I want to see bears!

[hcliffe]

Probably going with Princess leaving from Vancouver on 7/26/14. Stops are Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Northbound will stop at Ketchikan on 7/28, Southbound will stop at Ketchikan on 7/31. Have read about Anan Creek, Margaret Creek and Neets Bay. Which cruise should I take with best chance to see bears on those dates, and which location?

[cruiserjcp]

We were on a Princess tour of Alaska a few years ago. We went on a fly plane to a fish hatchery and to watch the bears feed from the stream and falls. I think it was a Princess tour. It was one of the best tours I have ever taken as not only did you get to fly out and back, we saw tons of bears up close and got to see the life cycle of the fish. It all goes back into the water and the process starts all over again. If they still do this tour I would highly recommend it.:)

[Kamloops50]

There aren't tours that guarantee bear or whale sightings. There many tours from Princess and independent providers have bear and whale sightings.. The best time for bears is when the salmon are running.

[Budget Queen]

Probably going with Princess leaving from Vancouver on 7/26/14. Stops are Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Northbound will stop at Ketchikan on 7/28, Southbound will stop at Ketchikan on 7/31. Have read about Anan Creek, Margaret Creek and Neets Bay. Which cruise should I take with best chance to see bears on those dates, and which location?

 

It does NOT matter what date. They are only a 3 days apart? Absolutely- it's pure LUCK what you see one day to the next. Reality is, you are "peak" for Anan and Neets- the latter- which is where the above poster went. Anan is way superior, in my opinion.

[donaldsc]

We have been to Anan twice taking a boat from Wrangell so I have never done the cruise ship Anan tour and I would do it again if I could. If you are at Anan at the right time, the question is not if you see bears but how many and of what type. The first time, we saw many brown bears and no cubs. On the second trip, we saw almost no brown bears but many cubs.

 

Your viewing time on a cruise ship Anan trip is probably less than the 5 or 6 on site hours we had and the trip will be quite expensive because you fly but you will see bears.

 

Do it if you can - it will be one of the best excursions you will ever take in your life.

 

DON

[tobyt]

We went to Anan this summer, it was wonderful! We saw both browns and blacks plus some cubs. It was a pretty float plane trip and an amazing adventure! I would do it again in a heartbeat! We used Island Wings they were top notch. If interested in Anan you may want to book earlier than later as it is a permit required spot and they fill up. Good Luck and I hope you find your bear trip!

[donaldsc]

We went to Anan this summer, it was wonderful! We saw both browns and blacks plus some cubs. It was a pretty float plane trip and an amazing adventure! I would do it again in a heartbeat! We used Island Wings they were top notch. If interested in Anan you may want to book earlier than later as it is a permit required spot and they fill up. Good Luck and I hope you find your bear trip!

 

How long were you actually at Anan? We were there almost 6 hours on our trip out of Wrangell and we could have been there longer but one of our party had to catch the ferry.

 

DON

[frugaltravel]

In that time frame you also have Pack Creek out of Juneau as an option. Pack Creek is brown bears whereas Anan is mostly black bears with a decent chance to see some brown bears.

[hcliffe]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I do understand that there are no guarantees. With that being said is Anan the spot from my list with the best chances to see bears during that timeframe? Or are the others just as likely? It seems Anan is the most expensive, so if the odds are just as good to see bears at Margaret Creek for example, or Mendanhall Glacier and it is much cheaper, then perhaps I should opt for one of those places.

 

Pack Creek sounds interesting but appears to be even more expensive than Anan.

[frugaltravel]

Anan is best for black bears, Pack Creek by far best for brown bears. Mendenhall is hit or miss for bear viewing. Any "guaranteed" or "high probability" bear viewing options will require a fly-in and thus will be expensive.

[hcliffe]

Perfect, thanks Frugaltravel.

[rnlmigacz]

Tried to book a trip to Anan Creek, through Island Wings, for next July. I got an e-mail back saying they didn't have any permits to offer, at this time.

 

Is there another good company that does this fly-in bear viewing at Anan? I was really looking forward to this excursion, as everyone on CC that has been there says it's worth the cost.

 

[Kamloops50]

Tried to book a trip to Anan Creek, through Island Wings, for next July. I got an e-mail back saying they didn't have any permits to offer, at this time.

 

Is there another good company that does this fly-in bear viewing at Anan? I was really looking forward to this excursion, as everyone on CC that has been there says it's worth the cost.

 

The permits usually aren't issued until spring . They are issued on a bid basis.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

[Budget Queen]

Tried to book a trip to Anan Creek, through Island Wings, for next July. I got an e-mail back saying they didn't have any permits to offer, at this time.

 

Is there another good company that does this fly-in bear viewing at Anan? I was really looking forward to this excursion, as everyone on CC that has been there says it's worth the cost.

 

 

Were her permits already gone for that day, or does she not have any yet? I've lost track of when they are issued?

 

I like Southeast Aviation, but if the permits are already gone with Island Wings, then I would just go through the independents and book the first one that has the permits. You can also get them yourself, verify the process, they you would need a charter.

[Budget Queen]

The permits usually aren't issued until spring . They are issued on a bid basis.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

 

I thought the same thing, BUT Island Wings may already have people on a wait list for the permits she's planning on getting, and she is committed to those passengers?

[rnlmigacz]

The permits usually aren't issued until spring . They are issued on a bid basis.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

 

So I cannot book with them until spring? They did not mention this in their e-mail. I was trying to book as soon as we decided, to insure a spot. Thanks for the information.

[Budget Queen]

So I cannot book with them until spring? They did not mention this in their e-mail. I was trying to book as soon as we decided, to insure a spot. Thanks for the information.

 

Verify, what the email means, as posted above. Michelle may already have commitments from passengers they will be purchasing, all the permits she has for that day already.

[rnlmigacz]

Verify, what the email means, as posted above. Michelle may already have commitments from passengers they will be purchasing, all the permits she has for that day already.

 

I e-mailed them, and asked if that meant they could be getting more. She already replied, and said permit requests had to be in by October 15th. I guess that means I missed it by 1 day! :(

 

Asked if she could recommend another company, and she will look at the calendar to see who has permits, and get back to me.

 

Must have changed the permit requests from spring to fall.