Stalking Brown Bear in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

The Brown Bear Tour in Lake Clark was my favorite activity in Alaska, which is funny because it’s the one thing I thought of knocking off our itinerary. We were already seeing polar bears in Barter Island, and the brown bear tour was more expensive than all the other activities we had planned. But damn am I glad we did it.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brown bear tours in Alaska, most of them revolve around the salmon run (which runs from May to September). During the salmon run, salmon migrate up the river where they spawn on gravel beds. This creates a Thanksgiving feast for these bears. Since they hibernate in the winter months, they must chow down a full year’s worth of food in 6 months to ensure survival. 

So, the brown bear tours in Alaska give us a chance to watch all of this magic happen. Since most of us aren’t brave or stupid enough to stalk a brown bear on our own, these tours give us a safe way to get up close and personal with the bears.

The brown bear tours go to different destinations, and in September they go to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Ours would be going to Lake Crescent which is located in the National Park.

Flying into Lake Clark National Park

We started our tour in Anchorage, where I was unfortunately nursing a hangover from Glacier Brewpub the night prior. The plane ride there was worth the cost of the tour alone. I was lucky enough to sit copilot and I’ll never forget what it felt like to look out the window at Lake Clark National Park. By the way, we used Fly Rusts for this tour. 

Eventually the fog opened up and a small blue lake in the middle of the mountains appeared. The fact that this place is only reachable by plane still amazes me. There’s not many places out there that you can say that about. I’d be suprised if my next google search in Alaska wasn’t “cost of a sea plane”.

The pilot and a few of the lodge staff helped us off the seaplane. If you have enough money, you can actually stay at the lodge on this lake overnight. And if you have A LOT of money, you can actually stay for multiple nights. But you know, we were just here for the day trip.

Finding Brown Bear in Lake Clark National Park

In a few minutes, we were wearing bright yellow waterproof jackets (I love a tour that comes with fashionable accessories) and hopping onto a pontoon boat. Looking around me, I forgot for a second that we were even on a bear tour. I would have paid the money I spent just for a tour of Crescent Lake. It was like being the first one to discover Lake Louise in Banff National Park. All of the beauty without any of the crowds. I guess that’s what happens when there’s no roads to a place.

Since our tour guide lived in the lodge seasonally, he was really good at knowing where to find the bears. We were watching bears frolick in the water with faces full of salmon in no time.

Although it can be a little difficult taking pictures from the boat, it’s the perfect place to watch the bears from. They really don’t realize that you’re there, so you can get pretty close without disturbing their hunting (or fishing).

If I wasn’t scared of running into a bear while hiking before, watching these bears rip these salmon to shreds definitely made me think twice.

We had lunch at the lodge to break up the tour, and of course fresh salmon was on the menu. The food was excellent, and they had hot chocolate to seal the deal.

Photography Gear

I got some amazing photos using my Sony a6000 camera and renting a 100-400mm lens. If you’re looking to book this trip, I’d highly recommend renting a nice lens for your camera for wildlife photography. A lot of people on this tour didn’t bring a camera along, so I offered to send them my photos.

After a long day on the lake, we hopped back on the seaplane to head back to Anchorage. This was definitely one of my top experiences in 2019. Depending on the season, the brown bear tours can visit other locations, but I can’t imagine how any of them can be more impressive than Crescent Lake.

Have any questions on bear viewing in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve? Feel free to comment below!

If you’re planning on visiting Alaska, check out my 10 day Alaska Itinerary here!