About our Inside Passage bears:
As you adventure with us, you will soon realize that the Inside Passage is BEAR COUNTRY. You will see both black and brown bears on the beaches, which they frequent to munch on fish, intertidal creatures, grasses, and seaweeds. They are often spotted in the early morning and evening, especially in coves with tidal flats and estuaries.
Black bears seem to frequent the mainland areas and certain of the islands. Alaska's black bear population is estimated at about 50,000. They are brown to black, about 5 feet long, and weigh from 150 - 400 pounds.
On Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichigof Islands you'll likely
find brown bears, also known as grizzly bears. The Tlingit name
for Admiralty is Kootznawoo, which means "fortress of the
bears," and there is a brown bear for every square mile of
Admiralty - that's a lot of bears! . The state population of
brown bears is estimated at 35,000 - 40,000. Brown bears can be
dark brown to blonde, and they weigh between 200 - 1,100 pounds.
Finding bears on your cruising or fishing adventure:
You will very likely have a chance to see bears on your Inside Passage adventure. Although you may have targeted whales as your favored animal to watch, you'll be able to study and photograph bears as well. If your primary interest is fishing, you'll have lots of opportunity to watch the beaches for bears strolling by.
Bear Viewing at Admiralty Island's Pack Creek Brown Bear Viewing Area
You may have heard about this famous viewing area, accessible by boat and float plane. A visit to this area can be included as part of your Adventure Afloat if you obtain the necessary permits. We would plan to devote a day of your cruise to this area, anchoring in Windfall Harbor, which is adjacent to Pack Creek. We will drop you off by skiff at the viewing area, where you can enjoy the antics of the bears on an unguided tour. The Forest Service suggests you spend at least six hours in the area, in order to maximize your viewing possibilities.
Permits for the July - August peak season cost $50 per person, and each person must have a valid permit. For the shoulder seasons of June and September the permits are $20. You can apply for a permit beginning the third week of February. For more information, contact the Forest Service Information Center in Juneau at (907) 586-8751, or at the Pack Creek website. (Be sure to bookmark Adventures Afloat before you link to this web site.)
Send mail to adventuresafloat@gci.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 1998 Adventures Afloat
Last modified:
May 24, 2008