There is a legend of a great, magical bear that roamed the forests. No bear was its equal and all people lived in awe and fear of its massive presence. However, there came the day that two talented brothers and their small dog tracked the magical bear and chased it for days through the woods and plains until at last they all fell over the edge of the earth and into the stars. When the seasons change and in autumn the constellation grazes the horizon, you can see this story in the stars, as the haunch of the great bear is the square shape some call the bowl of the Big Dipper and the hunters and their dog are close behind in the Dipper’s handle. The Tlingit called them half human, half god and other tribes called them “grandfather” or “cousin”. Their scientific term is ursidae and we know them as bears, the most powerful carnivores in all the world, and in Alaska there is a good chance that you will run into one of them.
There are several kinds of bears that a traveler will see in Alaska and it helps to have a knowledge of the names as they are sometimes used interchangeably, though they differ in size and shape:
The black bear is the smallest of the Alaskan bears, though small is relative in the bear family as this animal on average weighs 350 lbs, and though their name has the world “black” in it, they can also be brown, gray and cream. A black bear can be distinguished from others as they lack a large shoulder hump and their profile is that of a straight head and snout. Their rump is higher than their shoulders and the ears are longer and come to more of a point. The claws are black and short giving them a great ability to climb trees. All bears are omnivores and opportunistic, meaning they will eat anything that is available to them such as insects, berries, fish, deer, moose and caribou. The yearly cycle of all bears is the same. They emerge in the spring from their dens hungry and ready to eat the first green plants that are springing up from the winter months. In summer they are feasting on fresh berries and the salmon runs, putting on as much weight as possible. By fall there is a mad dash to eat the dwindling food supply. Those that don’t gain enough weight by this point risk starvation or being killed by other bears. As soon as the snow begins to fall most bears are hibernating and mothers give birth to cubs inside the den.
Adult brown bears are massive, powerful, the top of the food chain and they rule the forests of Alaska with absolute authority. There is a good chance that you will see them on your trip as there are 32,000 brown bears in the state compared with 1200 in the lower 48. They are solitary animals except for a mother with cubs and when they are fishing in the same area. Browns are distinguishable from blacks by their large shoulder hump which gives them the strength to dig for roots and turn over fallen trees and logs. They also have a concave face and long claws used for digging. Despite their bulk they are very agile and can run up to speeds of 30 miles per hour. Like blacks they can be found with coats that range from cinnamon to blonde. In this classification there are some sub species:
The Kodiak is the granddaddy of brown bears. Standing over 10’ tall on their hind legs and weighing up to 1600 pounds from a steady diet of grass, plants, salmon and berries, they are the largest terrestrial carnivores on earth. About 3500 of them can be found on the pristine Kodiak Archipelago, making it one of the most dense and popular bear-viewing sites in Alaska.
The Alaskan brown bear or Alaskan coastal bear comes in second to the Kodiak and can be found up and down the southern coast. While not as large as the Kodiak kings they still average 800-1200 pounds. Their diet is rich in salmon and they use many different tactics to catch the fish, including waiting at the bottom of the falls for the fish to jump, standing at the top of the falls and catching the fish in their mouth as the salmon leap out of the water and even pinning the slippery fish to the rocks with their massive paws.
All grizzly bears are brown bears but not all brown bears are grizzlies. Grizzlies are smaller than the Kodiaks and coastal bears and can be found roaming the interior of Alaska and Canada, and down into Montana and Glacier National Park and Yellowstone Park.
Up Close and Personal
While popular conception has bears around every tree trunk in Alaska, they can still remain elusive. However, there are some favorite sites to view these creatures in order to take that framable quality photograph or just to spin a few bear-raising tales for the friends back home.
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Katmai encompasses over 4 million acres and is located on a peninsula in southern Alaska across from Kodiak Island. There are several active volcanoes in the area with the last major eruption occurring in 1912 with Mount Katmai and Novarupta erupting simultaneously, causing a pyroclastic flow that covered a nearby valley with ash. As the volcanic deposits cooled they produced steam from fissures earning the name “Valley of 10,000 Smokes”. Katmai gives the visitor a unique opportunity to explore immense, untouched wilderness and volcanoes, as well as opportunities for backpacking and camping. It is Alaska at its finest. It is also here in Katmai where you can experience up-close and personal Alaska’s famous and massive brown bears. While the park is open year round it is remote and cannot be accessed by car.
Brooks Lodge & Falls - Fly-in
There are over 2,200 bears in Katmai and there is no better place to watch these amazing animals fish, sun and congregate than at Brooks Falls. During the height of the salmon run in July up to 70 bears can be seen from the wooden platforms, each one wading into the water with its own unique fishing technique. Seeing these bears in the unspoiled beauty of the forest instinctively foraging for fish creates unparalleled photography opportunities that will surely dazzle family back home.
Most visitors to Katmai come to this area via float plane, arriving on Naknek Lake as Brooks Lodge is one of the only developed areas in the park. There is a 60-person capacity campsite as well as cabins, cooking shelters with a fire ring in each shelter, food and gear storage cache and an electrified fence surrounding the area. One of the most enjoyable ways to explore this area is through a guided tour with operators having both day and overnight trips available. A guided tour can add much depth to your Katmai travels and often includes sites and experiences you would not be able to have on your own, as well as the added safety of being with skilled guides in bear country.
Brooks River - Fly-in
The only bears to regularly inhabit Katmai National Park and Preserve are brown bears. Bear watching at Brooks River is unique, because it is a large gathering location for brown bears. Even if you only spend one hour watching bears at Brooks River, it is easy to see how each bear is different. These bears are not only distinguished by physical characteristics, but more importantly, they are also distinguished by their habits and behavior. Bear watching at Brooks River will give you a chance to see these brown bears in their own habitat.
Hallo Bay - Fly-in
A meadow filled with wildflowers bursting with color, a glacier-filled creek meanders through the meadow while a snow-capped mountain protects the idyllic scene ... welcome to Hallo Bay! The Bay is a sanctuary within a sanctuary located on the sea in Katmai, and is home to bears who graze on vegetation and clams in early June and stay around to fish during July and August. Hallo Bay is difficult to get to and is best explored by using one of Alaska’s authorized guiding tours.
McNeil River Sanctuary - Fly-in
High in the Aleutian Range, glacier water makes its way down toward Cook Inlet in southwestern Alaska. This 200 square mile protected area provides home and refuge to an abundance of wildlife, including red fox, moose, caribou, wolves, birds and fowl and of course brown bears, who can best be seen in early July through mid-August feasting on the chum or dog salmon. This area is controlled by an access permit program from the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game. This ensures that visitors can enjoy a pristine piece of wilderness and the wildlife is safe and protected for all generations.
Denali National Park - Road Access
Standing as a sentinel, keeping a watchful eye over Alaska’s forests and coasts is North America’s tallest peak-Denali, but the park is far more than a tall mountain. With over 6 million square miles of wilderness to explore and one road that bisects it all through low elevation taiga forest, alpine tundra and mountain tops frosted in icy snow. Something for everyone awaits the adventurous spirit in Denali and where better to spend time with the 169 species of birds, 39 mammal species and 14 varieties of fish. One of the best ways to view the wildlife is while riding a bus on the Denali Park Road. Relax and watch the stunning scenery pass by while an expert navigator follows the winding Park Road.
Wolverine Creek-Big River Lakes - Fly-in
Located on the west side of Cook Inlet across from the Kenai Peninsula, this creek is the place to watch both black and brown bears fish for sockeye salmon and teach their young cubs the art of catching their meals.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve - Fly-in
Lake Clark is a very rugged, unspoiled area of natural beauty. Sleeping volcanoes, formidable ice fields and glaciers, lakes teaming with trout and salmon and a variety of wildlife attract true outdoor enthusiasts. The area of Crescent Lake attracts a large number of brown bears to the area including mothers and cubs, young adults and big boars.
Frazer Lake-Kodiak Island - Fly-in
Located 70 miles from the city of Kodiak, this is the Island’s premier bear viewing spot. The sockeye salmon can get backed up at the entrance to the fish ladder (designed to help the salmon navigate Frazer Falls) and the renowned Kodiak bears sit back and feast on a salmon buffet.
Karluk Lake - Fly-in
The Karluk basin is the ancestral home of the native Alutiq people and is also the home of the Kodiak bear, the king of all carnivore land animals. It is here where these bears graze and fish undisturbed from modern life. Step back in time as you watch the bears living the same way they have for thousands of years.
Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory - Fly-in & Jet Boat
Near Wrangell, an ancient Tlingit native fishing site known as Anan Creek has the largest pink salmon run in Southeast Alaska. The observatory is only accessible by boat or plane and the observation platform overlooks the cascading falls where salmon jump up the river almost into the bear’s mouth. A half mile trail leads to the observation area and bears are often seen on the trail as well as other wildlife. This area is limited to 65 people per day and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It is recommended that you reserve your pass at least six months in advance.
Misty Fjords National Monument - Fly-in
Forty miles east of Ketchikan in the Tongass National Forest is a national monument and wilderness area. Small glaciers dot the area and canals criss-cross the valleys beckoning to be explored by kayak. This area is very remote so most visitors arrive by cruise ship or charter plane. After landing in the water, disembarking is onto a floatplane platform as shoreline excursions are not permitted by the USFS within the National Monument.
Hyder Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site Road
A town of about 85 that sits in the shadow of glaciers and sandwiched between two international borders, Hyder has no property taxes, nor do they have a police force. Citizens can openly carry firearms. The Alaskan spirit of independence and resourcefulness lives here and so does an abundance of wildlife. There is one road into town and in the summer thousands of tourists descend on this place to see the salmon run and the bears. The Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site is a day-use recreation area in the Salmon River Valley near Hyder, Alaska. Both brown (grizzly) and black bears can be observed and photographed at the site as they fish for chum and pink salmon in the clear shallow waters of Fish Creek and Marx Creek. Visitors will see wild bears in their natural habitat in this beautiful glacial river valley. Other wildlife frequently seen include nesting Canada geese, harlequin ducks, common mergansers, mink, beaver, bald eagles, and a wide variety of songbirds. Visitors occasionally see wolves fishing for salmon at this site.
Bears use the Fish Creek site from mid-July through early September, following the arrival of salmon that return to the fresh waters of the creeks to spawn. The site is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily. Forest Service employees are at the site during these hours to provide information about the bears and salmon, enforce site rules, and answer questions from visitors.
Fortress of the Bear Road
The rescue center opened in 2007 and now houses 8 bears. More than 20,000 visitors per year come to experience the majesty of these amazing creatures. They have sent bears to the Bronx Zoo, Montana Grizzly Encounter and the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. Their goal is to work with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to someday release rehabbed bears back into the wild. As a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization, they rely solely on admission fees and donations for funding. Please consider helping support Fortress of the Bear.
Admiralty Island
The native Tinglit people called the area “Kootznoowoo”, meaning fortress of the bears. They knew that the bears outnumbered them and on this island they roamed freely and unafraid. Today we call the area Admiralty Island and it is still home to one of the largest concentration of brown bears in North America. Pack Creek Wildlife Viewing Area is an outstanding place to capture photographs of brown bears, eagles, and even whales as they navigate the channels around the island.
Traitor’s Cove
A popular bear-viewing area and a short 20-minute flight from Ketchikan. After disembarking from the plane there is a short 10-12 minute guided walk through the rainforest, where local flora and fauna is pointed out. At Margaret Creek there is a bear-viewing platform situated above a waterfall and a unique fish ladder that helps the spawning salmon, but also makes for an easy lunch for the bears. The area is wide open and the short hike is one of the prettiest in the area. The site is maintained by USFS and permits are limited.
Neets Bay
It has been said that Ketchikan has some of the best bear viewing in Alaska. If that is the case then Neets is the epicenter. Located 40 miles from downtown Ketchikan, this area can only be assessed by floatplane or boat. The bears gravitate to Neets Bay thanks in part to the fish hatchery, which produces summer and fall chum, fall coho and chinook salmon. The eggs of the salmon are collected from the returning fish, raised in the hatchery and then released at several remote sites, thus ensuring a healthy and robust salmon population for all to enjoy. Bears instinctively know when the salmon are returning and arrive at Neets Creek ready for a meal as if an internal dinner bell has been rung. At any time dozens of bears can be seen feasting on the salmon behind the hatchery. Tours are limited to this area and include a float plane or boat tour. If arriving by floatplane, passengers will disembark and walk the guided trail to the fish hatchery. There is an observation area including a gazebo and benches. If you arrive by boat, passengers will not disembark but will instead stay on the boat and watch for bears along the shore line.
Prince of Wales Island
One of the lesser-known spots and not as popular as some of the other bear-viewing sites, but is still a unique tour where visitors disembark upon the shore and explore a rain forested island with the chance to see bears.
Herring Cove
Another lesser-known spot that rivals others in its serene rainforest walk on elevated platforms.
There are many ways to view bears in Alaska, from just driving down the highway to hikes and treks on forest trails. However, the safest way would be to book a tour with a guided bear-viewing company. In the excitement of seeing these massive animals many tourists can forget that bears are wild, unpredictable and can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. From first-hand experience I count my blessings for my Katmai guide who knew exactly what to do in every situation. These guides make the tour enjoyable, memorable and most importantly, they make it safe so you can come back to Alaska again and again.
