Bears in Traitors Cove?

[Seminolevet]

My husband and I were hoping to take a bear viewing trip while in port in Ketchikan, but because we're planning our trip a little late in the game, it appears all the Anan Creek trips are booked. :( Island Wings has offered a trip to Traitors Cove as an alternative. We will be there July 30th, and my question is: What are our chances of our timing making this trip worthwhile with respect to seeing bears? Most posts I see mention August being prime viewing at Traitor's Cove. Are we going to be too early? Or are we close enough to peak season? I hate to spend all that money to miss out!

 

Thanks!!

[Budget Queen]

Anan is peak, and so would be Neets. Traitor's is known for a later salmon run. Hopefully Bearbait the expert will answer you.

 

Did you try all the flightseeing vendors for Anan?? listings http://www.visit-ketchikan.com

[Seminolevet]

I've tried Taquan, Family Air, Island Wings, and Southeast Aviation. So far IW and Taquan do not have permits available, and I checked the Tongrass website where it says no more permits are available to anyone. So unless Family Air or Southeast have a couple spares hidden somewhere, I think we're out of luck for Anan.

 

We are doing a 7 day DIY land tour prior to the cruise, visiting Denali and Seward as well. I've heard there's good bear viewing in Katmai out of Anchorage as well, it's just a lot more expensive. While I'd love to do Anan, I want to make sure I'm not focusing too much on that port (which will no doubt be slammed with cruise ship passengers) when I can do a similar/comparable trip while doing our land tour. And I'm being told by the tour companies that Traitor's Cove will be active at the end of July. (One called it "peak") I know a lot of this is to get people to take their tours, so I take it with a grain of salt. That's why I come here to ask the experts! ;)

 

Thank you for your help BQ, some of your past posts have really helped us plan our trip so far, and I'm hoping when I get a more comprehensive itinerary, I can post for you all to critique.

[PennyAgain]

You very likely will see plenty of bears in Denali NP. I am a walker and camper and have seen more of them that I care to recall. There is also a very good chance that you will see them along your land touring around Alaska.

 

I've seen bears in downtown Anchorage, but that isn't a good thing.

 

How many bears are enough? That is for you to decide.

 

I try to avoid bears when in Alaska (and other places) but they find me.

[bearbait]

You should be okay with going out to Traitors Cove July 30th. If you book with Island Wings they are pretty good about canceling tours if the bears haven't shown up. When I worked for Taquan we took 4 pre-trips out there to check for bear activity before we let paying guests come.

[Seminolevet]

Well, I was finally able to find permits through Family Air, so we're heading to Anan after all! Hubby's a little apprehensive about the unguided trek to the Observatory, but from what I understand, a little common sense and a healthy dose of respect for the bears goes a long way. :) Thanks for all the helpful feedback!

[bearbait]

In all the years Anan has been having bear tours I cannot ever recall anyone being attacked by a bear. At that time of year the bears are only interested in the fish...