Budget Queen**~*HELP*~**Confused!!!*~*

[DrVal]

:eek: I am trying to follow all of your advice. I am going in JUNE to Alaska. I thought I could get up really, really early to see BEARS with my wide angle binoculars, now I read, JUNE IS TOO EARLY?!?! But I’ve already bought my tickets and I'm past my final payment date. PLEASE ADVISE! :eek:

 

 

YOU WROTE ABOUT BEARS:

 

 

“If I read you right??? You are going in June???? Very rare and unlikely bear viewing that early on the Inside Passage, usually?”

 

 

YOU ALSO WROTE ABOUT BEARS in MAY:

 

 

“…Only myself and the same man out the early morning before were out that early. About 15 mins. later 4:45am (they waited for me )- a repeating breeching humpback over 10 times was seen, VERY close to the ship as it slowly sailed by. Such excellent viewing that great photographs were taken which is rare from the cruise ship of wildlife. Several more views of humpbacks continued and viewing even about 1/4 of the way into Glacier Bay. ***** I spotted 2 brown bear on the shore in Glacier Bay- easily seen with binoculars and yelled it out. Plenty of happy people on deck!!!**** ….

***HAVE a good pair of wide angle binoculars- absolutely NECESSARY***”

 

WHAT TO DO!?!? :eek: :eek:

[cruiseryyc]

There is an old saying "you pay your money and you take your chances". As bears are wild animals no one can accurately predict when they are going to appear. I live an hours drive from Banff National Park in Canada and in all my visits to the park over 40 years I've only seen bears twice. Good luck to you, hope you get to see some.

[cruisingbug]

DrVal, if it makes you feel any better - we saw a total of 4 bears on our cruise in May. Three alongside the Klondike highway (right next to the road) outside of Skagway and one that the capt. spotted on the beach in Glacier Bay.

 

But if you're looking for bears catching salmon, I think that's in the later part of the season. But bears are always around, technically, they don't hibernate like squirrels, etc. and could even appear in the dead of winter. Good luck.

[dodieh]

Cruisingbug....I beg to differ....bears DO hibernate. My daughter has lived in Anchorage for many years, and the bears there hibernate every winter. Then in the spring and summer, they wander through her yard :eek: on their way to a creek nearby .....and she lives in a developed area!....

[JohnQ]

DrVal

Your best bet for seeing bear in June will be a dedicated bear tour like Kodiak Island or Katmai, or shuttle bus trip into denali np. As far as spotting bear from your ship, as BQ also said, they will be mostly specks on the shoreline if that. Even with binoculars, you will not be close up to bear. Her advice on Annan Creek, Traitors Cove, or Neets Bay are based on her experiences and research on when the bears will possibly be at their maximum sitings. You may see at other times but your odds go down. Since there are bear all over Alaska, you could see one on another tour like the ISP bear tour, or whalewatch, or on the Sitka or Juneau wildlife quest, but not guaranteed. We have seen every time in denali and up close at that. We have also seen on Katmai. But I would never assume I will see very well from the ship. Same goes for whalewatching. While you might get lucky once, and see close up, most of your better viewing will be from a tour. Good luck and I am sure you will be fine with your cruise.

[Budget Queen]

May is a time of chance sightings since the bears are coming out of hibernation and are in the low areas which offer the views. This doesn't last and probably at most, likely views from the Klondike Highway is already over. On the Inside Passage, bear viewing tours run from end of July, for the major reason- good salmon runs and viewing. You are not likely to see them otherwise on the inside passage outside of Pack Creek via float plane out of Juneau. Look at Alaska Fly N Fish for permits. Sorry those are my only suggestions for Inside Passage. As always Denali Park offers the best deal for the money with land animals.

[Coral]

Bears were seen last week on the Klondike highway. My coworker got some great pics!

[MichTraveler]

Bears were seen last week on the Klondike highway. My coworker got some great pics!

 

I saw one on Klondike highway from Skagway last Friday. We saw a mother and 2 cubs in Glacier Bay near the glacier. Yet I have a cousin who lives outside of Anchorage who has never seen a live bear. With nature, it is sometimes hit or miss.

[rwilson251]

We were on an Alaskan cruise 2 years ago. I changed our reservations to August when I read that bear viewing was at it's best and I really wanted to see bears. I did a lot of research before changing our booking and also booked a bear viewing trip. To our dissapointment not a bear was in sight. It rained that day (the only day of our trip) which could have been the reason. We were unable to take a fly-in bear tour for physical reasons but I think you have a better chance on those trips. When it comes to bears you just have to take your chances. Other than that our cruise to Alaska was fantastic!Good luck!

[Singinman]

Taku Lodge has had two bear appearances this year. Once when we were there, and according to locals they have been an almost daily occurance on the Yukon Highway. One had to be killed just outside of Skagway the week before we were there.

[judynorth]

The bear sightings were as of May 18 when we were there.

[Budget Queen]

Taku Lodge has had two bear appearances this year. Once when we were there, and according to locals they have been an almost daily occurance on the Yukon Highway. One had to be killed just outside of Skagway the week before we were there.

 

 

For clairfication, I assume you mean the Klondike Highway???

[Yukon]

Just to really confuse you, in the Yukon we almost always call it the Skagway Road. :D

 

Murray

[Budget Queen]

Just to really confuse you, in the Yukon we almost always call it the Skagway Road. :D

 

Murray

 

 

 

Murray- are you still seeing bears???

[Yukon]

There's the odd grizzly and black still around, but most are heading into the high country now, following the new vegetation up. The black bears stop just below treeline (within the next couple of weeks), the grizzlies keep going up to where the caribou calves and Dall lambs are - yuuum.

 

Murray

[Almagetty]

Dr. Val:

 

Calee posted a beautiful shot of a Grizzly she saw last week in Prince Rupert while on the Grizzly Preserve by Boat tour. It's on the NCL board in a thread called "the Dream's first call to Sitka", or something like that.

[Honeygram]

My son is working on a paddle boat cruising the inside passage. He called to tell me they saw bears last week, the last week in May.