Alaska in September/Weather/Wildlife/Excursions?

[Bazzgurl26]

Cruising Alaska in September, and I have a few questions.

 

Whats the wildlife like? What are the chances of us seeing any Whales, Bears, Eagles?

 

Weather? Im from Portland, OR so I am used to the constant drizzle and cold temps but will it still be somewhat warm in September??

 

Best Excursions? We are two younger couples all in our early 30's...... Not really into Hiking (one of us just had knee surgery) and you wont catch me on a Helicopter. Any Brewery's?? (sp?)

 

Our ports are Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan.

 

Thanks in Advance

 

I am sure I have more questions but thats all I can think of right now :)

[sherryf]

Any Brewery's??

 

There's the Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau. We did the Glacier View Bike and Brew excursion, a bike ride to Mendenhall Glacier and trip to the brewery. Alaskan White became my new favorite on that trip! Is bike riding okay for the knee surgery person? Might be good exercise and better than hiking. I tore a muscle in my calf about 2 weeks before doing this trip, and my dr. actually told me that it would be good for me.

[Bazzgurl26]

There's the Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau. We did the Glacier View Bike and Brew excursion, a bike ride to Mendenhall Glacier and trip to the brewery. Alaskan White became my new favorite on that trip! Is bike riding okay for the knee surgery person? Might be good exercise and better than hiking. I tore a muscle in my calf about 2 weeks before doing this trip, and my dr. actually told me that it would be good for me.

 

 

Biking actually sounds like a great idea!

Excited to look into the brewery... love trying new beers. Was the excursion through the Cruiseline or can I book that directly?

 

Thanks again!

[puckster55pics]

Cruising Alaska in September, and I have a few questions.

 

Whats the wildlife like? What are the chances of us seeing any Whales, Bears, Eagles?

 

Weather? Im from Portland, OR so I am used to the constant drizzle and cold temps but will it still be somewhat warm in September??

 

Best Excursions? We are two younger couples all in our early 30's...... Not really into Hiking (one of us just had knee surgery) and you wont catch me on a Helicopter. Any Brewery's?? (sp?)

 

Our ports are Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan.

 

Thanks in Advance

 

I am sure I have more questions but thats all I can think of right now :)

Another thing to check out is a whale watching excursion, we are booked for one September 5th with Harv & Marv's http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

They take you out 6 to a boat & get you as close to whales as possible, they run $149 pp & they can either pick you up @ the dock or Mendenhall glacier (or in reverse depending on your schedule) There are also cycling trips in Skagway with Sockeye cycle they have one for 20 miles and a shorter 5mi trip with both having good chances to view wildlife.

Hope that helps:) See ya in Alaska (maybe;))

[sherryf]

Biking actually sounds like a great idea!

Excited to look into the brewery... love trying new beers. Was the excursion through the Cruiseline or can I book that directly?

 

Thanks again!

 

We booked through the ship. I looked at booking independently and don't think I could find a way to do it.

 

If you haven't tried any of the Alaskan beers, you are in for a treat! I'm lucky enough to live in an area where I can buy them regularly, even at Costco, and that's the only brand I buy.

[Budget Queen]

You are going very late in the season, so I suggest you consider some extra preparation, since you are sailing in the worse weather potential of the season. Key will be good rain gear and two pair of walking shoes. Expect colder temps, so you may want to hold off on any biking, until a day or so before, to check on the weather perhaps? These tours run in all weather. You will have dusk by 7pm, so keep that in mind with your tour selections.

 

You have 100% chance of sighting humpbacks on Juneau whale watch tours. IF a priority to see, then tours are grossly superior to any chance sightings seen from a cruiseship- which doesn't stop.

 

Bears, pure chance, so always keep your binoculars with you and keep a look out- everywhere.

 

Eagles are everywhere. Again, always have your binoculars with you, and look up. :)

[Bazzgurl26]

Thanks everyone for the imput! I am getting more and more excited!!

 

I agree about the alaskan beer I was able to try it awhile back and its one of my favorites! Can wait to try more... We meet Capt. Phil Harris of the Cornellia Marie and got a couple bottles of the Alaskan Beer signed by him.

 

Hoping we get lucky with weather...and Wild life.. I am going to look into the whale watching excursion as I have heard from several diffrent CC members about Harv and Mary's...

 

Thanks again!

[MercedMike]

 

Hoping we get lucky with weather...and Wild life..

 

That's what it is -- lots of luck! Weather and wildlife in Alaska are both highly unpredictable.

 

Viewing wildlife from the ship itself is chancy at best. We have had some wonderful sightings in eight trips to Alaska, but purely by chance while walking by a window or once even while sitting in the dining hall. Seeing a moose or bear on shore from the ship is well nigh impossible. If you are willing to bundle up well, take a position at the front of the ship for hours, and have excellent binoculars, of course your chances increase.

 

As BQ says, taking the specific excursions greatly increase your chances. The whale watch out of Juneau has a very high rate of sightings. Be aware that many times this means a spout, a rolling back, and the flukes as the whale dives. Those spectacular breachings and bubble feedings are much less likely. We like the ship's excursion with the large, comfortable boats of Allen Marine.

 

Weather in September is even chancier. We have had some very nice days, and some chilly days of drizzling rain. OTOH we have had those in August too! You can check a couple of September trips at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/sapphire.html

and

http://www.bully4.us/volendam.html

and see how we were dressed on various occasions.

 

Shore excursions are myriad in Alaska. There are sooo many things to do. The tours I like might bore you, and the ones you like might kill me! You just have to do your research, read the descriptions carefully, and find the one that is right for YOU!

 

You can see some that we have liked at

http://www.bully4.us/alaskaexcursions.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[fleckle]

In September a few years ago, we took the fast ferry from Skagway over to Haines where we had wonderful bear watching with Keet Gooshi tours.

http://www.keetgooshi.com/bear_watch.html

 

Bears only on that tour, no beers.:confused:

[Tricia724]

In September a few years ago, we took the fast ferry from Skagway over to Haines where we had wonderful bear watching with Keet Gooshi tours.

http://www.keetgooshi.com/bear_watch.html

 

Bears only on that tour, no beers.:confused:

 

Funny thing....just a few hours ago we were discussing what we were going to do in Haines in September, and I was looking at the Keet Gooshi website at the bear watching tour.

 

Can you tell me what kind of tour this is.....by boat or by land? All they say on the website is that the trips are "along the edge of the Chilkoot River." Not exactly sure what that means. It's a very reasonable cost, so I assume the tour isn't too long.

 

Anything else you can tell us about the trip would be greatly appreciated.

[lynned2899]

Cruising Alaska in September, and I have a few questions.

 

Whats the wildlife like? What are the chances of us seeing any Whales, Bears, Eagles?

 

Weather? Im from Portland, OR so I am used to the constant drizzle and cold temps but will it still be somewhat warm in September??

 

Best Excursions? We are two younger couples all in our early 30's...... Not really into Hiking (one of us just had knee surgery) and you wont catch me on a Helicopter. Any Brewery's?? (sp?)

 

Our ports are Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan.

 

Thanks in Advance

 

I am sure I have more questions but thats all I can think of right now :)

We did Alaska in Sept. Last tour of the year. Weather was fairly warm. Light sweater,layers. It was colder in Denali but not really cold. Wildlife was very visible. I'm a moose fanatic and the only animals I didn't see on the whole trip were MOOSE. Others saw lots, but not me. Saw eagles,whales,caribou,dahl sheep etc. I do hope you go to Denali...it was the part of the trip I enjoyed the most. I was somewhat disheartened to see jewelry stores in the Alaska ports as if I were in the Caribbean.

 

You will love the trip though. Get up early and watch the scenery.

Bon Voyage!

[skierT]

 

You have 100% chance of sighting humpbacks on Juneau whale watch tours. IF a priority to see, then tours are grossly superior to any chance sightings seen from a cruiseship- which doesn't stop.

 

Bears, pure chance, so always keep your binoculars with you and keep a look out- everywhere.

 

Eagles are everywhere. Again, always have your binoculars with you, and look up. :)

 

which port has better chance spotting bears without spending $$$ for bear watching tour? Someone mentioned in Juneau. Is there a specific location for bear watching that can be accessed by car

[fleckle]

Funny thing....just a few hours ago we were discussing what we were going to do in Haines in September, and I was looking at the Keet Gooshi website at the bear watching tour.

 

Can you tell me what kind of tour this is.....by boat or by land? All they say on the website is that the trips are "along the edge of the Chilkoot River." Not exactly sure what that means. It's a very reasonable cost, so I assume the tour isn't too long.

 

Anything else you can tell us about the trip would be greatly appreciated.

It is a company owned by native Tlingit Alaskans. The tour was in a van. We discovered it merely by chance. We had taken the ride over to Haines from Skagway on the fast ferry. Walking around, we happened to notice a van sitting in a parking lot across from the pier with a sign on the windshield that said "Bears" so we just walked over and asked about it.

 

They told us the tour would be starting at 4 o'clock. Since we had plenty of time to spare, first we rode the free shuttle, an old school bus, into town and spent the extra time walking around there. The driver explained that the town runs the free shuttle in a continuous loop back and forth between the pier and the town on days when a cruise ship is docked in Haines. Fortunately for us, there happened to be a ship docked there that day. Otherwise, we probably would have rented a car.

 

There were about a dozen passengers in the van for the bear tour plus the driver/guide. We rode along a road that parallels the Chilkoot River, stopping to get out of the van whenever we saw bears or other wildlife. The bears were busy fishing for salmon in the river. The most amusing bear was trying to catch salmon up on a weir that ran across the river. Every now and then it would lose its balance and slide off into the water, but would then climb right back up on the weir again.

 

Several times the guide told us to step back because we were getting too close to the bears, but the bears seemed much more interested in the salmon than the tourists. Occasionally one would stop and raise its head to look up at us and we would back up towards the van. Then the bear would turn back to the salmon and we would cautiously move forward again.

 

I kept thinking of the old saying that you do not have to be fast enough to outrun the bear; you only need to be fast enough to outrun the slowest member of your group.

 

We went out to a lake at the end of the road where people were fishing and spent some time there. Then we stopped for bear sightings again along the ride back. The guide was very good, giving a running commentary throughout, answering questions and telling us about the lives of the Tlingit people.

 

Our tour took a little under 3 hours. They might have stayed out longer except that some of us needed to get back to the pier in time to catch the last ferry at 7 p.m.

The ferry got us back to Skagway at 7:45, in plenty of time to board our cruise ship which didn't leave until 8:30.

 

If your ship docks in Skagway and you only plan to go over to Haines for the bears, I suggest calling the company before you go to find out whether or not the bears are there.

[Tricia724]

Thank you so much for the information. This is just what we needed.

 

We are on HAL Statendam, and we are in port at Haines on September 15 from 6:30 am-9:00 pm. Our first inclination was to take the fast ferry to Skagway because it is one of our favorite ports.....BUT neither of us have ever been to Haines and we are now focusing on spending our time there. With the large eagle population, the possibility of seeing bears, and the opportunity to learn more about the Tlingit, I'm sure we will find much of interest in this port.

 

For that matter, much of our trip this year is about the bears. We are spending almost a week in Homer and have planned a fly-in trip to Hallo Bay, with a possible second trip to Brooks or elsewhere if the bears and weather are accommodating. I'm not sure whether September 15 is too late in the season for the bears in Haines, but we'll contact Keet Gooshi and go with their recommendation.

 

We are both wildlife enthusiasts and are open to any opportunities. We are more than happy to see eagles, moose, whales, bear, birds, or any other critter Alaska has to offer.

 

I kept thinking of the old saying that you do not have to be fast enough to outrun the bear; you only need to be fast enough to outrun the slowest member of your group.

 

LOL. We are now two months away from our trip, and both of us are exercising like crazy to lose weight and become more fit. We've been teasing each other that we don't have to beat the bear, but.........you get the picture.

 

I'm sure we'll have a great day in Haines, and I thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience.