Alaska’s grizzly and brown bears are among this state’s most intriguing, elusive, prominent, and dangerous Alaska animals. Your Alaska adventure might not be complete without an Alaska bear viewing tour to see these beautiful bruins in their natural environments. You can photograph and learn about their habitats, hunting, and mating habits and watch them in action at one of the many Alaska bear-viewing lodges and retreats or along Denali National Park. Whether by land, air or water, or some combination of the three, we will take you to where the bears are, get you close, and keep you safe.
Grizzly bears live in the Interior and Arctic regions of Alaska, such as Denali National Park and Gates of the Arctic National Park. “Grizzlies” (as they are fondly referred to locally) tend to eat roots, grubs, and small rodents, and because of the difficulty in finding an abundance of food, grizzly bears tend to be smaller more aggressive than brown bears. The best grizzly bear viewing option is in Denali National Park but keeps in mind that this is a vast wilderness area, so nothing is guaranteed.
Brown bears are found in the coastal regions of Alaska, such as Katmai National Park, Lake Clark National Park, and Kodiak Island. When you see these magnificent animals on their home turf roaming freely along the coastline, catching salmon at Brooks Falls, digging for clams, or rearing young against the extraordinary backdrop of Kodiak Island – it’s a moment when you forget everything else and soak in nature at its best. Bear-watching day trips can be added to most itineraries and depart from several locations around the state.
One popular bear viewing option is visiting the Alaska Peninsula near Bristol Bay, where Katmai National Park’s Brooks Camp offers the iconic Alaska “big bears catching big fish” experience. This is the ultimate in bear viewing – at peak salmon season along the Brooks River when dozens of bears with powerful jaws and claws hunt for daily sustenance. These bear-viewing tours will genuinely give you the thrill of a lifetime!
And for the less adventurous or those with less time, you can observe all breeds of Alaska bears at the Anchorage Zoo and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center south of Anchorage.