Alaska suggestions please (1 Viewer)

[West End Birder]

Hi
We are thinking about visiting Alaska next year, primarily to see Brown and Black Bears as well as anything else mammalian and of course birds. My thoughts are fly to Anchorage and drive down the Kenai Peninsular - can someone tell me if this is a good idea and any tips? The other option is to drive towards Fairbanks or SE to Prince William Sound.

Which is best please? Also if we go for option 1, is it worth doing the "fly-in" bear watch? It is incredibly expensive and I can't help but think with a bit of luck and patience I could find my own bears (there must be loads of sites for them without flying to see them, sounds a bit touristy too). Also as an ex-pilot I am not sure I want to go on a Beaver!

Many thanks in advance.

Regards

Rob

 

[Farnboro John]

One immediate suggestion is that if the primary aim is Black and Brown Bears, go to Yellowstone instead and add Bison, Wolf and Pronghorn. Plenty of Elk about, Coyotes etc. Good bit cheaper I should think as well!

(Mind you, as a Gavin Lyall fan I can't believe you don't want a trip on a De Havilland classic Beaver floatplane. My only worries would be it being a boring Turbo-Beaver rather than a traditional P&W!)

John

 

[Jos Stratford]

One immediate suggestion is that if the primary aim is Black and Brown Bears, go to Yellowstone instead and add Bison, Wolf and Pronghorn. Plenty of Elk about, Coyotes etc. Good bit cheaper I should think as well!

(Mind you, as a Gavin Lyall fan I can't believe you don't want a trip on a De Havilland classic Beaver floatplane. My only worries would be it being a boring Turbo-Beaver rather than a traditional P&W!)

John

Yellowstone is certainly easier to see both bears and Wolf. But if Alaska, Denali National Park is excellent for bears, but relatively far north.

 

[West End Birder]

Thanks for the info, it has to be Alaska as that has such nice scenary, but will have a look at Yellowstone, is that near Jellystone and Yogi?!

The Beaver on floats just looks like it is asking for trouble (and has done in the past) and yes the turbo version looks awful!

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

I lived near Fairbanks for 30 years, now retired and living in Montana.
A landslide has closed the road in Denali National Park at mile 43,
Closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 is expected to remain in place through summer 2026.
Thus Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake is closed to visitors until the road reopens.
You can drive a personal vehicle to mile 15, beyond mile 15 it is a tour bus in the summer.

If you want to see large brown bears, a fly in is the way to go but that is very expensive.
A nice road trip would be fly into Anchorage, take the Glenn Highway to Valdez,
spend a day on a glacier/wildlife cruise at Valdez, take the Richardson Highway to Fairbanks,
spend a day in that area, take the Parks Highway to Denali, spend a day there,
and the continue down the Parks Highway to Anchorage.
Most of that trip is on paved roads....
many of Alaska highways are not paved: Elliot Highway towards Manley Hot Springs,
Dalton Highway up to Prudoe Bay, Steese HIghway from 12mile summit to Circle, etc.

 

[Torchepot]

Stayed in Juneau for a couple of weeks (late April/early May) many years ago and visited several locations where bears had been sighted without success, then took a boat trip to Tracy Arm glacier and saw 14 grizzlies in a couple of hours foraging along the shorelines (including a mother with 3 cubs). I think we got lucky with the timing as they are really active on a falling tide. We also saw humpbacks and orcas on another boat trip from Juneau.
Later the same trip went to Yellowstone for ten days and saw another 8 grizzlies and six black bears, with a couple of very close encounters!

 

[Brad Hacker]

You might contact Sheep Mtn Lodge along the Matanuska River. I flew (in) helicopters from there to the Chugach Mtns for work 20 yr ago. Plenty of bears and moose, not far from Anchorage, and great people.

 

[MiddleRiver]

I lived near Fairbanks for 30 years, now retired and living in Montana.
A landslide has closed the road in Denali National Park at mile 43,
Closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 is expected to remain in place through summer 2026.
Thus Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake is closed to visitors until the road reopens.
You can drive a personal vehicle to mile 15, beyond mile 15 it is a tour bus in the summer.

If you want to see large brown bears, a fly in is the way to go but that is very expensive.
A nice road trip would be fly into Anchorage, take the Glenn Highway to Valdez,
spend a day on a glacier/wildlife cruise at Valdez, take the Richardson Highway to Fairbanks,
spend a day in that area, take the Parks Highway to Denali, spend a day there,
and the continue down the Parks Highway to Anchorage.
Most of that trip is on paved roads....
many of Alaska highways are not paved: Elliot Highway towards Manley Hot Springs,
Dalton Highway up to Prudoe Bay, Steese HIghway from 12mile summit to Circle, etc.

Good itin IMHO.

Denali is a no-brainer for seeing bears and other wildlife. The road is closed about 43, but good wildlife before that. Also, concentrate on locations where Salmon are running... if it's in-season.

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

I lived near Fairbanks for 30 years, now retired and living in Montana.
A landslide has closed the road in Denali National Park at mile 43,
Closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 is expected to remain in place through summer 2026.
Thus Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake is closed to visitors until the road reopens.
You can drive a personal vehicle to mile 15, beyond mile 15 it is a tour bus in the summer.

If you want to see large brown bears, a fly in is the way to go but that is very expensive.
A nice road trip would be fly into Anchorage, take the Glenn Highway to Valdez,
spend a day on a glacier/wildlife cruise at Valdez, take the Richardson Highway to Fairbanks,
spend a day in that area, take the Parks Highway to Denali, spend a day there,
and the continue down the Parks Highway to Anchorage.
Most of that trip is on paved roads....
many of Alaska highways are not paved: Elliot Highway towards Manley Hot Springs,
Dalton Highway up to Prudoe Bay, Steese HIghway from 12mile summit to Circle, etc.

Also the Denaili Highway from Cantwell to Paxton is also unpaved and can be muddy or
dusty especially if your behind an RV. The Glenn Highway is paved all the way if you
plan on driving from Anchorage to Valdez.

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

Good itin IMHO.

Denali is a no-brainer for seeing bears and other wildlife. The road is closed about 43, but good wildlife before that. Also, concentrate on locations where Salmon are running... if it's in-season.

Salmon runs are not nearly as important in interior Alaska as with coastal brown bears.
Denali bears mostly are digging up ground squirrels, feeding on berries, etc.

 

[Elkhornsun]

Hi
We are thinking about visiting Alaska next year, primarily to see Brown and Black Bears as well as anything else mammalian and of course birds. My thoughts are fly to Anchorage and drive down the Kenai Peninsular - can someone tell me if this is a good idea and any tips? The other option is to drive towards Fairbanks or SE to Prince William Sound.

Which is best please? Also if we go for option 1, is it worth doing the "fly-in" bear watch? It is incredibly expensive and I can't help but think with a bit of luck and patience I could find my own bears (there must be loads of sites for them without flying to see them, sounds a bit touristy too). Also as an ex-pilot I am not sure I want to go on a Beaver!

Many thanks in advance.

Regards

Rob

The bears are going to be easiest to spot when they are feeding on the salmon runs and these runs occur at different times during the year at any given stream. Flying to the bears in a small floatplane is the best approach. For moose you can stay in Anchorage but be very careful as they are more dangerous than the bears.

We took a boat charter from Katmai and on the 60 foot boat with one other passenger we went to where the bears were and went ashore with an inflatable and along the way saw whales and puffins and other marine life.

 

[West End Birder]

Thank you very much, we wanted to avoide the tourist thing with the plane not least because of the crazy cost! Very helpful info thank you

 

[West End Birder]

What about black bears?

 

[edwincjones]

Nome has a lot of birding activities in the spring

edj