Alaska's wild areas offer a great home for bears. There are so many bears in Alaska that you have a good chance of seeing them, especially when salmon are swimming upstream. The safest and easiest way to see bears in their natural habitat is by joining a guided tour that uses a small plane or boat to take you to a remote camp.

With the help of popular Alaska bear viewing trips, you can easily see brown bears and black bears in different parts of Alaska, including the Inside Passage, Southcentral, Interior, and Southwest regions. Popular tour starting points include Anchorage, Kodiak, Homer, and Juneau.

These tours visit famous places such as Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Clark National Park, Denali National Park, and the Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area. For a bigger adventure, you can also join multi-day trips to see polar bears in Alaska's Arctic region. You can take a half-day or full-day trip to see bears, travelling by plane, boat, or bus with expert guides leading the way. Alternatively, you can stay overnight in a bear viewing lodge and enjoy guided tours during the day. Most overnight packages include accommodation, food, guide services, and transportation.

The guided Alaska bear viewing trips are well worth the investment, with many budget-friendly options available. You can get top recommendations about the best places to see bears in Alaska, and a few more tips to help you plan an unforgettable trip.

Are you planning your first trip to Alaska?

There's something special about seeing these bears in their natural environment, up close and at a safe distance; whether you're there to capture the perfect photo or to learn about their lives, social structures, and eating habits. Many are lucky enough to spot bears in Alaska while hiking, whether it's brown bears, grizzlies, or black bears; each encounter is a memorable one.

You can hike several trails, including the Harding Icefield near Seward, a place where you will meet other hikers who told you about bear watching.

One of the best ways to watch bears in Alaska is to join a guided bear viewing tour from Anchorage. You will get a fantastic experience with mind-boggling bear watching. There are many locations where you can see bears in Alaska.

The park is nestled in the headwaters of Bristol Bay and boasts a stunning landscape of mountains, volcanoes (the most famous being Mount Redoubt), glaciers, lakes, wild rivers, waterfalls, and, of course, a variety of wildlife. The best way to get to Lake Clark is by plane – there are flights from Homer and Anchorage; alternative access by boat is possible for some areas of the national park.

Breathtaking views on the flight to Lake Clark National Park

Once you arrive at Lake Clark National Park, you can join a guided tour that will take you to the best spots for spotting bears safely. On a lucky day, you may see up to 15 bears. When I visited, I actually lost count as there were so many – someone from my group counted 20.