the islands of the refuge, Journey of the
M/V Tiglax. Let the exhibits transport you into the
offshore world of seabirds, other marine animals
and their island and ocean habitats stewarded
by the facility’s two partner organizations—the
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the
Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. Stroll through
the exhibit area and investigate connections among
animals, environments and people. Learn about
local flora and fauna on guided nature walks over
easy trails through wetlands and forest to beautiful
Bishop’s Beach. Walks are free and incorporate up-
to-date science information from the Center’s active
research teams. Gaze out on beautiful Kachemak
Bay through a two-story glass wall overlooking
Bishop’s Beach and Beluga Slough.
At the Islands and Ocean Center, you can also
surround yourself with visually stunning works
of art meant to inspire and teach about the natural
treasures of Alaska’s islands and ocean. Imagine you
are on a beach at low tide as you look at the lobby
floor embedded with 7,000 hand-crafted replicas
of shells and other sea-shore items, while ceramic
inter-tidal creatures on the walls of the lobby cling to
the “tide-line.” Enjoy magnificent pieces of marine
themed artwork inside and out, including life-size
sculptures, stained and etched glass and murals.
Find out about local birding and wildlife viewing
opportunities from the wildlife people at Islands
and Ocean. Open 7 days a week in the summer with
free admission, the Center is located at 95 Sterling
Highway. Visit www.islandsandocean.org or call
(907) 235-6961 for current programs, open hours
and special events.
The Pratt Museum, sponsored by the Homer
Society of Natural History, is located at 3779
Bartlett Street. One of the finest museums in Alaska,
exhibits of terrestrial and marine birds and mammals
introduce visitors to the diversity of wildlife and
habitats found in Alaska. Salt water aquariums and
a touch tank feature the creatures of Kachemak Bay.
The museum also hosts displays of native crafts,

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