Alaska Bear WebCams in Brooks Falls, Katmai & the Best Trips to See Them

Accommodations Review

The cabins were comfortable and set in a beautiful landscape.

Meals Review

The food was beyond delicious and served buffet style so all you can eat.

Crew & Guides Review

The camp staff were friendly and attentive. The National Park staff were also tremendously informative and generous with their knowledge. The flights on Katmai Air were pleasant and the staff were wonderful.

Transportation Review

This was well handled. But, information that check-in for the Katmai Air flight from Anchorage requires only to be within 30 minutes of departure would be helpful.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

I was prepared well and was well informed. I have already recommended this trip to family.

Traveler Advice

Be prepared for quick changes in weather conditions.

Accommodations Review

The Ursus was excellent. The hotel was very average but I understand there are not many options available in Kodiak.

Crew & Guides Review

Brad was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and attentive. I did not sign up for the photo trip but Brad sparked my interest in photography and we purchased a new camera and lens for future adventures! Laura in Kodiak was outstanding, she was always there when you needed her and helped us with everything!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Andrew was excellent at keeping us up to date!

Meals Review

The Ursus meals prepared by Melissa were EXCELLENT!!! The meals in town were average overall.

Accommodations Review

All met or exceeded expectations.

Meals Review

Delicious, but there was a bit of social pressure to not eat too much because there was limited food. Wait staff also rushed through plate clearing rather than letting us enjoy socializing at the table at dinner.

Crew & Guides Review

Lantz Hartley was our tour leader and he was cream of the crop. Vastly exceeded expectations.

Itinerary Review

Kayaking to the glacier at Glacier lodge was excellent. Hiking on Exit Glacier was great - though would have much preferred adding some more intense climbing that we saw other groups doing. Scenery all around the lodge was wonderful. Rusts' plane ride to Chinitna Bear Viewing was terrific. More for the plane ride than the bears. [I least enjoyed] dog mushing. Helicopter ride was awesome, but just 7 min. Dog mushing itself was pretty lame. Lovely people and nice to pet some dogs, but the mushing itself was the equivalent of a pony ride at a county fair. Description implied we'd be able to drive not just ride and that the sledding would be adventurous.

Accommodations Review

It was an honor to be on such a historic and beautiful vessel.

Meals Review

The food had flavors I've never tasted before which is great. The red wines and that final port were especially great, but all the wines were very good and obviously specially selected. Thank you.

Crew & Guides Review

The two captains were stellar. They worked very, very hard to find the wildlife we'd come to see and to make our way thru some pretty challenging channels/canyons. Our guide/naturalist was a great educator and lovely person. We were blessed to have this crew. It will be a sad day when the Catalyst is sold. The current owners and crew will be sorely missed.

Traveler Advice

Make sure you bring the proper clothing for rain and cold as recommended.

Itinerary Review

[I most enjoyed] Humpback whales bubble netting and calling, Orcas, Dall's porpoise, brown bears at Pack Creek, ice fields and glacier calving, Ford's Terror, kayaking, sitting on the bow and watching the mountains/ice/snow, experiencing what it is like to enter into the rainforest that is like being inside a fantastical new world. This was my first trip to Alaska so it was all amazing.

[I least enjoyed] Entirely due to the weakened condition of my knee replacement, I found one of the hikes very challenging. I only mention this because the crew should be especially commended for their recognizing the hiking limitations of some in our group, adjusting their hiking plans accordingly, and demonstrating enormous amounts of patience and kindness toward us. This crew has great heart.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

The literature you provided for trip planning was perfect. I had everything I needed to book my flights and hotels. Taylor took great care of me. AdventureSmith has a good selection of trips.

Accommodations Review

Ship, cabins, common areas, equipment all very well maintained. Everything was great.

Meals Review

The food was fine, but nothing to write home about.  Long lines at buffets. Seated dinner service a little slow.

Crew & Guides Review

All the guides were above and beyond exceptional.  Their knowledge and ENTHUSIASM was impressive - whether talking about lichen or slugs, the weather, the tides, or a Grizzly, they were all so enthusiastic about everything. Maybe even more so than the guests! They were also amazingly organized. Getting 10-20 day trips organized and punctual can't be easy. The skiff captains and guides worked remarkably well keeping everything running like a German train (super efficient and punctual, that is)!

Transportation Review

Aaron Gaines did an incredible job helping me book the trip, sending me ship, itinerary and flight information. Excellent job of communications. He was also very enthusiastic about making this a wonderful trip for us! You'd think he was going himself!

Traveler Advice

Don't expect to go shopping on this trip (except in the towns where you embark/disembark), this is an ADVENTURE and EXPLORATION experience!  You will travel to remote areas to see whales, porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, bears, or maybe a wolf, or some mink!  You will walk, hike, kayak and skiff ride! On this cruise you will get close to nature and feed your soul!

Accommodations Review

All of our accommodations from the Safari Explorer UnCruise boat, Camp Denali Lodge and the three Kenai Lodges [Kenai Riverside Lodge, Kenai Backcountry Lodge, and Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge] were amazing and all unique in their own ways.

Meals Review

The meals on each leg of our trip were amazing first class dining experiences. Our favorites were the Safari Explorer and the Kenai Backcountry Lodge.

Crew & Guides Review

We had many different trip leaders and guides throughout our trip and all of them were excellent. They were all knowledgeable in their own areas and helped us to learn about the history or each area we visited, the wildlife in each area, as well as the animals that were native to each area. Even the chefs informed us about the meals we were enjoying. All of our guides, chefs and leaders were so enthusiastic about their areas of expertise.

Itinerary Review

We liked various parts of each leg of our trip. The inside passage for the marine life and the Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park. Denali National Park for the great hiking, glaciers, the tundra which I knew nothing about but learned to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of as well as the wildlife of the park. And the Kenai Peninsula portion of our trip for the activities like rafting the Kenai River, hiking through the stunning scenic countryside and enjoying the peace of the Backcountry Lodge and boating from Resurrection Bay to the Glacier Lodge and seeing the glaciers coming down from the Harding Icefield. Juneau and Anchorage were not very pretty towns but we were glad that we had the opportunity to see them.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

AdventureSmith, and specifically Taylor, was so thorough and meticulous in planning our trip. She had first hand experience and knowledge of each location and planned our trip with the perfect amount of time in each location. I don't think we would change anything about our itinerary. We would absolutely recommend AdventureSmith and specifically Taylor to anyone contemplating traveling to Alaska.

Traveler Advice

Let AdventureSmith plan your trip and you won't regret it!

Accommodations Review

The beds were surprisingly comfortable!! Loved having the window cracked and having the fresh air at night. Very clean cabins and we were really only in our rooms at night to sleep :)

Crew & Guides Review

Again - beyond excellent!! Sarah (with an "h") was the BEST!! She was so friendly and fun! My kids and I really enjoyed her. She did a great job planning the activities and offered a good variety of options. She was also so enthusiastic about everything and she was really easy to approach and talk to. She was a blast when she was our guide. She and Julie were quite the combo!!!

Julie - she was my daughters favorite!! She was a great guide and so much fun!! She always made sure Syd was at the front of the boat to get the best pictures!! She knows her stuff and when asked questions - she had an answer for everything!

Ted - I went kayaking with him the first day. He was awesome!! Very helpful and knowledgeable too. He was fun and very easy to approach and ask questions. He did a presentation on loons - and taught us how to call birds. We are still trying to master that! My daughter is the best one out of all of us. 

Gray - he was my son's favorite. I had him for the fish hatchery. When I saw the bear - he came right to the front and "read" the bear and allowed us to take pictures and have that experience. Very respectful to the wildlife - I wanted to just stay there and watch the bear and baby - but he had us continue on after a few minutes to leave the bear be. 

Andy and Adelia - they drove the skiffs for us a few times. Very nice and fun! We saw orcas with Andy and she got us safely (very fast) lol - to the orcas in time to see carnage with the sea lions. That was a great experience (sad) but awesome. 

Dakota - he was our waiter. HE WAS THE BEST!! After one day - he  knew our drinks for every meal. He had drinks in place in the morning and then different drinks for lunch and dinner.  We and our tablemates adored him. He was a highlight of our day. He asked us about our adventures at night - that was appreciated. 

Matt the bartender ......  what a guy!! Any drink we wanted he would make.. My son is 21 - not a drinker but wanted to try some things. Matt was up for it. Now that I am home and I am not sure I can have a margarita - Matt made the best margaritas!!! He made drinks of the day - and was more than happy to tell how he made it. At the end of the trip he wanted to make me a new margarita. He made a jalepeno, orange cinnamon one. It took a while to make it and it was well worth the wait. I am sure I am missing someone - but EVERYONE was great!!!

Transportation Review

It was a smooth transition on and off the boat and with our luggage. No complaints!

Itinerary Review

I think every place we went had it's own unique experience. My son LOVED the bush whacking tours!!!! He loved seeing things that even people on the ship (me) didn't see. They found blueberries every time and stopped and ate them. He raved about how good they were. He also was able to eat salmon berries which he loved also. He would have done that every day for both excursions! My daughter loved the skiff rides because she wants to be a photographer and what a great place to get good pictures!! She was in heaven and 14,000 picture or more later - she found her happy place. 

I liked everything I did - going to the fish hatchery I think was my favorite though because that is where we saw a mamma grizzly and her baby!! They were right there and didn't seem to mind us a bit! I think my mom enjoyed the skiff rides and the one day it was open kayak - my son took her out on one for about an hour and she loved that. She has never done that before so she enjoyed that. My kids also loved the polar plunge. What a way to end the trip - and they can say they jumped in glacial waters!!! Everything was so beautiful and wonderful!

There was nothing we didn't enjoy - and I am saying that honestly! I think the only thing is one morning we anchored in a really rocky (back and forth) spot and my mom got sea sick and missed out on the days activities. After the morning excursions - they did move the boat to a calmer area - and Matt the bartender made my mom a drink that settled her stomach so she was able to join us for dinner and the evening activities.

Meals Review

Beyond excellent!! I packed snacks for the kids for in between meals - mistake!! I brought them all back home. There was way more than enough food! The food was excellent! The choices were great with a great variety. My son is soooo picky and he tried new foods and found out that he actually liked them. Breakfast was always exciting because we got to hear what we were having for lunch and dinner! No one can say they went hungry or didn't have anything they wanted. If we didn't like any of the options - they offered other items also - but we all tried something that was offered. I found out my self that I like scallops and my son decided he liked crab with the all you can eat crab night! Amazing!! The desserts were to die for also!!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Very good!! The packing list was spot on - our fault we didn't listen to all if it - most of it - but a few things we didn't think we would need - but we did need. That was our own fault!!

Traveler Advice

Listen to the packing instructions :) A strap for your phone and a camera and a sense of adventure!!!