With Fat Bear Week—our highest of holidays honoring husky brown bears preparing for hibernation— finally upon us, many of us ursid admirers dream of Alaskan brown bears gorging on salmon with a beautiful waterfall as a backdrop. That certainly describes Brooks Falls, widely considered to be the bruin-viewing capital of the world, but there’s also a little-known alternative off the coast of Juneau that offers similar scenery and bear action, with only a fraction of the visitors.
Throughout summer and into the early days of autumn, brown bears congregate in streams and rivers along the Alaskan coast to feast on the returning salmon. Perhaps the most famous spot is Brooks Falls, where millions watch a popular Brook Falls bear cam livestream, while thousands of others make a pilgrimage to the famous spot themselves.
“It was a surreal experience,” says Bay Area resident Guang Yang, who visited Brooks Falls in 2021 with his wife Lu Fan. “I saw around 15 bears at the falls and actually ran into two on the trail from just a couple of feet away. I stepped into the bushes to hide myself and they just passed by. Seeing them up close, in their natural habitat, is hard to beat.”
“The closest comparison to this experience is an African safari,” Des Moines resident Ojas Gokhale says. “You’re as close as one can get to a wild animal in a controlled, yet natural, environment. We were close enough to hear the bears breathing, walking on the same trails they used. I never felt scared— maybe I should have—but my adrenaline was pumping every time a bear got close. There’s a primitive instinct that makes you feel alert, aware, and in awe when you encounter such powerful animals in their home.”
But with Brooks Falls’ immense popularity comes challenges. Visitors cram in shoulder to shoulder with other visitors on the viewing platforms, all angling for that iconic shot of a salmon leaping into a waiting bear’s mouth. During the busiest times of the day, rangers are forced to cycle visitors from the front of the viewing platform to the back every 15-30 minutes, so everyone gets a turn. Day trips can be pricey, and you’re not guaranteed to get a date matching up with your vacation plans.
An Uncrowded Alternative to Brook Falls, ‘The Bear-Viewing Capital of the World’
There are, however, alternatives to Brooks Falls. The heaviest concentration of brown bears in the world is found on a trio of islands that’s only a 20-minute float plane ride from Juneau. Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands average about a bear a square mile. Known by the native Tlingít people as Kootznoowoo—which translates to “fortress of the bears” in English—Admiralty Island alone is home to more than 1,600 brown bears, roughly the same number in the contiguous United States combined. Admiralty Island National Monument prohibits 24 visitors or fewer a day to its Pack Creek viewing area, permits required.
But on nearby Chichagof Island, there’s another, somewhat secret spot offering even closer glimpses at bears’ daily lives. Called Waterfall Creek by the handful of guide companies that make the 20-minute float plane trek during the salmon run, it may be the best alternative to Brooks Falls to see truly wild brown bears. Like Brooks Falls and Pack Creek, visitors can only reach it by boat or plane. Unlike those two spots, it’s completely wild, with no designated viewing areas or rangers to keep you safe.
I’ve been obsessed with brown bears for much of my life, but things really got kickstarted when I visited Katmai National Park for the first time more than seven years ago. Since then, I’ve had dozens of bear encounters throughout North America and even got certified as bear guide. So of course, I had to experience this new spot for myself.
I met Wild Coast Excursions guide Matt Brodsky in downtown Juneau along with four other guests before driving to the airport’s float plane runway, where we boarded a de Havilland Beaver for our 20-minute flight to Waterfall Creek. It was low tide when we touched down on the eastern coast of Chichagof Island; that was by design, according to Wild Coast Excursions owner Peter Nave.
“Arriving at low tide, we have more land to use when hiking to our viewing spot and gives the bears more room to walk around us,” Nave says.
We hiked about a quarter-mile, dodging the occasional pile of scat and watching an adolescent bear ramble along the opposite shore. Staying low and quiet, we made our way to a sandy knoll around the size of a living room, where two rough-hewn benches sat. This would be our bear-watching spot for the next three hours.
The main area where bears congregate at Waterfall Creek is not quite the size of a football field. In addition to the bear we saw during our hike in, we spied about a dozen other bears, including two mamas with a pair of cubs each. It was fascinating to see the interactions between the bears, particularly the mamas trying to keep their cubs safe and fed. They would give some bears a wide birth, while other interactions resulted in stare-offs and the occasional warning snarl. On several occasions, we watched a mama catch a pink salmon, only for one of her cubs to snatch it away and gorge on it themselves. Every now and then I’d glance over to one of my fellow travelers compatriots to see if they had the same awestruck, goofy grin as me.
There were so many salmon flooding the creek, the bears seemingly only had to stick their massive paws into the water to scoop up another catch. When their stomachs were full, the bears would plod into the woods, sometimes walking past less than 10 yards away from our group. One bear was so close, I could see the blood and fish remnants hanging from its muzzle. Luckily, the bears have been habituated to humans over the years and are so full of fish, we’re incredibly safe.
Waterfall Creek: Wild Bear Viewing Without the Crowds
Hundreds of people a day visit Brooks Falls; during my visit to Waterfall Creek, there were less than 10. That’s pretty typical, according to both Nave and Yang, who visited Waterfall Creek earlier this year.
“Brooks Falls provides better viewpoints with the bridge, the trails and the observation deck, [whereas] Waterfall Creek was just really raw, with little trace of human activity and just the three of us with the bears,” Yang says.
During my visit, my group shared the tiny beach with an unguided couple who had likely come from a yacht docked off the island coast. While our guided group tried to stay as low-key as possible, the couple were constantly moving, dragging their tripod in every direction for better photographs and annoying some nearby bears. Eventually Brodsky had a quiet chat with the pair, pleading with them to be more inconspicuous. Nave says that’s a typical problem at the spot, adding that because the state-owned land isn’t staffed, it’s left to guides to police “bad behavior.” It’s not unusual for some annoyed bears to abandon the creek for days at a time after a bad encounter.
That’s one of the main reasons why the guide companies try to keep Waterfall Creek’s location somewhat of a secret from the masses, Nave says. Only a few companies run guided tours there, while a few small cruise ships will send in small zodiacs to watch from the water. There’s no permit or guide requirement, so virtually anyone with a boat or a sea plane can just show up.
“We’re sensitive to the area’s fragility,” Nave says. “This is truly a wild, magical place and we feel like we’re the guardians of it.”
After more than three hours of watching the bears, it was time to meet our returning float plane. I offered a mild protest, pleading for just a few more minutes like a tween wanting to finish their video game before bedtime. Brodsky offered to leave me there overnight, which I strongly considered, until he reminded me that our spot would be underwater during high tide in several hours. Next time, I’ll bring a snorkel.
Best Time to Go
I opted to go with Wild Coast Excursions, but there are at least two other companies that offer guided day trips to Waterfall Creek. Expect to pay about $1,000 per person for a half-day visit.
Waterfall Creek tours typically run late July to early September. Pack Creek trips typically begin in June and run until early- to mid-September.
Safety Tips to Keep in Mind
Unless you have a great deal of experience with Alaskan brown bears, don’t attempt an unguided visit to Chichagof Island.
Listen to your guide. Most are trained to read bear behavior and can warn you before an unsafe situation unfolds. They’ll also be armed with bear spray, just in case.
Make a little noise (casual conversation is perfect) on the hike in and out; keep quiet and inconspicuous after reaching your viewing spot.
Don’t carry any food or food-scented products such as like flavored lip balm when visiting.
Guides carry bear spray, but according to Brodsky, he’s never had to use it.
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