Alaska Bear Viewing Tours
Alaska's Wild Bears
Powerful and primal, bears are the ultimate symbol of the Alaskan backcountry. And seeing a bear in the wild is an extraordinary—and humbling—experience. So it’s no surprise that thousands of visitors each year tell us that bear viewing is at the top of their Alaskan bucket list.
It’s unlikely, however, that you’ll just happen upon a bear roaming the state’s massive untamed wilderness.
So what's the secret?
Increase your chances by hiring a professional guide. These experts know the prime spots to find bears.
Book your bear-viewing adventure with one of our recommended guide companies below. A typical day of bear viewing includes a flight, a short hike to the viewing location, hours of photographing bears, then a return flight.
Ask Us Your Bear Viewing Questions!
Bear Viewing Map and FAQs
Price Range
$250 walk-in tours, - $900 for remote fly-in
Best Time to Go
Mid-June to mid-August
Where to Go
Most bear-viewing tours leave out of these places:
- Anchorage
- Kenai/Soldotna
- Homer
- Juneau
- Ketchikan
- Kodiak
Juneau View All
Tours from Juneau include a short flight into prime brown bear viewing territory. Pack Creek is a remote, untouched wilderness area on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. The area is home to a large population of brown bears, and visitors can expect to see majestic landscapes, diverse wildlife, and untouched forests. Other sights include rivers, streams, glaciers, and alpine meadows.
“Bear” witness to the largest concentration of brown bears anywhere in the world. Admiralty and Chichagof Islands are uniquely accessible; just a short flight from Juneau, and Wild Coast’s daily small-group trips are scheduled to work for cruise ship guests and independent travelers alike. All trips have a net-positive impact on the environment by being 125% Carbon-Negative!
Pack Creek Bear Tours offers fully guided adventures to Admiralty Island or Chichagof Island, each home to more than 1,500 brown bears! After a beautiful 20- or 25-minute floatplane ride, you’ll land on a remote beach. Take a short walk to the bear-viewing area, where you can watch these magnificent creatures for hours in their natural environment.
The journey is not just about bears; you might also encounter seals, sea lions, moose, wolves, and an array of birdlife. Ideal for cruise ship visitors, this tour is designed to suit both short and full-day schedules, with snacks and a delicious shore lunch provided on longer trips. Experience the magic of Alaska’s wilderness and its majestic bears in a safe, respectful, and intimate setting.
Anchorage View All
Tours from Anchorage include destinations such as Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks, seeing wild brown bears along the coastline. Both locations are two of the best places to see brown bears in their natural habitat. In addition to brown bears, visitors may see caribou, deer, wolves, moose, and many species of birds. There are also many beautiful landscapes to explore and take in, including glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and active volcanoes.
Viewing brown bears in their natural habitat is one of the most amazing things you can do in Alaska. If it’s high on your list, book a flight-seeing/ bear viewing trip with Trail Ridge Air, knowing that personable pilots will take you to where bears splash and fish, and where visitors run out of words to describe their amazement.
In the best way possible. you’re outnumbered by bears during your stay at this private fly-in wilderness camp. Fly by chartered plane from Homer to Alaska Bear Camp on a 5‑night, 6‑day all-inclusive package. This deluxe backcountry camp accommodates just 14 guests in some of the best bear habitat in the world. In contrast to day trips catering to dozens of visitors at a time, Bear Camp offers a rare and exclusive wilderness immersion.
With Alaska Air Service you’ll fly from Anchorage to Lake Clark National Park, where they’re a licensed park concessionaire. On the 6- to 7‑hour expedition with an intimate group (there’s a 4‑to‑1 guest-to-guide ratio), you’ll start with a landing inside the park on a beach or in the grasslands to watch bears. Then you’ll travel, unrushed, to other spots in the park. Few operators include multiple locations, but showing you as much of the park’s ...more
Take off by seaplane for an all-day bear-viewing expedition. Fly past glaciers and volcanoes to the brown-bear country of southwest Alaska. Your Seaplane Bear Safari will take you to Brooks River Falls in Katmai National Park, home of the world ’ s largest salmon run. You can also fly 70 miles southwest of Anchorage to Lake Clark Wilderness Preserve for amazing bear viewing and luxurious accommodations at the Redoubt Bay Lodge. Rust’s, which has ...more
Brooks Lodge offers their own bear viewing tours which are less expensive than most, and give you more time at Katmai National Park to watch bears feasting on sockeye salmon from several viewing platforms. A commercial flight from Anchorage takes you to King Salmon where you’ll switch to a small float plane for a quick 20-minute flight to Brooks Camp. After a brief safety orientation, you can watch bears from several viewing platforms, join the ...more
Hop aboard one of Regal Air’s planes departing from Anchorage and after a short, scenic flight you can be watching enormous brown bears swat salmon from Alaska’s rushing waters. Tours visit one of two destinations: Lake Clark National Park or Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park.
Kodiak View All
Tours from Kodiak focus on the coastal brown bear species, seeing brown bears along the Katmai coast and the subspecies of Kodiak brown bears on Kodiak Island. Both locations are two of the best places to see brown bears in their natural habitat. In addition to brown bears, visitors may see caribou, deer, wolves, moose, and many species of birds. There are also many beautiful landscapes to explore and take in, including glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and active volcanoes.
The Ayakulik River area is remote Alaska at its best — a fly-in-only area of Western Alaska with abundant wildlife and some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. During this workshop with professional photographers, you’ll capture stunning shots and experience off-the-grid riverfront camping
Stay at a luxury lodge near the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and spend each day viewing Kodiak Brown Bears with your professional photographer guides. And you’ll be there for the famous Fat Bear Week, when bears are fattened up from having gorged on salmon all summer.
On this six-day, all-inclusive summertime expedition, you’ll head to gorgeous Kodiak Island with Dan M Lee and Jessical Haydahl, two professional photographers specializing in Alaska. Your small group tour includes two brown bear viewing fly-outs and a marine wildlife tour. You’ll come away not only with better technical skills, but you’ll also learn how to think outside the box in order to capture the story behind the image, and how to document ...more
Immerse yourself in a multi-day Alaskan adventure that promises incredible views and jaw-dropping bear viewing in Katmai National Park, along with a warm camaraderie that only a small group expedition can create. Explore from your home base on the Island C, a research vessel that gets you close to the action while providing comfortable lodging and delicious meals.
Kenai / Soldotna View All
Tours from the Kenai/Soldotna areas concentrate on traveling to Lake Clark National Park, seeing coastal brown bears along the shoreline. You will see breathtaking scenery, including mountains, glaciers, rivers, and lakes. You may also see moose, caribou, and countless bird species.
Fly out of Soldotna with Natron’s owner and pilot, Tim. You’ll soar over the Cook Inlet towards Mt. Iliamna Volcano and land on a beach, right where the bears are. You’ll watch them playing and clamming and be close enough to take amazing photos.
Ketchikan View All
Tours from Ketchikan include a short flight or boat ride into prime bear viewing territory. Anan Creek and Traitors Cove are remote, untouched wilderness areas in Southeast Alaska. The area is home to a large population of black and brown bears, and visitors can expect to see both species sharing the same habitat. The area is part of the Tongass National Forest and is home to some of the best salmon runs in Alaska.
Homer View All
Tours from Homer include destinations such as Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks, seeing wild brown bears along the coastline. Both locations are two of the best places to see brown bears in their natural habitat. In addition to brown bears, visitors may see caribou, deer, wolves, moose, and many species of birds. There are also many beautiful landscapes to explore and take in, including glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and active volcanoes.
A scenic 25-minute helicopter flight from Homer lands you in the bear-viewing paradise of Lake Clark National Park. You’ll land on a beach, where an expert guide from Bear Mountain Lodge will take you in a 4WD vehicle to watch bears as they feed on salmon, sedge grasses, wild berries, or clams.
In the best way possible. you’re outnumbered by bears during your stay at this private fly-in wilderness camp. Fly by chartered plane from Homer to Alaska Bear Camp on a 5‑night, 6‑day all-inclusive package. This deluxe backcountry camp accommodates just 14 guests in some of the best bear habitat in the world. In contrast to day trips catering to dozens of visitors at a time, Bear Camp offers a rare and exclusive wilderness immersion.
Watch bears digging for clams, wandering the sedge grass, or nursing their young – all in a short flight from Homer to Katmai or Lake Clark National Park. Smokey Bay’s bear tours last about five hours total — including flights and about three hours on the ground. On any given day there will always be a morning outing (leaving at 8 a.m. at the latest) and possibly one that leaves around 2 p.m.
For many Alaskan travelers, bears are the ultimate highlight. Pair a magnificent sighting with a gorgeous helicopter flightseeing ride and you’ll have an unforgettable experience. On this unique tour from Homer, you’ll take a helicopter ride out into one of Alaska’s gorgeous national parks to witness these spectacular creatures in the wild.
Spend several hours or a full day watching bears in the wild on a quintessential Alaskan adventure with a family-run company. Start with a scenic flight out of Homer over Kachemak Bay and into Katmai or Lake Clark National Park. Once you land, your pilot/guide will take you to an optimal spot to watch and photograph these magnificent creatures in their natural environment, hunting, playing, and relaxing. Spend anywhere from 1.5 to 9 hours on the ...more
See Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears in the wild on a floatplane trip to Katmai National Park. Visit Brooks Falls or join a guided tour to other remote locations within the park. Both trips provide 5 hours on the ground with the bears. Founded in 1991, Emerald Air Service’s mission is to increase the understanding and appreciation of the unique ecosystem that supports bears.
Fairbanks View All
View polar bears in the wild