Planning Your Grizzly Bear Viewing Adventure In Alaska

If you’re planning a trip to Alaska, bear viewing should be a part of your adventure! But where is the best place to see grizzly bears in Alaska? The answer is easy – Homer, Alaska. Homer has been called the gateway to the best bear viewing in all of Alaska by locals in the know. This is because Homer sits in close proximity to Katmai National Park & Preserve and Lake Clark National Park. Both of these vast stretches of wilderness are well-known for their brown (or grizzly) bear populations!

Homer is just a short flight away from Katmai National Park, which is one of the most densely populated brown bear areas in the world. Flights to Katmai from Homer last about 1.5 hours, which is perfect for day tours. Anchorage, on the other hand, is just far enough away that day tours to Katmai are not possible. Lake Clark is also a short flight from Homer, but you can also reach the park’s shores by taking a ferry boat across Kachemak Bay to Chinitna Bay for a day of bear viewing. If you want to know more about Homer bear viewing tours or Katmai bear viewing from Homer, read on. We’ve got the scoop for you!

Katmai Bear Viewing From Homer

Katmai National Park & Preserve is one of the best places to see grizzly bears in Alaska. In fact, it is one of the world's most densely populated brown bear areas. Katmai ranks among the world’s premiere bear viewing areas and is home to more than 2,200 brown bears. The iconic Brook Falls boasts epic bear viewing opportunities for visitors, but many locations along the Katmai Coast are equally as popular with these magnificent creatures. In fact, it’s not unheard of to find 30 bears fishing for salmon or digging for clams in one of the more remote bear-viewing areas along the coast!

There are many types of Homer bear viewing tours to Katmai, including:

Bear Viewing Tour #1

Fly into the iconic Brooks Falls in the middle of Katmai National Park, where you can watch grizzly bears feeding on salmon as they make their way upstream. Beautiful and nomadic, Alaskan Brown bears are the perfect symbol of wild Alaska. Watch the bears from the safety of one of several viewing platforms, and take advantage of the famous Brooks Lodge for a quick break during your trip.

Bear Viewing Tour #2

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure! This trip takes you by floatplane over inlets, mountains, volcanoes, and glaciers to a remote beach on the Katmai coast. Once you disembark from the plane, you’ll hike with a guide to strategic locations where you can observe brown bears in their natural habitat. Watch them play, clam, mate, eat sedges, and fish for salmon before returning to Homer at the end of the day.

Bear Viewing Tour #3

This trip is a magical experience for photographers. Board a private ship out of Homer, and follow Katmai’s roadless coast for unmatched access to Katmai bear viewing from Homer and the opportunity to snag some amazing photographs. Capture images of bears as they roam along the coast, with the Aleutian Range in the background.

Homer Bear Viewing Tours To Lake Clark National Park

Lake Clark National Park is another premier bear-viewing location that is easy to reach from Homer. From May through July, the local brown bears feed predominantly on tidal sedge grasses and razor clams that can be found along the beach at low tide. In late July, however, they start moving inland toward the rivers to feed on salmon during the salmon runs. Biologists have counted as many as 217 brown bears, or Alaska Peninsula Brown Bears, in a 50-square-mile area along Lake Clark’s coastline. It’s not uncommon for visitors to see upwards of 20 brown bears at Lake Clark in one day!

An excursion to Lake Clark National Park will immerse you in the Alaskan wilderness where you’ll be surrounded by glaciers, volcanoes, wildlife, and endless mountain peaks as far as the eye can see. For more information about the types of trips that are available, read on:

Bear Viewing Tour #1

Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? If so, this trip will surely provide some unforgettable memories. First, you’ll board a boat in Homer, then travel across Kachemak Bay to Lake Clark’s Chinitna Bay. Chinitna Bay has one of the largest populations of brown bears in the world! Experienced guides will help you navigate the coast, and you will be able to get up close and personal with wild coastal brown bears in their natural habitat!

Bear Viewing Tour #2

This tour also starts with a boat ride, but you’ll cross Cook Inlet to get to Lake Clark. This two-hour boat ride allows travelers the opportunity to see marine sea life, including orca, mink, Gray and Humpback whales, sea otters, and puffins. Once you arrive at the coastline of Lake Clark National Park, you’ll have the opportunity to view sows with newborn cubs, juvenile males play fighting, and adult bears fishing for salmon or digging for clams. And, if the tides are right, your tour guide can help you dig for clams, too!

Bear Viewing Tour #3

Lake Clark National Park is truly one of the best places to see grizzly bears in Alaska. Fly into the pristine wilderness by bush plane, and take a walk on the wild side with an experienced bear tour guide along walking trails where you can see bears in their natural habitat. Watch the bears of Lake Clark National Park feeding on marsh grasses and salmon, playing, mating, and doing all the other things bears do in the wilderness.

Other Homer Bear Viewing Tours

Tour operators in Homer offer visitors some unique opportunities to experience the Alaskan wilderness and see bears. One of the most memorable tours by far is a guided airboat bear viewing tour from Homer. The tour starts with a scenic drive along the shoreline of Kachemak Bay, which offers tourists the opportunity to see the Kenai Mountain Range and its glaciers. At the end of the road, you’ll tour an old village before crossing the tide flats to get to the airboat. From there, tour guides will take you along the edge of the tidal flats and down the Fox, Sheep, and Bradly Rivers. Along the way, visitors can see seals, eagles, moose, and grizzly bears.

Whether you travel by plane or boat, Homer is the premier destination for bear viewing in Alaska and one of the best places to see grizzly bears in Alaska! Homer bear viewing tours offer visitors the chance to see bears at Lake Clark National Park or to experience Katmai bear viewing from Homer along the coastline or at Brooks Falls. But no matter what location you pick for your bear-viewing adventure, you are guaranteed a once-in-a-lifetime experience.