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ACTIVITIES
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| Bear Viewing Hiking Tours |
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This once-in-a-lifetime trip is truly an experience for the adventurer looking to view, photograph and admire North America’s most magnificent big game animal – the brown bear. From a comfortable camp along Chinitna Bay on the coast of Lake Clark National Park, amidst the tundra of Moraine Creek in Katmai country, or at the world-famous Brooks Camp of Katmai National Park, we’ll spend our days in search of bears. These venues are some of the most spectacular, remote and natural areas in Alaska to view these majestic creatures.
Whether we’re viewing 20 different bruins feeding on sedges along the Lake Clark coast, watching them roam the tundra near Moraine Creek in Katmai, or admiring a large boar catching spawning Sockeye Salmon at the world famous Brooks Falls, these venues are some of the most spectacular, remote and pristine areas in southwest Alaska to view these majestic creatures.
Which location we choose will strictly be based on the time of the summer and which particular habitats are active. Our June trips visit the remote Lake Clark National Park coastline, where mating pairs and family groups gather to feed on nourishing sedges. In July, we spend our time at Brooks Camp near the famous Brooks River and falls. Here a multitude of bears converge each year to partake in a feast of Bristol Bay salmon. And finally, our August trips will visit Moraine Creek – also in Katmai National Park. This area is frequented by numerous bears who gather in the area to fatten up on spawning fish. |
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TOUR ITINERARY 
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Day 01 Anchorage - Port Alsworth
Fly from Anchorage to Port Alsworth in Lake Clark National Park. Check into local accommodations. Orientation dinner at the Farm Lodge.
Day 02-04 Port Alsworth - Bear Viewing Site
We fly by floatplane from Port Alsworth to Chinitna Bay, Brooks Camp or Moraine Creek - depending on the season. We set up our basecamp for two nights and spend the entire days to view the bears and hike the area.
Chinitna Bay: Chinitna Bay is located on the West shore of Cook Inlet, Alaska. The bears at Chinitna Bay roam uninhibited over a 20 mile area. There are no public viewing platforms and no park rangers. These bears are wild, unaccustomed to constant human presence. They are magnificent examples of wild natural wonder, that can be experienced without harm to them, you, or the environment when done properly. We strive to maintain an unintrusive presence so that we can enjoy observing the bears for years to come. The first two weeks of June is bear mating season and by late June the boars have seperated themselves from the sows. At this time the sows and cubs take over the grass flats and it is not uncommon to fly over and count 50 bears grazing on the grasses of this unique section of land along Chinitna Bay. Sows with twins and even triplets are not uncommon. The bears feed on grasses early in the spring and progress to berries and fish in the fall. From our camp you can watch bears crossing the grass flats on trails beaten into the ground from years of bear traffic. Bears frolicking and chasing each other up the valleys and fishing in the creek is not unusual. You can be sure that the photography opportunities will be plentiful.
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TOUR INCLUDES:
- Return Flight Anchorage - Port Alsworth
- Flight Port Alsworth - Bear Viewing Site
- 1 Night Hotel in Port Alsworth
- 3 Nights Camping
- Experienced Wilderness Guide
- All group camping gear, tent
- Safety equipment
- All meals
- National Park Fee
Price does not include sleeping pad
and sleeping bag (optional for rent).
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Brooks Camp: Katmai National Park is located on the northeast coast of the Alaska Peninsula. It boasts the largest population of protected brown bears in the world. During the July salmon runs, Katmai's Brooks River & Falls is the focus of bears feeding in the park, providing visitors with unparalleled views of Alaskan brown bears. Brown bears are very active in Katmai. The number of brown bears in the Park has grown to over 2,000, making them the world's largest protected population of these bigger cousins of the grizzly. Calorie rich seafood is the reason they get so big. During the peak of the world's largest sockeye salmon run each July, and during return of the "spawned out" salmon in September, forty to sixty bears congregate along the Brooks River near Brooks Camp. Brooks Camp Campground is the only established campground in the Park.
Moraine Creek: Most every year to the beginning of August, we leave the Brooks River and move to a high mountain stream called Moraine Creek. Since this place is farther from the ocean, it takes until the end of July for the fish to make it this far up. By late July, the fish will start to arrive. Bright red schools of salmon flood into this part of the country and along with their arrival comes the Bears. These snow fed rivers are shallow, swift and clear and the bears start feeding with a frenzy. It’s not unusual to see 15 or 20 different bears throughout the course of the day and literally tens of thousands of spawning red salmon. Last year was a great run and the bears were able to literally heard big schools of fish completely out of the water and up on shallow sand bars! By then, the fish were in their bright red spawning colors, it was an awesome sight! |
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Day 05 Port Alsworth - Anchorage
Return to Port Alsworth by early afternoon and finally back to Anchorage. Please schedule your flight home from Anchorage for after 9pm. |
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RATES PER PERSON IN US$
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Adult
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Double Room / Tent Occupancy
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$0.00
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DEPARTURE DATES:
June 17-21, 24-28
July 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26
August 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, 26-30
September 2-6, 9-13
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