Best time of year for Whales & Bears

Hi

I am planning a trip to Alaska for Summer/Fall 2007 with wife and 2 kids. Have not dedided on whether to cruise or travel around by road and air. But we definitely want to see lots of Whales and Bears. I understand Junneau is a good place but I can not find any recommendations on best time of year. Any suggestions, especialy for trips/places/times where sightings are virtually guaranteed.

Thanks

Kevin

Best time of year for Whales %26amp; Bears

Hi Kevin! Well, whales can be seen in the inside passage (cruise) as well as taking a boat tour from Seward. Bears can be seen all over - but if you want to see the big grizzlies, Katmai has a bunch, though I know they limit how many tourists can go to Katmai to see them . . . and I am not sure what the application process is for that, though I am sure their website would tell you: www.nps.gov/katm

Generally, you can also see lots of wildlife, including bears, wolves, etc., on a shuttle bus ride through Denali National Park : www.nps.gov/dena.

Hope that helps get you started on your adventure to Alaska! :)

Best time of year for Whales %26amp; Bears

Hi Kevin

We have seen whales at all times of the year in the Southeast from the ferry.....if you want a closer look, there are several tour boats from Juneau that operate during the summer expressly for whale viewing......some even guarantee whale sightings....There are also some good whale watching tours out of Seward.........

As for bears......they can be just about anywhere......you may see some at the Mendenall Glacier in Juneau during August feeding on the salmon in the Mendenhall River at the base of the glacier.....

but the most consistent sightings I have seen in the South east are here in Haines.......Brown bears feed on the salmon in the Chilkoot River.....July, August and September.....sometimes you may seem them during the day.....but more often in early morning or evening hours......Check with your cruiseline.....seems most of the them arrive in port too late or leave too early for the chance of bear viewing.....You may find it better if you rent a car or RV and book any side tours independently........ There are plenty of people on this forum who would be happy to assist you......

We haven%26#39;t been to the Southeast yet, but out of curiosity I did a quick web search on guaranteed sightings and the following site looked interesting (I know nothing about this company and I am sure there are others) - they guarantee seeing whales during summer and fall and mention a high concentration of bears and eagles also (but don%26#39;t say the season for those). I would suggest you call them and ask.

www.orcaenterprises.com/1-Our%20Tour.htm

I also heard about Katmai as the guaranteed place to see bears - see http://www.katmai.national-park.com/visit.htm

We just went to Alaska for a 2 week driving trip, flying in and out of Anchorage, which I would recommend if you are interested in wildlife, glaciers, mountains, and experiencing different interesting environments. We did see humpback whales, brown (grizzly) and black bears, and other animals and birds, but they were not guaranteed, just our luck and good timing.

When we saw whales on the boat trip out of Seward I asked the park ranger whether they see them on all the trips. She said that whales are seen some days but not others because they follow the food supply in and out of the area, so no guarantee there. But to increase your chances do a 6 hour or longer tour, not the 3-4 hour tour that doesn%26#39;t even get out of the bay. We also saw different birds, seals, and sea lions.

We saw grizzly bears on the shuttle trip into Denali National Park, another one that came out for salmon at Russian River Falls (easy hike, salmon is seasonal July to mid-August I think, so that%26#39;s when you might see a bear), and a family of black bears on the Harding Icefield hike (long strenuous hike). On these hikes if we would have come to the spot a few minutes earlier or later we would not have seen the bears, so that%26#39;s why I say it%26#39;s due to lucky timing. In Denali the bus driver said seeing moose and caribou is basically guaranteed, and many people see bears, but not all. And don%26#39;t expect to see them close - you might or you might not.

i enjoy an extra barrier