Ketchikan Bear Viewing

Bears of the Misty Fjords

It is our pleasure to offer the ultimate Bear Viewing experience throughout this amazing Coastal Habitat!

Your Photo-Expedition starts as you depart the Ketchikan harbor by seaplane into the Misty Fjords. During this scenic flight your Pilot/Guide will prepare you for your adventure. As you listen keep your eyes peeled, for marine mammals that migrate through the area. It is possible to see whales, sea lions and porpoise.

You will be flying to a quiet watershed where bears are digging for clams, grazing on shore grasses and seasonally fishing for spawning salmon. These spawning salmon serve as a summer staple for all Alaskan mammals.

Though Bears are our main objective it is not uncommon to see deer, eagles, kingfishers and maybe even a wolf.

Your plane will be landing on the water, guests will disembark the plane and step onto the floats. Your Pilot/Guide will share his knowledge of bear habitat and point out any signs of bear. For photos, he will position your floatplane quietly along side wildlife, with the breathtaking backdrop of the Misty Fjords!

The Bears of the Fjords Tour
is the best of both worlds!

It is a unique occasion
to get close to bears and
to view the timeless landscape
of the Misty Fjords Monument!
No other tour can offer a
greater reward!

These Brown Bear Photos were fresh from Ryan's camera during 2008 tours.

The Bears of the Fjords Tour is also a chance to view both Black and Brown Bear in Alaska.

• Although bear sightings are common, they are not guaranteed. Sightings can also not be guaranteed to be close by. Bears are wild with keen hearing and smelling abilities, loud noise and fragrant perfumes/smoking will reduce your chances of sightings.

• A shoreline excursion is not permitted by the USFS within the National Monument: wildlife photos during this tour will be taken from the floatplane platform.

Tour Available May 15th - October 5th

Or call 1-866-858-BEAR

Alaska Bear Viewing

Prince of Wales Island Black Bear Viewing Tour

No Cruise Ship Tour to
Southeast Alaska would be complete without watching
some of our resident bear,
the Black Bear!

Some black bears have been spotted from cruise ship tours and even in the town of Ketchikan AK but it is unlikely that you will see these sly creatures unless you travel on one of our wildlife tours.

According to Alaska wildlife biologists, bear watching shore excursions in Ketchikan are your best opportunity. In fact, the highest Black Bear population is found on Prince of Wales Island. “POW” for short, is only a twenty-minute flight from Ketchikan in our floatplane. This Island Black Bear population is the highest in North America and it shows!  Just a short air tour west of Ketchikan, and we'll arrive in bear viewing heaven.  Guests will then hop onto shore to photo bears feeding within their intertidal marine habitat.

"This huge Black Bear was incredible!" says Ryan, who got this photo in early May.
"He was so old that we were breathless just watching him."

Prince of Wales Island is the third largest island territory within the
United States, close behind Hawaii and Kodiak Islands. 

POW is not yet a popular destination and we are one of the only tour operators permitted by the US Forest Service to operate in this area , which is why it remains such a special destination!  The country's overgrown logging areas and many salmon streams are exactly the habitat that bears require to flourish.

It is always a pleasure to fly out to this wild Island where Black Bears walk confidently. We have put all the odds in our black bear viewing favor to create the ultimate cruise ship day tour!

* All photos taken by Ryan during bear viewing tours in 2007 and 2008 tours.

Tour Available May 15th - October 5th.

$339.00 per person - 2 person minimum. $289.00 children 12 and under

Or call 1-866-858-BEAR

Other wildlife may include Humpback and Killer Whale, Bald Eagle, Sea Otter, Harlequin Duck and Deer.

This trip is an adventurous 2 hour tour time, 45 minutes of round trip flying with over one hour ground viewing.

Light shoreline walking may be required.

Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed.

Tour times are estimated and may vary slightly according to wind, weather and wildlife viewing conditions.

All tours include pick-up and drop-off at the Ketchikan Visitors Information Center, the building pictured behind our courtesy van, right on the cruise ship dock.

Alaska Seaplane Tours Courtesy Van