Alaska in May is much cheaper... why?

[Coral]

Where did you see the bears in May? Which port(s) or excursion(s)? We are going Memorial Day week, and I so very much hope to see bears. I know there are never any guarantees, and they go where they want to go, but I want to put myself in the locations where bear sightings will be most likely to happen. Thanks so much in advance for your response!

 

A couple that I can think of on different trips -

 

In Seward - I went to Exit glacier and was hiking around and saw one there.

 

AdventureBound private boat ride to Tracy Arm in Juneau - he took our boat right up to a bear sleeping on a rock.

 

Fly/boat ride in Ketchikan to Misty Fiords - saw a bear on the boat ride back on this trip.

 

Skagway White Pass train ride. Our train was forced to stop due to a medical injury on another train and we saw one there running around.

 

Just random sites that I was lucky to see. I have taken many cruises to Alaska and at most, I would probably see 1-2 per trip.

[mr green]

Where did you see the bears in May? Which port(s) or excursion(s)? We are going Memorial Day week, and I so very much hope to see bears. I know there are never any guarantees, and they go where they want to go, but I want to put myself in the locations where bear sightings will be most likely to happen. Thanks so much in advance for your response!

 

Driving to Emerald Lake, four bear stops! Also on the 26 Glacier Tour from Whittier.

 

john

[mr green]

Hi Coral,

All are entitled to their opinion. Mine is that Princess is very over-rated, our worst cruise ever has been on Princess.

 

Each to his or her own. Was it possible on this cruise that you were living up to your name 'Tipsy'?:D

 

john

[forloveoftravel]

Driving to Emerald Lake, four bear stops! Also on the 26 Glacier Tour from Whittier.

 

john

 

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. Was Emerald Lake itself (as opposed to the drive up into the Yukon), worth it in May? I had read somewhere that the colors were not very vibrant in May. What is the 26 Galcier tour from Whittier? Is that a ship excursion? Thanks again for your help!

[mr green]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. Was Emerald Lake itself (as opposed to the drive up into the Yukon), worth it in May? I had read somewhere that the colors were not very vibrant in May. What is the 26 Galcier tour from Whittier? Is that a ship excursion? Thanks again for your help!

 

The colours on the lake were great, a little ice in one place did not spoil it.

We have taken the Glacier tour twice. Th first time it was not a ship tour as we were doing a B2B on Coral. The second time we did the same cruise on Coral, BUT, it was booked as a single cruise and 26 Glaciers informed me that I would have to book through Princess, [at a higher cost].

Some other person gave me a tip on these boards, so when I phoned a second time I made no mention of the ship, and I booked, as if it was a day trip from Anchorage. There were no problems, I was asked how I found out about them, 'I had done it before', 'Where was I staying?' 'I had not made my final booking yet'. 'Did I know of the times involved on the tunnel?' 'Yes'.

This tour is the best one that we have done in Alaska, it is about 5 hours in a catamaran, and you are also fed, the food is not great, but, who cares when there is so much to see.

 

john

[Koali]

We went the first week Denali was open last May. Only the lodges at the park were open, one pizza restaurant, a few souvenir shops and a convenience store. Since May is a shoulder month, the crowds are generally smaller and weather is cooler. The weather was supposed to be 50s, but we got a freak snowstorm while we were there. A foot of snow and temperatures in the single digits. The park roads were still covered in snow and ice, so we could only go 14 miles into the park. We did see plenty of animals in the park and most excursions were still operating.

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

For a "chance" of seeing bears in May, a good option is a car rental out of Skagway and taking your time driving to Emerald Lake and return. I have seen the lake completely frozen in May several times, it's all going to depend on the temps. If going to Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm- park yourself out on deck and keep scanning the shorelines. A good pair of wildlife angle binoculars is necessary in my opinion.

[forloveoftravel]

Thanks for the info mr green and budget queen!!!

[forloveoftravel]

For a "chance" of seeing bears in May, a good option is a car rental out of Skagway and taking your time driving to Emerald Lake and return. I have seen the lake completely frozen in May several times, it's all going to depend on the temps. If going to Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm- park yourself out on deck and keep scanning the shorelines. A good pair of wildlife angle binoculars is necessary in my opinion.

 

Thanks for the insight Budget Queen. Do you think we miss out a lot by not having a guide (either bus tour, or private guide)? We are interested in history, culture, etc, of the places we are passing by (in addition to the magnificent scenery and possible wildlife viewings, of course!). We can of course do our own research into the history, but some places require a guide. Is this one of them?