Expedition Black Bear - 6 Passenger Boat
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Ketchikan, USA
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This tour allows you to see Alaskan black bears in mid-summer and early fall, when they visit Ketchikan for the salmon spawning period at Margaret Creek in Traitor’s Cove. Droves of black bears come at this time, and your guide will take you to them. Your guide will also give you information about the local plants and animals who live in the rainforest.
- Follow the black bears with your guide as the come to catch salmon
- This is only available in mid-summer and early fall
- Return with more knowledge about local flora and fauna from your guide
- An expedition to see Alaskan black bears- amazing
What's Included
- Binoculars
- Gratuities
- Snacks
- Bottled water
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
Inside Passage (Pass By)
1
Traitors Cove
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if the 4 passenger minimum requirement is unmet. In the event of this occurring, you will be provided a full refund. Parties will be combined to help meet capacity requirements.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Kira_T
This was a highlight of our trip! Alex, from Ketchikan was the best guide we had all week! He was so knowledgeable and truly loves his town. We had a beautiful boat ride where we saw whales and seals. The bear viewing area is easily accessible for older folks. There are not a lot of people here so it wasn’t over crowded. We saw a bear catching salmon! The scenery was beautiful!
Reviews
4.9
based on 18 reviews
Fran_C, Feb 2026
First there is this really cool boat trip on a small boat to the place where the bears are. Once you dock you up a steep dock, but the cool thing was there were two bald eagles just sitting right there on the handrails. Then a short easy trek to the viewing area. Immediately we saw bears. you are behind a blind so they can smell you but not see you, but they are interested in the Salmon not you....So awesome, watched them for about an hour....could have done more.
Brandon_T, Aug 2024
Our guide Keith picked us up by boat right at our cruise ship dock. We enjoyed very scenic boat rides of about an hour to and from Margaret Creek. Keith led us to the observation blind, stopping to explain some of the interesting sights along the short walk. We had a fabulous show put on by “Scar Butt”, a female black bear, who caught four salmon about 50 yards from us. Photographers, 500mm will get you a full frame bear shot at Margaret Creek.
We got lucky, but even if the bear hadn’t appeared, Keith’s easy, enjoyable style would have been worth the trip.
Dennis_C, Oct 2022
Unfortunately we didn’t see any bears, but Captain Lance was great, the boat ride was fun and the scenery was beautiful! Saw lots of spawning salmon!!
Kira_T, Aug 2022
This was a highlight of our trip! Alex, from Ketchikan was the best guide we had all week! He was so knowledgeable and truly loves his town. We had a beautiful boat ride where we saw whales and seals. The bear viewing area is easily accessible for older folks. There are not a lot of people here so it wasn’t over crowded. We saw a bear catching salmon! The scenery was beautiful!
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Thanks for your review. We agree the scenery is epic from start to finish. So glad you enjoyed the tour with Alex as he is truly the best!
Michael_S, Aug 2022
This tour was the absolute highlight of our trip to Alaska! Alex was a fantastic guide. He had great communication and the boat ride was super comfortable and scenic. We saw bears pretty much immediately when we got to the platform, and seeing the mama bear with her cubs on the trail was absolutely amazing. We saw a bear catch several salmon and eat them right in front of us, just like in the movies. :) Truly incredible!! None of the other tours we took on our trip came even close to this one.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
We're so glad you had such an incredible time on tour with us! Black bear viewing is truly an amazing experience and we agree- Alex is a great guide! Thanks for the review.
Brenda_S, Jul 2022
The price is worth it. Had a great experience and got some great pictures and videos. Our captain, Sheldon, was knowledgeable and let us stay a bit longer than scheduled to maximize our time watching bears.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
We are so happy to hear that you were able to see some bears with Captain Sheldon! Thank you for leaving us a review and we are glad that you enjoyed the tour.
Brenda_S, Jul 2022
We got some great videos of black bear. The path to the blind was enchanting with a moss-lined path. We encountered some rough waters on the boat ride back but our captain navigated us in between some islands to minimize the rough ride. It was a great day. It would have been even more spectacular if the salmon were actually running but very happy with seeing bears.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
We are so glad that the bears came out for you! Thank you so much for the review and we are happy to hear that you had a great time.
From $426.00
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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