Steep Creek bears

[Bella0714]

We'll be in Juneau on August 1 but won't have a lot of time in the port itself since we are going on the Tracy Arm excursion that won't get back to port until 3:30ish. Ship departs at 10 pm but is tendering.

 

After Tracy Arm, we would like to go out to Mendenhall not to see the glacier but to go to Steep Creek for the possibility of seeing bears. Yes, I know it's not a zoo and the bears don't appear on demand. But it seems as if there is enough bear activity out there that they close down part of the trail every year.

 

So, my questions:

 

1. Are bear sightings in steep creek rare?

2. Is August 1 a good time of year for this?

3. Are there times of day that are better than others?

 

Thanks!

[Budget Queen]

We'll be in Juneau on August 1 but won't have a lot of time in the port itself since we are going on the Tracy Arm excursion that won't get back to port until 3:30ish. Ship departs at 10 pm but is tendering.

 

After Tracy Arm, we would like to go out to Mendenhall not to see the glacier but to go to Steep Creek for the possibility of seeing bears. Yes, I know it's not a zoo and the bears don't appear on demand. But it seems as if there is enough bear activity out there that they close down part of the trail every year.

 

So, my questions:

 

1. Are bear sightings in steep creek rare?

2. Is August 1 a good time of year for this?

3. Are there times of day that are better than others?

 

Thanks!

 

Overall, slim chance. IF that is your only priority then go and park yourself there until evening. You can get lucky, just not likely. There are far more people visiting Mendenhall, who don't see bears, even peak- which is later than when you are there.

[Bella0714]

Thanks, BudgetQueen. We'd like to see bears but not enough to spend $369/person in Ketchikan. I guess if Mendenhall is hit or miss and mostly miss, we might want to spend more time seeing the glacier and maybe spend an hour or so at Steep Creek. I noticed in one of your reviews that you saw bears at Steep Creek; do you remember if that was early or late August?

 

We were thinking about doing a whale watch in Juneau but were hesitant because we'll already have been on the small boat to Tracy Arm earlier that day. Then again, as I might have said, Mendenhall might be unimpressive after the Tracy Arm trip.

 

So many decisions. Now that we've actually booked a cruise and are researching things to do, I can see why people return to Alaska.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Bella0714

[sherryf]

I've been to Mendenhall 5 times, and have never seen bears there. Once, when we were just arriving, we passed people coming the other way who said we "just missed" seeing a bear. Another time, the trails were closed off due to "bear activity" but we couldn't see the bears.

 

I'd go with the whale watching. Better to have a 100% chance of seeing whales than a slim chance of seeing a bear.

[Bella0714]

Decisions! There are so many reports of bear sightings at Mendenhall on the TA Juneau forum, especially in late August and September but certainly in July and early August, too, and we would be going later in the day. But then I keep telling myself that I can see actual bears in a lot of places; you can only see whales in certain places, and Juneau is one of them.

 

Too bad those bears can't put out a schedule!

[lucky cal]

If there's any way you might be willing to spend the money to visit Traitors Cove or Anan from Ketchikan, I'd recommend it. Traitors was the highlight of our 2015 trip.

[Bella0714]

Regarding bears, wouldn't we be better off at Neets Bay than Traitors Cove on August 2.

[lucky cal]

There are never any guarantees in the wild, of course, but we were in Ketchikan on August 3rd last year and we had an incredible experience at Traitors Cove.

 

First off, the float plane ride was a blast. We used Island Wings and recommend them highly both for Michelle's piloting and Tim's experience as a guide at Traitors Cove.

 

For the 1.5+ hours we were on the platform, we saw at least six black bears including a mother and cub. We got to witness the bears interacting (some pleasantly, some not so much!) and catching a lot of salmon.

 

It was an unforgettable experience and one we would love to repeat. Though next time, we would probably book earlier with Island Wings in the hopes of securing permits to Anan Creek where we might be able to see brown bears as well.

 

This excursion was definitely pricey, but it was one of the highlights of our first trip to Alaska.

[lucky cal]

Forgot to mention that we spent two hours at Mendenhall with about 45 minutes at Steep Creek and never saw a bear. Though the park ranger did say one bear was spotted earlier that day. That was on August 2nd last year.

[Bella0714]

Thanks! I've been looking into the boat tour with Alaska Hummer Adventures. It's a much longer tour time-wise because the boat takes a lot longer to get to Traitor's Cove. My problem with the float plane is a little bit of anxiety, and it's not as if we'll be in a hurry, anyway. Also, it's significantly less expensive by boat.

 

But thanks for the word about Traitor's Cove in early August.

[lucky cal]

The boat tour sounds good as well. I didn't know that was an option last year, and it's also about $100 less expensive than the float plane so that's a big plus. The excursions in Alaska are worth every penny, but they are so expensive when you have already paid for a cruise and airfare.

 

The float plane was a thrill for us, but I can understand why people might opt out. A few weeks before we headed to Alaska last year there was a float plane accident that killed a group of cruise passengers so that gave me pause. However, I was glad we did it and I didn't tell my husband about the accident until AFTER we completed our excursion. Bad enough it was in the back of my mind!

 

Good luck with your trip and I hope you see lots of bears.

[Bella0714]

Thanks, Lucky Cal. Yes, I just read about that accident, and reading about it has given me pause again. I know, logically, these small planes are probably a lot safer than driving on highways in big cities, but my brain isn't willing to think that logically.

 

Actually, we already have plans to go on a glacier flightseeing from Skagway the Tuesday before, but for some reason, I trust that more. I know, it makes no sense.

 

BTW, somebody just posted a link to the Katmai Bear Cam at Brooks Falls. If that doesn't make you want to go bear-watching, nothing will.

[Budget Queen]

I find the boat tour to Neets a poor choice for a bear watching priority. They don't "dock" anywhere and bears have to be down the bay and on the water. If you do get a view, it is no where as close as the platforms.

[Bella0714]

I find the boat tour to Neets a poor choice for a bear watching priority. They don't "dock" anywhere and bears have to be down the bay and on the water. If you do get a view, it is no where as close as the platforms.

 

Hi, Budget Queen. The boat tour would be to Traitor's Cove with Alaska Hummer Adventures. They started doing them last year. It's a lot of time on the water but they say two hours at Traitor's Cove. If we did Neet's Bay, it would be by floatplane.

[Bella0714]

BTW, Budget Queen, I noticed on a different thread that you prefer Neets to Traitors on July 25th. Would you still say the same about August 4?

[Budget Queen]

BTW, Budget Queen, I noticed on a different thread that you prefer Neets to Traitors on July 25th. Would you still say the same about August 4?

 

My preference would be Traitors.

[Bella0714]

My preference would be Traitors.

 

Thanks, Budget Queen. I hope you don't mind me bothering you with one more question. Island Wings has availability for Traitors Cove on Aug. 4. Of course, it's very expensive. I've seen you mention before that you only go bear watching during peak times. Is August 4 peak at Traitor's Cove or is it still on the shoulder? I guess I'm asking: Would you go to Traitor's Cove during the first week in August?

[CruiseNewby47]

There are never any guarantees in the wild, of course, but we were in Ketchikan on August 3rd last year and we had an incredible experience at Traitors Cove.

 

First off, the float plane ride was a blast. We used Island Wings and recommend them highly both for Michelle's piloting and Tim's experience as a guide at Traitors Cove.

 

For the 1.5+ hours we were on the platform, we saw at least six black bears including a mother and cub. We got to witness the bears interacting (some pleasantly, some not so much!) and catching a lot of salmon.

 

It was an unforgettable experience and one we would love to repeat. Though next time, we would probably book earlier with Island Wings in the hopes of securing permits to Anan Creek where we might be able to see brown bears as well.

 

This excursion was definitely pricey, but it was one of the highlights of our first trip to Alaska.

 

I am so glad to read this as I have booked an excursion for Aug 3 to Traitor's Cove. I know they say its season is later than Anan, in Aug...but since ours is Aug 3, I was afraid it's still too early vs August 15 and later.

 

I, too, really wish I have been better prepared for Anan. But this is kind of a last-minute decision and didn't even buy our cruise until after final payment --- very late in the game for the popular excursions.

[Bella0714]

I am so glad to read this as I have booked an excursion for Aug 3 to Traitor's Cove. I know they say its season is later than Anan, in Aug...but since ours is Aug 3, I was afraid it's still too early vs August 15 and later.

 

I, too, really wish I have been better prepared for Anan. But this is kind of a last-minute decision and didn't even buy our cruise until after final payment --- very late in the game for the popular excursions.

 

It is a tough decision. It's so expensive, and we're already doing a lot of other things on our cruise (also booked late). If it makes you feel any better, I came across this blog from several years ago by a person who went to Traitor's Cove (not sure with who), didn't see any bears and had a great time anyway.

 

https://sevenseajourneys.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/winging-it-in-alaska-bearly/

[CruiseNewby47]

It is a tough decision. It's so expensive, and we're already doing a lot of other things on our cruise (also booked late). If it makes you feel any better, I came across this blog from several years ago by a person who went to Traitor's Cove (not sure with who), didn't see any bears and had a great time anyway.

 

https://sevenseajourneys.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/winging-it-in-alaska-bearly/

 

Seeing bears fishing is the main reason for me and my son to do this excursion -- although my husband would be happy enough with the plane ride.

 

So you're there the day after us? I hope we both see bears!