Hal 15-day yukon+triple denali

[Rest_Relaxation]

This will be my first trip to Alaska and first ever cruise come to that! and I am trying to find the best way to include most things that I want to do. However, I have a funny feeling that I may need to do my trip in two parts, as my ever growing list of must-sees/dos is going to mean that I need to take a month off work and save around £15k!! :D

 

My absolute musts are to do a cruise (obviously) and see bears. I like the sound of HAL's 15-Day Yukon+Triple Denali cruise (cruise tour) and I wondered if anyone has done this trip and whether you see much wildlife (mainly bears)? The itinerary on their website is quite vague, so I would appreciate any reviews/feedback from anyone that's done it (or the 11,12 or 13 day one) I'm not sure whether I am better off arranging my own bear trip from Anchorage and then booking a cruise separately...however I notice that most cruises depart from Seattle or Vancouver.

[mapleleaves]

The budget location to see bears is DENALI; about 240 miles north of Anchorage, easilty accessible by car, bus or train. (a car being the best option as it gives you the ability to stop at other points of interest along the way, plus it gives you access to lodging other than the large cruisetour hotels by the park entrance.) If you're not comfortable driving, the Park Connection Bus (alaskacoach.com) has 2 departures per day (5hrs), or the Alaska Railroad has one trip per day (8 hrs)

 

OR, you could do a fly in trip from Anchorage to Lake Clark or Katmai.

OR if bear viewing is a priority, you could do an overnight trip to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge or Homestead Lodge. Pricey but gives you HOURS of bear viewing. ( see deddans trip report in 2015 to see photos and read about their visit to Silver Salmon Lodge.)

 

Otherwise Ketchikan is a popular location for bear view tours while on a cruise. There are peak periods of time for viewing from the blinds/bridges. Some locations require permits.

http://www.experienceketchikan.com/bear-viewing-in-alaska.html

 

There is a list of popular bear viewing sites in the Alaska Fish and Game web site. It's in the HELPFUL RESOURCES thread. Most locations have peak viewing times to be aware of, and some require permits. These tours fill up quickly and well in advance so do your research.

 

There are many one-way cruises that leave from Whittier ( about 50 miles from Anchorage) and Seward ( 125 miles from Anc).

 

Have fun with your research and planning.

[oaktreerb]

On the 15 day Yukon and Triple Denali you will focus on the Gold Rush as related to the Dawson City/ Whitehorse/Skagway area and it will only include a 3-4 day cruise. The three days in Denali will include the Tundra Wilderness tour and an extra day for other activities or another day to get into the park. This will be your bear viewing opportunity as well as other park wildlife and the chance to see the mointain. If you want to see bears you could arrange to start your tour in Anchorage and fly to Katmai or Lake Clark for a day or two. Alaska has some great tourist visitors information online to help you plan. Also there are a couple of trip reports on this site from last year about HAL's Yukon itineraries. I wouldn't try to do it all in one trip. There will always be more experiences you will want to enjoy once you see all that Alaska has to offer.

[TheCalicoCat]

I too want to see bears, so I booked my next cruise for late July. We are booked to take an excursion out of Ketchikan to Anan Creek to see the bears while the salmon are spawning.

 

Our last cruise was early June which was too early for bears.

 

So if I were you I'd look into the "optimal" timing to see bears.