Our Bear trip to Alaska
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:29 PM
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Our Bear trip to Alaska
We just returned from a wonderful 10 days in Alaska. I have always wanted to see brown bears and this was the main purpose of our trip. After a 24 hr delay in Atlanta due to flooding on the East Coast, we arrived in Anchorage. Stayed at the Millenium Hotel near the airport which is located on Lake Hood, a large seaplane base.
The next morning we left for Brooks Lodge at Katmai National Park. Our flight on ERA airlines took us to King Salmon where we connected to a floatplane to the lodge. Within a few minutes of landing, I saw my first mother bear and her cub at the bridge - my first "bear jam". We had to wait until they moved and all traffic was held up until they were so many feet away.
It was so exciting to see them in the wild and see how big they were!
After a good buffet lunch at Brooks, we headed to the waterfalls to see if the salmon has started running yet - it was June 28. After a short hike, we saw a huge bear on the side of the water and another bear at the falls. The salmon run was just beginning and the bears were out! We spent the rest of the day on the platform just watching and taking pictures! Returning for a quick dinner, we came back to find even more bears at night at the falls! While we were there we met several guys from National Geographic filming a documentary.
The next day was spent watching bears everywhere- at the falls, along the trail, in the lake chasing fishermen, along the river and walking thru camp. At 5:00 when the Otter floatplane came to take us back, the last thing I wanted to do was leave.
The next part of our journey was to Denali.We rented a car upon returning to Anchorage and then drove the following day about 6 hrs to Denali - stopping off in Talkeetna for beer and pizza at Mile High Pizza and a few other sights along the way. We stayed in a wonderful B&B called Denali Lakeview Inn, about 10 miles north of the park. Arriving at 10 pm, they packed our lunch for our bus ride into the park the next day. We took the shuttle into the park as far as Fish Creek. It was a cloudy cold day and probably the worst day of our trip. We didn't want to walk, hike and stayed on the shuttle the whole time. We did see a bear and 2 cubs at Denali walking along the road, but most of the other animals - caribou, sheep, moose,ect... were at such a distance it was hard to see even with binoculars. We were glad we went to Denali but probably would not do the ride again.
Returning to Anchorage the following day, we stopped in Talkeetna for the circle tour of Mt. McKinley with Talkeetna Aero. Great trip even though the weather was horrible on the ground, it was gorgeous above the clouds! Spectacular views!
Back in Anchorage, we stayed at The Lake Hood Inn and loved watching all the floatplanes. Great location! Took in the show at Mr. Whitekey's comedy club and hit Koot's for a drink.
Our next adventure took us to Homer. The drive south of Anchorage is breathtaking and the mountains are so majestic. After the turnoff toward the Kenai Peninsula and past the Russian River, the scenery was not as good. In fact, the 5 hours to Homer were very long. But it was so worth it when we looked down on the Homer Spit at the edge of town. The scenery was awesome! Our favorite part of our whole vacation was a day trip with Chris and Ken Day of Emerald Air to see the bears at Katmai. Ken flew us over in his impressive Otter floatplane and then Chris led us right up to the bears. We saw 8 bears up close and personal that day along the coast. We learned so much more about the bears, their behavior, and I was not frightened at all. It was an experience of a lifetime I will never forget!!
We will never forget the bears and Alaska, and hope one day to return - I highly recommend to everyone! Thanks to everyone that gave me advice along the way!
The next morning we left for Brooks Lodge at Katmai National Park. Our flight on ERA airlines took us to King Salmon where we connected to a floatplane to the lodge. Within a few minutes of landing, I saw my first mother bear and her cub at the bridge - my first "bear jam". We had to wait until they moved and all traffic was held up until they were so many feet away.
It was so exciting to see them in the wild and see how big they were!
After a good buffet lunch at Brooks, we headed to the waterfalls to see if the salmon has started running yet - it was June 28. After a short hike, we saw a huge bear on the side of the water and another bear at the falls. The salmon run was just beginning and the bears were out! We spent the rest of the day on the platform just watching and taking pictures! Returning for a quick dinner, we came back to find even more bears at night at the falls! While we were there we met several guys from National Geographic filming a documentary.
The next day was spent watching bears everywhere- at the falls, along the trail, in the lake chasing fishermen, along the river and walking thru camp. At 5:00 when the Otter floatplane came to take us back, the last thing I wanted to do was leave.
The next part of our journey was to Denali.We rented a car upon returning to Anchorage and then drove the following day about 6 hrs to Denali - stopping off in Talkeetna for beer and pizza at Mile High Pizza and a few other sights along the way. We stayed in a wonderful B&B called Denali Lakeview Inn, about 10 miles north of the park. Arriving at 10 pm, they packed our lunch for our bus ride into the park the next day. We took the shuttle into the park as far as Fish Creek. It was a cloudy cold day and probably the worst day of our trip. We didn't want to walk, hike and stayed on the shuttle the whole time. We did see a bear and 2 cubs at Denali walking along the road, but most of the other animals - caribou, sheep, moose,ect... were at such a distance it was hard to see even with binoculars. We were glad we went to Denali but probably would not do the ride again.
Returning to Anchorage the following day, we stopped in Talkeetna for the circle tour of Mt. McKinley with Talkeetna Aero. Great trip even though the weather was horrible on the ground, it was gorgeous above the clouds! Spectacular views!
Back in Anchorage, we stayed at The Lake Hood Inn and loved watching all the floatplanes. Great location! Took in the show at Mr. Whitekey's comedy club and hit Koot's for a drink.
Our next adventure took us to Homer. The drive south of Anchorage is breathtaking and the mountains are so majestic. After the turnoff toward the Kenai Peninsula and past the Russian River, the scenery was not as good. In fact, the 5 hours to Homer were very long. But it was so worth it when we looked down on the Homer Spit at the edge of town. The scenery was awesome! Our favorite part of our whole vacation was a day trip with Chris and Ken Day of Emerald Air to see the bears at Katmai. Ken flew us over in his impressive Otter floatplane and then Chris led us right up to the bears. We saw 8 bears up close and personal that day along the coast. We learned so much more about the bears, their behavior, and I was not frightened at all. It was an experience of a lifetime I will never forget!!
We will never forget the bears and Alaska, and hope one day to return - I highly recommend to everyone! Thanks to everyone that gave me advice along the way!
Jul 31st, 2006, 04:41 PM
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Glad you enjoyed the bear show. Bears are fun to watch when there's a safe distance between them and you, same as sharks I guess!
Years ago when I lived in an Aleutian village, they had a dump close to the boat harbor and a five minute walk from the cannery.
People would walk right up to the sleeping bears figuring they were safe and the bears were too sleepy to care. If I had videos of all the ding-al-ings who nearly met their maker, it would be quite a show.
When the wind blows and you are fairly close to them, they give off quite a strong odor, just rotten as can be.
You are right about the drive between Cooper Landing and Soldotna. We listen to audio books to pass the time, and I continue to press my luck with the trooper's radars
and the stubby trees are black Spruce.
It is prettier in winter with snow and mountains making a nice landscape. J.
Years ago when I lived in an Aleutian village, they had a dump close to the boat harbor and a five minute walk from the cannery.
People would walk right up to the sleeping bears figuring they were safe and the bears were too sleepy to care. If I had videos of all the ding-al-ings who nearly met their maker, it would be quite a show.
When the wind blows and you are fairly close to them, they give off quite a strong odor, just rotten as can be.
You are right about the drive between Cooper Landing and Soldotna. We listen to audio books to pass the time, and I continue to press my luck with the trooper's radars
and the stubby trees are black Spruce.It is prettier in winter with snow and mountains making a nice landscape. J.
Jul 31st, 2006, 04:57 PM
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teresa48, sounds like a great trip! Would you have pictures, esp of the bears, Katmai, and Homer, to share? I haven't been to Katmai and Homer and always want to know what a traveler's experience of those places are like. Hope I'll get to go there one day! Thanks.
Jul 31st, 2006, 05:13 PM
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Is Brooks Falls not one of the most amazing places ever? We were there on July 13th out of Anchorage and all I can say is WOW. How lucky that you were able to spend the night there and get to stay at the falls after all the daytrippers head out.
When are you making plans to come see the polar bears?
When are you making plans to come see the polar bears?
Jul 31st, 2006, 05:37 PM
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Sounds like you had a great trip - thanks for sharing. I'm curious - when you returned to Katmai did you return to Brooks Camp or did you go elsewhere to view bears. Were the prices for the two trips comparable (outside of lodging)? I'm still trying to decide if we should put forth the expense to go see the bears or just take our chances on seeing them in our travels in Denali and on our trip south to Girdwood, Seward and Homer.
Jul 31st, 2006, 06:05 PM
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alaskafan,
We went to Brooks Lodge at the beginning of the trip but our day trip with Emerald air went to another part of Katmai- close to Hallo Bay. It was a totally different area and experience. To really see the bears you have to get off the beaten path. You might by chance see some at Denali but not like you will at Katmai.
The difference in price :
Brooks Lodge for 2 days/ 1 night was $826.00 per person.
Emerald Air day trip was $540(cash) per person.
It is expensive, but the experience is priceless!
We went to Brooks Lodge at the beginning of the trip but our day trip with Emerald air went to another part of Katmai- close to Hallo Bay. It was a totally different area and experience. To really see the bears you have to get off the beaten path. You might by chance see some at Denali but not like you will at Katmai.
The difference in price :
Brooks Lodge for 2 days/ 1 night was $826.00 per person.
Emerald Air day trip was $540(cash) per person.
It is expensive, but the experience is priceless!
Aug 1st, 2006, 03:47 AM
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Teresa,
We are going with Emerald Air the 4th of Sept. I'd love to ask you some specific questions about the trip. Would you mind an e-mail? My e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks
jfmkem
We are going with Emerald Air the 4th of Sept. I'd love to ask you some specific questions about the trip. Would you mind an e-mail? My e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks
jfmkem
Aug 1st, 2006, 04:18 AM
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Teresa, thanks for a nice report.
jfmkem, please ask your questions here. We went with Emerald at least 8 times and are going again this year. Although I don't want to do this any more. As much as it is a wonderful experience and so very different each time. I made a deal with my husband, I 'll go this year, last time, if he agrees to go to Alaska in March.
Anyway, if you have any questions please ask them here. I bet those who consider bear watching trips in any future would benefit from knowing more details.
jfmkem, please ask your questions here. We went with Emerald at least 8 times and are going again this year. Although I don't want to do this any more. As much as it is a wonderful experience and so very different each time. I made a deal with my husband, I 'll go this year, last time, if he agrees to go to Alaska in March.
Anyway, if you have any questions please ask them here. I bet those who consider bear watching trips in any future would benefit from knowing more details.
Aug 1st, 2006, 09:46 AM
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Hi Teresa,
Nice report, although at the same time words cannot express the magical experience of an Emerald Air beartrip. We just happened to be on the same trip as you guys (we're part of the Dutch group who were there that day).
Wasn't it just awesome to be able to visit the bears at their home turf! Chris has so much knowledge about bears and it was a truly unforgettable day in our lives.
We never once felt uncomfortable being that close to the bears.
If you'd like to see some photos I made on the bear viewing trip, click on this link: http://www.pbase.com/chamook/alaska__june_2006
Say hi to Brad (Brett?) for us, will you.
Take care!
Hélène & René
Nice report, although at the same time words cannot express the magical experience of an Emerald Air beartrip. We just happened to be on the same trip as you guys (we're part of the Dutch group who were there that day).
Wasn't it just awesome to be able to visit the bears at their home turf! Chris has so much knowledge about bears and it was a truly unforgettable day in our lives.
We never once felt uncomfortable being that close to the bears.
If you'd like to see some photos I made on the bear viewing trip, click on this link: http://www.pbase.com/chamook/alaska__june_2006
Say hi to Brad (Brett?) for us, will you.
Take care!
Hélène & René
Aug 1st, 2006, 10:20 AM
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You've made me want to return to Alaska just to see the bears! We decided that we could not justify the expense of flying in to see bears when we were in Alaska in July. We saw several (10-12) on the Denali bus ride to Wonderlake, and 4-5 on the Kenai Fjords boat tour--2 on the beach, but we really wanted to see bears fishing for salmon. In fact we even took a picture of a poster of a bear holding a salmon in his mouth as a consolation prize. When we show that picture to friends, they ask why it looks so strange. Then, we have to confess our trick! Thanks for sharing the cost. I'll have to build in that cost on our next trip.
Aug 1st, 2006, 10:26 AM
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I agree with Wannabe, I wanna go back for the bears . . .
and the icebergs, and the glaciers, and the silence, and the stars, and the whales, and the beauty, and the puffin, and the summer temps, and the blue skies, and the moose, and the blue ice, and I could go on and on!
and the icebergs, and the glaciers, and the silence, and the stars, and the whales, and the beauty, and the puffin, and the summer temps, and the blue skies, and the moose, and the blue ice, and I could go on and on!
#39;( I'm kidding silly.. one week from yesterday, the wait will be over
now, if only I could recapture the rock hard abs from 1984
J.
Aug 1st, 2006, 11:12 AM
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back to bear talk(as our bare talk is a bore)..
the Russian River area is not allowing tent camping due to the recent amount of increased bear activity.. today's ADN had a front page photo of a grizzly next to a fisherman in Bird Creek, outside of Anchorage off the Sterling.. the day before, a guy with a baby in a front pack and the bear was across the river.
egads, even Steve Irwin might have bolted!
Aug 1st, 2006, 11:21 AM
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When we did the Russian River trail, we saw a mother grizzley with 2 cubs up ahead of us. We immediately went back to our car. I can't imagine fishing or hiking and one walking up on "us." In Valdez, we were escorted off of one trail because they were closing it down due to so many bears in the area. I was thankful for the escort if there were so many that the trail had to be closed!
Aug 1st, 2006, 12:46 PM
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HeleneD, you have amazing pictures of wildlife! How did you manage to see so many, esp. of the babies? And of wildlife in action--bald eagle catching fish, moose jumping over a highway rail, etc. Wow. You should start your old trip report, and let us know where you went. Not all your photos had captions so I wasn't sure where you took them.
