Alaska Grizzly Encounter: Kodiak to Katmai

Today explore Kachemak Bay on a private boat cruise, with opportunities to photograph the dramatic backdrop of the glaciated Kenai Mountains (weather permitting, of course) and abundant marine wildlife and seabirds. The bay is transformed daily by some of the largest tidal fluctuations in the world, and it’s home not only to coveted sport fish but also sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions and whales, many of which are seen frequently. A highlight is the Gull Island rookery, home to 10,000 nesting seabirds with a chance to get shots of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, murres and more. Later this afternoon, enjoy some free time to wander along the spit, lined with local boutiques, galleries and eateries.

Today plan to fly across Cook Inlet to Alaska Bear Camp. Your departure time will depend upon the weather, but hope to have time this morning to explore a bit more around Homer. You might tour a local family homestead and artist studio, and/or take a walk along the long, sandy strip of Bishop’s Beach and Beluga Slough. When the tide is out, you can investigate the tidepools in search of small sea life including jellyfish and crabs.

Once it’s time to take to the air, the view from your chartered bush plane is staggering. On the wild, western shore of Cook Inlet, pass snow-clad volcanoes and jagged glaciers pouring down from icefields on high. The terrain below, where the Aleutian and Alaska ranges meet, is part of Lake Clark National Park, some of the world’s most critical brown bear habitat. Look for bears along the shoreline as you come in for a landing, taxiing down the beach. The exact timing of your arrival is dependent on the tides. Bear Camp is located on a historic homestead, a rare private inholding of coastal land surrounded by the roadless wilderness of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. These 4 million protected acres are the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, preserving an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world.

Accessible only by plane or boat, Bear Camp offers you alone an unparalleled immersion in pristine brown bear habitat. Once you’re settled into your weatherproof tent cabin, gather for an orientation and safety talk with your expedition leader, an expert bear naturalist and accomplished wildlife photographer, before heading out for your first opportunity to photograph bears. Two viewing platforms are located behind the camp, surveying the vast meadow where dozens of bears feed. One is elevated for a territorial view, enabling you to see bears nearby and at a distance. The other offers an eye-level vantage on bears that may wander close by. And you can often watch them right from camp, which is surrounded by electrified wires, ensuring your safety on site.

Prior to this rare opportunity, you may have only seen bears in zoos or nature documentaries. Yet nothing comes close to this immersive experience, being peaceably among them in their wild home. Alaska’s mighty brown bears—the coastal version of the interior grizzly bear (which is the same species, Ursus arctos)—are the largest land predators in North America. Adult males can weigh up to 1,500 pounds!

Here at Bear Camp, you have some of the best, most consistent viewing anywhere in Alaska, due to the season-long availability of food. All summer, nature serves up a steady bounty to these omnivores, with protein-rich sedges and clams dug from the beach as the “first course” before the late summer salmon run that will fatten them up to survive a long winter. Since the bears are sated by this abundance, they see humans merely as part of the scenery, allowing you to move safely in their midst on guided outings, at times photographing them from just a few yards away.

Against a backdrop of sheer-sided peaks rising above the green valley floor, the bears are sometimes near enough that you can hear them chewing their food and communicating with one another in woofs, purrs and growls. While bear activity varies according to the time of season and weather conditions, and you can never predict exactly what bear behavior you’ll witness, there’s always something riveting going on. You may get to photograph bears wandering the tide flats on Chinitna Bay, mothers with playful cubs, or animated mating activity. And while bears are usually plentiful right in the vicinity of camp, you also go into adjacent Lake Clark National Park for added variety.

At every turn, explore the area in the careful company of your expedition leader who offers thorough coaching in respectful “bear etiquette” to ensure your safety. Your low-impact presence ensures that you never disturb the bears, and they in turn grant comfortable access to photograph them going about their daily routines. After each exhilarating day, gather in the dining tent for dinner—you’ll be surprised at the outstanding meals the resident chef is able to prepare in such a remote location. Fresh local fare is always on the menu, including abundant Alaskan seafood.

Depending on the weather and flying window, you have one last chance this morning to photograph the bears of Lake Clark National Park, admiring their majesty and whimsy alike. Eventually, it’s time to leave Bear Camp behind as you board your small bush plane and taxi down the beach, headed south for the Katmai Peninsula. Your pilot is in radio contact with the ship, and soon you’re taxiing on the beach near Hallo Bay where the Ursus awaits. Behind, the ice-crowned peaks of the Aleutian Range rise in a serrated spine.

Exiting the plane, embark the vessel that will be your floating home for the next several days. The 73-foot Ursus was built as a deep-sea fishing boat called Time Bandit, which navigated the stormy Bering Sea in pursuit of the lucrative king crab catch. Its successor, the second Time Bandit, gained fame in the Discovery Channel TV series “Deadliest Catch.” The original boat was later transitioned for research use by the National Park Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Since retrofitted for custom tourism charters, this sturdy veteran of wild Alaskan waters now offers comfortable accommodations in this remote marine wilderness.

Bear photography continues in earnest as the Ursus (which means “bear” in Latin) cruises slowly along the roadless coastline of Katmai National Park. In this area one commonly finds giant Alaskan brown bears—the coastal version of the interior grizzly bear, which is the same species, Ursus arctos—foraging for food, and the opportunities to capture impressive close-ups are simply remarkable. Since you are mobile, cruise to wherever the bears are, following them from bay to bay. Bring more memory capacity than you think you’ll need, as you won’t believe the shots you will get!

As you cruise just off the coast, bears often dot the shoreline. Go ashore by skiff for a closer view, exploring the beaches on foot, traversing the area carefully under the watchful eye of your guide who is one of Alaska’s most experienced bear naturalists. It’s not uncommon to find several massive bears at once, and when you do, you may spend hours in once place with them. While we’ve all seen footage in nature documentaries of Alaskan brown bears in the wild, nothing captures the drama of an actual encounter with these magnificent beasts, sometimes just feet away. Far from dozing lethargically, they often put on quite a show as they go about filling up on enough protein-rich food to prepare for a long winter in hibernation.

The bear activity you witness varies according to seasonal patterns and weather conditions, but there’s always something exciting to photograph. You may see mating activity, with males chasing females; mothers with new spring cubs gallivanting on the beach; or bears digging clams from the sand, swiping them out with talons as long as a man’s fingers. As omnivores, bears also browse on protein-rich sedges. Sometimes you’ll see wolves too, and can capture their interesting interactions with the bears. While occasionally there may be another boat in the region, the Ursus is usually alone in the wilderness, moved by a profound sense of solitude, peace and raw beauty.

One last morning is set aside for bear photography in the Hallo Bay region before you fly to Kodiak. Your timing is flexible in the event of weather delays, but soon your floatplane taxis right up to the Ursus to collect everyone. Once on board, leave the Katmai Peninsula behind, flying east across Shelikof Strait and over the steep green mountains of the Kodiak Archipelago. At 3,670 square miles, Kodiak is the second-largest island in the United States. Defined by high mountains, lush forests and a crenellated coastline, much of the island’s wild terrain lies within the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, home to 3,500 brown bears and a multitude of other wildlife.

Once you land, your local guide meets you and transfers you to your hotel. After you get checked in, meet a walking tour guide who takes you on foot to explore Kodiak’s Russian and Native heritage, and its thriving fishing industry. Kodiak is home to Alaska’s largest fishing fleet, bringing in a great haul of salmon, halibut and herring to St. Paul Harbor each season. Inhabited by Alutiiq natives for more than 7,000 years, Kodiak was colonized by Russian fur traders in 1792, whose harvest of sea otter pelts drove the species to near-extinction by the mid-19th century. As the first permanent Russian settlement in what would become Alaska, it served as the capital of Russian America until it was moved to Sitka in 1804.

In 1794, the Russian Orthodox Church established its first North American mission in Kodiak. Reminders of this residency are on display at the Kodiak History Museum housed in a former Russian fur storehouse built in 1808, Alaska’s oldest wooden structure, and at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, rebuilt in the 1940s after the original 1795 building was destroyed by a fire. Other highlights of Kodiak you may see during your visit include the Alutiiq Museum, the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, and several galleries featuring the work of resident artists. All are centrally located in the compact town surrounding the picturesque boat harbor.

While bears have been your main focus elsewhere, Kodiak Island is an impressive wildlife photography destination in its own right, and today you’ll explore a sampler of its coastal waters on an all-day chartered boat trip. Your cruise among Kodiak’s secluded bays, islets and rockbound shorelines, past tidal pools and kittiwake rookeries, may reveal sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions and sometimes humpback and fin whales. Kodiak is remote, not often visited by travelers to Alaska, and the sense of an intimate encounter with wild nature is palpable. You may also spend time photographing sites in and around historic Kodiak, with a mix of activities that may include a walk through the coastal rain forest at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, a fisheries research center with aquarium and touch tank, and/or a drive up Pillar Mountain for panoramic photos over the town and sea, when weather permits. Tonight, gather for a farewell dinner, replete with memories of your matchless adventures among Alaska’s bears.

Your Bear Quest photo expedition comes to a close today as your local guide transfers everyone to the Kodiak airport for individual homeward flights.

While bears will be your main focus elsewhere, Kodiak Island is an impressive wildlife photography destination in its own right, and today you’ll explore a sampler of its coastal waters on an all-day chartered boat trip. Your cruise among Kodiak’s secluded bays, islets and rockbound shorelines, past tidal pools and kittiwake rookeries, may reveal sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions and sometimes humpback and fin whales. Kodiak is remote, not often visited by travelers to Alaska, and the sense of an intimate encounter with wild nature is palpable. You may also spend time photographing sites in and around historic Kodiak, with a mix of activities that may include a walk through the coastal rain forest at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, a fisheries research center with aquarium and touch tank, and/or a drive up Pillar Mountain for panoramic photos over the town and sea, when weather permits.

This morning, a walking tour unveils more of Kodiak’s rich history and culture, including its important fishing and crabbing industry. Wander the harbor with your guide, and photograph historic sites including the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and the building housing the Kodiak History Museum, which is the oldest in Alaska and the oldest documented log structure on the west coast of North America. Built in 1808, it was originally a Russian-American Company storehouse in what was then known as Pavlovsk, the first permanent Russian settlement in North America.

Exciting aerial photo opportunities await on your floatplane transit from Kodiak to Katmai where you’ll meet your privately chartered small ship, the Ursus. The plan is to have lunch in town, then board your plane, but timing is flexible in the event of weather contingencies—in which case you’ll explore more of Kodiak as you wait for clouds to lift. Once it’s time to fly, head west over Kodiak’s steep green mountains and across Shelikof Strait to the Katmai Peninsula, where the ice-crowned peaks of the Aleutian Range rise in a serrated spine behind the shore. The pilot is in radio contact with the Ursus, and soon you’re taxiing on the water to pull up alongside the ship. Exiting the plane, embark the vessel that will be your floating home for the next several days. The 73-foot Ursus was built as a deep-sea fishing boat called Time Bandit, which navigated the stormy Bering Sea in pursuit of the lucrative king crab catch. Its successor, the second Time Bandit, gained fame in the Discovery Channel TV series “Deadliest Catch.” The original boat was later transitioned for research use by the National Park Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Since retrofitted for custom tourism charters, this sturdy veteran of wild Alaskan waters now offers her guests comfortable accommodations in this remote marine wilderness.

Bear photography begins in earnest as the Ursus (which means “bear” in Latin) cruises slowly along the coastline in the Hallo Bay region. In this area one commonly finds giant Alaskan brown bears—the coastal version of the interior grizzly bear, which is the same species, Ursus arctos—foraging for food, and the opportunities to capture impressive close-ups are simply remarkable. Since you are mobile, you can cruise to wherever the bears are, following them from bay to bay. Bring more memory capacity than you think you’ll need, as you won’t believe the shots you will get!

As you cruise just off the coast, bears often dot the shoreline. Go ashore by skiff for a closer view, exploring the beaches on foot, traversing the area carefully under the watchful eye of your guide who is one of Alaska’s most experienced bear naturalists. It’s not uncommon to find several massive bears at once, and when you do, you may spend hours in once place with them. While we’ve all seen footage in nature documentaries of Alaskan brown bears in the wild, nothing captures the drama of an actual encounter with these magnificent beasts, sometimes just feet away. Far from dozing lethargically, they often put on quite a show as they go about filling up on enough protein-rich food to prepare for a long winter in hibernation.

The bear activity you witness varies according to seasonal patterns and weather conditions, but there’s always something exciting to photograph. You may see mating activity, with males chasing females; mothers with new spring cubs gallivanting on the beach; or bears digging clams from the sand, swiping them out with talons as long as a man’s fingers. As omnivores, bears also browse on protein-rich sedges. Sometimes you’ll see wolves too, and can capture their interesting interactions with the bears. While occasionally there may be another boat in the region, the Ursus is usually alone in the wilderness, moved by a profound sense of solitude, peace and raw beauty.

One last morning is set aside for bear photography in the Hallo Bay region, before you plan to fly to Lake Clark National Park  Cruising in an open skiff, head to shore once more, looking for a glimpse of the glaciers that crown the high mountain backdrop above Katmai’s pristine coast. Typically these peaks are cloaked in clouds while mists weave in and out of the bays, providing the moisture that keeps this landscape so lush and verdant. Deep ash covered the region after the massive 1912 eruption of Mount Katmai and adjacent Novarupta, and revegetation in the century since has come mostly as a thick blanket of willow and alder bushes, though some stands of spruce also thrive—keep an eye out  for bald eagles in the treetops. Seabirds abound, too—look for kittiwakes, terns, mergansers, pigeon guillemots and black oystercatchers. On shore, walk across the tidal flats and gravel bars, possibly fording a few streams to find the best vantage point for a last chance to capture images of the bears in this location.

Depending on the weather, plan to depart this afternoon for Alaska Bear Camp, as your wheeled bush plane flies you directly to Chinitna Bay. The view along the coast from your chartered plane is staggering as you look down on glacial valleys and braided rivers, passing snow-clad volcanoes rising above icefields. Your destination, where the Aleutian and Alaska ranges meet, is Lake Clark National Park, comprising some of the world’s most critical brown bear habitat. Look for bears along the shoreline as you come in for a landing, taxiing down the beach. Bear Camp is located on a historic homestead, a rare private inholding of coastal land surrounded by the roadless wilderness of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. These 4 million protected acres are the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, preserving an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world.

Accessible only by plane or boat, Bear Camp offers you alone an unparalleled immersion in pristine brown bear habitat. Once you’re settled in to your weatherproof tent cabins, gather for an orientation followed by your first opportunity to photograph bears. Two viewing platforms are located behind the camp, surveying the vast meadow where bears feed. One is elevated for a territorial view, enabling you to see bears nearby and at a distance. The other offers an eye-level vantage for bears that may wander close by. And you can often watch them right from camp, which is surrounded by electrified wires, ensuring your safety on site.

Here at Bear Camp, you have some of the best, most consistent viewing anywhere in Alaska, due to the season-long availability of food. All summer, nature serves up a steady bounty to these omnivores, with protein-rich sedges and clams dug from the beach as the “first course” before the late summer salmon run that will fatten them up to survive a long winter. Since the bears are sated by this abundance, they see humans merely as part of the scenery, allowing you to move safely in their midst on guided outings, at times photographing them from just a few yards away.

Against a backdrop of sheer-sided peaks rising above the green valley floor, the bears are sometimes near enough that you can hear them chewing their food and communicating with one another in woofs, purrs and growls. While bear activity varies according to the time of season and weather conditions, and you can never predict exactly what bear behavior you’ll witness, there’s always something riveting going on. You may get to photograph bears wandering the tide flats on Chinitna Bay, mothers with playful cubs, or animated mating activity. And while bears are usually plentiful right in the vicinity of camp, you also go into adjacent Lake Clark National Park for added variety.

At every turn, explore the area in the careful company of your expedition leader who offers thorough coaching in respectful “bear etiquette” to ensure your safety. Your low-impact presence ensures that you never disturb the bears, and they in turn grant comfortable access to photograph them going about their daily routines. After each exhilarating day, gather in the dining tent for dinner—you’ll be surprised at the outstanding meals the resident chef is able to prepare in such a remote location. Fresh local fare is always on the menu, including abundant Alaskan seafood.

You have one last chance this morning to photograph the bears of Lake Clark National Park, admiring their majesty and whimsy alike. Eventually, it’s time to leave Bear Camp behind as you board your small bush plane and taxi down the beach, bound for Homer. Weather permitting, you may get to photograph the icy flanks of Mount Iliamna en route, an active volcano that stands sentinel over the Bear Coast. One thing is certain: no one leaves here unmoved by the bears’ plight, intensely aware of the threats from mining, climate change and other potential impacts to the health of this vital ecosystem on which the bears rely. Depart as an ambassador for the bears, your time among them leaving an indelible mark, inspiring you to do all you can to protect them.

Your 45-minute flight across Cook Inlet brings you to Homer, a scenic fishing town of 5,500 on Kachemak Bay located near the bottom of the Kenai Peninsula. Known as “the end of the road,” Homer is the most southerly point on Alaska’s contiguous highway system. Surrounded by 280 acres of protected state land, this critical wildlife habitat sustains more than 100 bird species and a large local moose population. Homer’s key geographic feature is the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile-long gravel bar that extends into the bay. Visitors to the town harbor frequently see fishing boats unloading their catch—Homer is heralded as the Halibut Capital of the World. Depending on your arrival time, you might tour a local family homestead and artist studio, and/or take a walk along the long, sandy strip of Bishop’s Beach and Beluga Slough. When the tide is out, you can investigate the tidepools in search of small sea life including jellyfish and crabs.

Today explore Kachemak Bay on a private boat cruise, with opportunities to photograph the dramatic backdrop of the glaciated Kenai Mountains (weather permitting, of course) and abundant marine wildlife and seabirds. The bay is transformed daily by some of the largest tidal fluctuations in the world, and it’s home not only to coveted sport fish but also sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions and whales, many of which are seen frequently. A highlight is the Gull Island rookery, home to 10,000 nesting seabirds with a chance to get shots of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, murres and more. Later this afternoon, enjoy some free time to wander along the spit, lined with local boutiques, galleries and eateries. This evening, celebrate your photography adventures at a farewell dinner.

Your Bear Quest photo expedition comes to a close today as your local guide transfers everyone to the Homer airport for individual homeward flights.