Viewing bears in the wild is always our goal when visiting Alaska. Before our first trip many years ago, I thought about including a trip to Kodiak Island – a premier place to see Kodiak brown bears – but it was way too pricey. Turns out, we didn’t need to book an expensive guided bear tour.
Over multiple trips to Alaska, we’ve seen bears crossing roads, walking along rivers, and even wandering through town. Some sightings happened because we intentionally looked for them and others happened completely by accident.
If viewing bears in Alaska is high on your wish list, here are some of our best tips and lessons we learned from our own experiences.
Where We Saw Bears During Our Alaska Trips
One thing we learned about bear viewing in Alaska is that they can show up in some pretty unexpected places, you just have to keep your eyes open for them.
Highway between Seward and Homer
One of our first bear sightings happened as we were driving south from Seward toward Homer. A black bear crossed the road directly in front of us. Fortunately, Ryan was alert as he was driving. I was in the backseat and looked up just in time to see it. Some of our travel companions were sleeping and missed it. It was too quick to get a picture, but the image of it galloping across the road is forever etched in my mind.
On the road in Cooper Landing
Again on the road, this time in the town of Cooper Landing, a bear crossed the road in front of Ryan’s car while driving to the store in the middle of the afternoon. It was quite a shock as the encounter happened in town and in broad daylight.
Downtown Girdwood
Another surprising bear encounter was while driving in downtown Girdwood. It was early afternoon and we saw a black bear meandering around the outside of an apartment building. We watched it roam for a bit before continuing on our way.
Skilak Lake Road
One of our closest encounters to a bear was driving right alongside one on Skilak Lake Road. This stretch of unpaved, but well-maintained, road is known for being a premier bear viewing spot on the Kenai Peninsula. Located about 15 minutes west of Cooper Landing, we were fortunate to hear about this area from our lodging host. She said the first 5 miles are great for bear viewing in the late evening, so we loaded up our crew around 8 p.m. and headed out.
Sure enough, just past mile marker 4 we spotted a black bear eating grass on the side of the road. We eventually carefully drove past it taking pictures and video along the way. It was exciting seeing a bear that close from the safety of our car. Exciting as it was, though, that wasn’t the end of our bear encounters for the evening…
Grizzlies in the Kenai River
On our way back to Cooper Landing from Skilak Lake Road we were driving next to the Kenai River. I looked out my window and saw 4 grizzly bears wading in the water – a couple of them were even on their hind legs! It was so cool to see, and I immediately told Ryan to stop the car, but he couldn’t. It was bumper to bumper traffic and there was no shoulder on the road. I was convinced that once the other drivers saw what we saw, no one would care if we stopped traffic in the middle of the highway, but Ryan, being the sensible one, kept driving. I managed to grab the fastest, blurriest photo of two of the bears, which helps me remember the scene, but is probably hard for others to grasp just how cool it was.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
If seeing a bear in the wild doesn’t happen during your trip, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a great backup option. Obviously, these aren’t wild encounters, but it’s still a fantastic experience and especially helpful for families with kids or anyone wanting guaranteed wildlife viewing. We had a lot of fun here even though we had plenty of bear sightings in the wild.
Places Specifically Known for Bear Viewing in Alaska
Although we saw bears in some random places, there are also well-known spots that people specifically visit for viewing bears in Alaska. But keep in mind some of these places are expensive or hard to get to.
- Katmai National Park and Preserve – This is one of the most famous places for bear watching in Alaska, especially around Brooks Falls. The catch is, there are no roads into Katmai. Most people fly there on a small plane with a guided – and expensive – day trip tour.
- Kodiak Island – Known for Kodiak bears, which are among the largest bears in the world, this island is a bear viewing paradise, but also difficult to reach. You either have to take a pricey flight or a long ferry.
- Denali National Park and Preserve – Denali is probably the easiest of these three to naturally work into an Alaska road trip. We’ve been there, and while impressed with the scenery, we didn’t see as much wildlife as we would have liked. (Read about our experience and whether we think a trip to Denali is worth it here.) Bear sightings are less predictable at Denali than Katmai or Kodiak Island.
- Russian River Falls – Just north of Cooper Landing is the easily accessible Russian River Falls. Famous for salmon jumping upstream, this area naturally attracts bears looking for an easy meal. It’s an easy two-mile hike to viewing decks that overlook the water and are perfect for watching the action. We didn’t see any bears the day we visited, but the sight of hundreds of salmon jumping upstream was spectacular in itself.
Our Best Tips for Bear Watching in Alaska
- Ask locals for their recommendations. This is how we knew where and when to travel on Skilak Lake Road.
- Go early or late in the day. Dawn and dusk are prime times to see bear as this is when they’re most active. Just be sure to use caution. (See our bear safety tips below.)
- Look near rivers during salmon season. Bears frequent these areas looking for food.
- Keep scanning while driving. Pay attention to what’s around you and stay alert. That’s how we saw a variety of bears.
Important Bear Safety Tips
Seeing a bear is exciting, but getting too close is not. Here are some important safety reminders:
Travel in groups. Bears are generally less likely to approach groups.
Carry bear spray and know how to use it. Don’t bury your bear spray in your backpack where you can’t reach it quickly. Have it handy and know how to use it.
Make noise. You don’t want to accidentally surprise a bear. While hiking on trails, talk, clap, or make some kind of noise so they can hear you coming.
Keep your distance. Even if a bear appears calm, remember that it’s still a wild animal. No picture is worth getting too close.
Some of our Favorite Alaska Memories
Before our first Alaska trip, I thought seeing a bear would be one of those things that might happen if we got lucky. But by keeping our eyes open and spending time in a few areas where bear sightings are more common, we ended up seeing them multiple times.
And actually, some of our favorite Alaska memories were made because we happened to look out the window at exactly the right time.
So keep your eyes open, ask locals for advice, and don’t spend your whole drive staring at your phone or sleeping in the passenger seat. You never know what you might spot standing along the side of the road.
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