shirlock1
McLean VA
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Joined: 11/29/2007
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Hi Folks
Next year we hit the road for about a year. Starting out in May for alaska. I am trying to think about how to spend the summer there. One of the main attractions that I want is Bears. I klnow there are no guarantees on when and where and we are willing to travel to some of the views areas like Katmi. If you were to schedule your summer around visiting locations where bears were likely how would you do it. I would love to get the typical bear (large quanty) and salmon drama. I know that the salmon runs follow a progression on the calander. Can some of you give me the most likely places and times.
Thanks
Jim
1999 Newmar Dutch Star
Cat 300 Allison 6 spd
1992 Suzuki Samurai
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McGoo
Nevada/Arizona/Montana
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Joined: 10/28/2003
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Hyder, saw lots of bears, eagles, and ssalmon. Click and read this info:
Ahh ( - )~( - )
McGoo (,,)
you've done it again!
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bee_46
Jarrettsville, Md
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Joined: 02/03/2005
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Bears are in Hyder in late July and August so I would plan to be there about that time. They were late this year as the salmon run was late. We were there in mid-August and the bears were just starting to show up. We did see 5 or 6 bears over a 3-4 hour period two different days. We might have seen more if we had stayed longer, but the weather was very rainy. Only two actually caught salmon, however. Another area is AnAn Preserve near Wrangell. They run tours there from July to mid-August. The tours usually run out of Wrangell. You need to get there by boat or plane. This is also based on a salmon run.
Bobbie
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Joined: 05/27/2005
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IIRC, Brooks Lodge may be the place you're referring to in Katmai NP. You will need a reservation at the lodge itself, and a way to get there - booking a tour is probably your best bet - in order to see the bears catching salmon at the falls there. The lodge is small, so very few people can stay there at any given time. It's not a drive-up lodge that I know of.
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Ozimo
Resolute/Oz
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Joined: 02/04/2006
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You don't need to go that far North to find BIG bears - there are plenty on Admiralty Island in the SouthEast and Kodiak Island and Dillingham are easy enough to get to.
Capt. Abraham Quasuittuq, Jr
Mourning the loss of my brother Sam and best friend Wolf, who died this month
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tatest
Oklahoma
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Joined: 05/14/2005
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Bears are not hard to find anywhere in Alaska. This summer, they've been coming into the city in Anchorage, with some occasional problems when humans accidentally interrupt feeding activities along salmon streams. Early August there.
Sounds like that's what you want to do. It is more a matter of timing, than place, but timing is not so predictable.
Tom Test
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dirtengineer
Alaska
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Joined: 09/18/2007
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Here is a photo taken in Kake. I think that there are 16 bears. Not much of an RV stop, but the most bears I have ever seen, and Kake is a very friendly place with the world's tallest totem pole.
Any river or stream during a salmon run will put you in bear country. Be careful, there have been a lot of maulings this year. Bear sightings this year.
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RetiredGuy
Colorado
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Joined: 09/12/2006
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Go to Brooks Camp in Katmai Nat'l Park. You should pick a time that corresponds to the salmon run there. We were there for 3 days in the middle of July this year. Although the lodge is expensive and they can't take too many people, you can camp in the campground and it is cheap. You can see big brown bears up close. At times at the falls there were 8-10 big bears all feeding at the same time. They are as close to you as 10 feet. There is a viewing platform and the bears ignore the people; they are after the salmon. Further down the river we saw sows with cubs while we were on a viewing platform there. These were also as close as 10 feet from us. You walk the trails and the bears use the same trails. Although you should stay back from the bears, we once rounded a curve in the trail and a bear was about 30 feet from us. He looked at us and walked off into the bush. This year was our second trip there and we will go back for a week next time.
Robert
'07 F-350 PSD, SB, SRW, 4X4
'07 HH CE 35 CKQG Plan 2
"Being retired means waking up with nothing to do,
. . . and going to bed with half of it done!"
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Tee Jay
Port Angeles, WA
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Joined: 11/25/2007
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Russian River on the Kenai Peninsula at Cooper Landing in July and August. Easy hiway access and not to far a walk from the campground.
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deerhntr
Kutztown,PA
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Joined: 08/17/2007
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Jim,
Your best bet for the "National Geographic" Bear / Salmon experience is Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. The Peak time for Viewing at the falls is Mid July. You Can book a day trip from a number of float plane operators out of Anchorage or Homer. We have used Bald Mountain Air out of Homer,AK twice, and they are very good. You also get to take in some of the most stunning scenery in the world on your flight over to Brooks. If you would like to see some pics from our trip to brooks falls last year, follow this link : Brooks Falls 2007
You will not regret your time spent in katmai, and I'm sure you will enjoy yourself.
Russ
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