Alaska Bear Viewing Tours

Explore one of the last frontiers – the Arctic – by land, sea and air in a one-day expedition that offers an excellent chance of seeing polar bears playing, eating and snoozing in the wild.

The lush green Tongass National Forest stretches out below as you take a classic Alaskan floatplane ride to Neets Bay, one of the best places in Southeast Alaska to see black bears fishing for salmon. This 3-hour trip packs in spectacular flightseeing, a nature walk, and the chance to watch bears in their natural habitat.

Ketchikan is black bear country, and just outside town you can see them in their favorite summertime activity – fishing for protein-rich Alaska salmon. A walking tour through the lush foliage of the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary reveals prime salmon habitat, a certain attraction for hungry bears. Wait and watch for this apex species in action – pouncing on fish, teaching cubs, and chasing each other to the feasting grounds.

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.

From Kodiak Island to the Katmai coast, Kingfisher Aviation will customize each trip, making for an intensely personal experience. Their most popular excursion includes a flight to a bear-viewing hotspot, where you can see 8 to 10 bears swiping at salmon swimming upstream. Kingfisher also offers shorter scenic flightseeing tours without the bear-viewing stop.

Whether you’re looking for world class bear-viewing or want to experience a breathtaking flightseeing tour, Kodiak-based Island Air Service can make it happen. Start your bear-viewing tour in Kodiak, and you’ll have a shorter flight time compared to leaving from Anchorage. Even if you’re just here for a day while your cruise ship is in port, it’s easy to fly out and witness the majesty of these impressive creatures.

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.

Alaska bear camp is magically hidden in a rare Critical Bear Habitat in the wilderness of Lake Clark National Park. Instead of hundreds, only 16 privileged guests observe the wonder of up to 50 brown Bears living out their daily drama. Due to the beauty of the location and the exceptional bear population, the deluxe camp, with en suite biffies, beds with mattresses and food flown in daily, was used as a base camp for the Disney movie Bears. Transfers available from Anchorage or Great Alaska Adventure Lodge in Sterling.

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.

A picture-perfect flightseeing trip takes you over Cook Inlet, volcanoes and scenic mountains to a pristine and remote coastline. Land on the beach in a place few people have seen, where your pilot safely guides you for hours of watching brown bears fish, play and splash in the water. No crowds, just bears and the serenity of the wilderness around you.

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 ground with the bears—it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

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.

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 been safely flying in Alaska since 1963, provides two-way headsets and window seats for every passenger.

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.

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 Park Service for an interpretive program, or try your luck at rainbow trout fishing. 

Alaska bear camp is magically hidden in a rare Critical Bear Habitat in the wilderness of Lake Clark National Park. Instead of hundreds, only 16 privileged guests observe the wonder of up to 50 brown Bears living out their daily drama. Due to the beauty of the location and the exceptional bear population, the deluxe camp, with en suite biffies, beds with mattresses and food flown in daily, was used as a base camp for the Disney movie Bears. Transfers available from Anchorage or Great Alaska Adventure Lodge in Sterling.

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.