Tour

Alaska Brown Bears and More – 2022

Starts	Jun 12th 2022
Ends	Jun 19th 2022
Leader	Steve Gettle & Nicole Sudduth
Price	$6,750
Deposit	$750
Participants	6 (Full (Check out our 2023 trip))

There is a reason why Lake Clark National Park is one of the most sought after destinations to photograph the majestic Alaskan Brown Bear and it begins with the incredible density of bears that call this great place home. Filled with sedge marshes and wonderful clamming flats, it is the place where bears come to gorge after their winter slumber. Unlike a lot of lodges in this area, at our location, you will not be tied to a viewing platform. Instead, you will spend your time on the ground with the bears in their world, enjoying and photographing their many behaviors. As an added bonus, at the end of our trip we will visit Prince Williams Sound for opportunities to photograph whales, sea otters, sea lions, puffins, glaciers and more.

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Logistics

We will stay at three hotels/lodges during this tour. We will begin at a hotel in Anchorage that simply serves as our landing spot.

From here, we will be transported via small plane to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, one of the most iconic lodges in the area and situated within Lake Clark National Park. This will be our base for our entire time while photographing the bears. This lodge is wonderfully appointed, provides fantastic service and serves delicious food.

Each day in Lake Clark, we will go out via ATV with our experienced bear guide as we photograph and enjoy the bears and other wildlife that we encounter!

Following our bear photography, we will have a bonus adventure to Prince Williams Sound. Here, we will stay at a wonderful Inn located on the warf of Whittier and spend a full day out in the sound on a terrific 40 ft boat.

We have limited this tour to a very small group of just six clients.

Here is a trip video we created about our scouting trip to this great location:

Itinerary

Day 1

Sunday, June 12 – Travel Day and arrival at our hotel

Fly in to Anchorage International Airport (arrive any time) and either take a taxi or airport shuttle to our hotel (located 2 miles from the airport)

Day 2

Monday, June 13 – Arrive at Lake Clark and Start Photographing Bears!

This morning, we will take a one hour flight in a small plane to Lake Clark. Be sure to have a small camera handy as the views from the air are stunning!! Upon landing on the beach, we will be transported to the lodge, pull out our gear and head into the field to start photographing bears. We will return to the lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the day out in the field with the bears. After dinner, you will have the option of going out to spend more time with the bears.

Days 3, 4 and 5

Tuesday, June 14, Wednesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 16 -Full Days Photographing

Each day, we will enjoy a wonderful breakfast at the lodge and then head out via our ATV chariots. We will spend the morning photographing bears as the forage and clam, play and interact. We will return to the lodge for lunch and head back out for more bear photography until dinner. After dinner, you will have the option to go back out for more bear encounters.

Day 6

Friday, June 17 – Return to Anchorage

Following breakfast, we will board our plane and return to Anchorage. From here, we will drive to Whittier and enjoy the afternoon and evening at the warf.

Day 7

Saturday, June 18 – Exploring Prince Williams Sound

We will spend the full day exploring Prince Williams Sound on our own private chartered boat that is perfect for photography! With both a comfortable inside cabin and outside deck, this is the perfect boat to explore this area. Prince Williams Sound is rich in wildlife and we should see whales, sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, puffins, murres, kittiwakes, glaciers and more.

Day 8

Sunday, June 19 – Flights home

Following breakfast, we return to Anchorage for our flights home.

Booking

Price

$6,750

Deposit

$750

Payment schedule

$750 deposit due with registration

Payment #2 of $3,000 due December 12, 2021

Final Payment of $3,000 due March 25, 2022

Cost includes:

All lodging: 7 nights lodging double occupancy. Unfortunately single Supplements are not available for this trip.

All meals during our stay in Lake Clark National Park

Airplane between Anchorage and Lake Clark

Lake Clark Park Fees and Experienced Guide

Transportation between Anchorage and Whittier

Boat charter through Prince Williams Sound

Not included

Airfare

Meals outside of Lake Clark

Guide Tips

Description

Your journey truly begins when our airplane touches down on the beach along the Cook Inlet where we are greeted by large ATVs pulling wagons to transport us and our luggage to the lodge. These vehicles, also known as the “chariots of the north,” will be our transportation to and from the bears as we spend the next four days photographing and enjoying these magnificent animals.

Spending quality time with bears in the field in such a beautiful location is truly a once in a lifetime experience and rest assured, we will take every opportunity available to be out photographing bears. While you can take breaks whenever you want, on our scouting trip we averaged over 10 hours in the field with the bears every day. The photographic opportunities are endless – from stunning frame-filling portraits to capturing intimate moments and unique behaviors to pulling back to photograph bears in the iconic Alaskan landscape.

Throughout our adventure, we will have an experienced guide to not only keep us safe but also interpret the many behaviors that we will witness as we spend time with these awesome animals.

We timed this trip to coincide with the mating season, when we have our best chance for different interactions between adult bears. We will also have the opportunity to spend time with cubs and their mothers.

We will stay at what is widely considered to be the best appointed lodge in this area. Meals will be prepared by a fantastic chef on staff and flawlessly served by a professional staff. Of course, they will meet any special dietary needs and requests that you may have.

As an added bonus, we will round out this trip with a day-long private chartered boat to explore Prince Williams Sound. Here we will photograph puffins, sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, whales, glaciers and more.

We did our exploratory trip to this location in 2021 and are really excited to share this adventure with you. Space is limited to just six clients so be sure to grab your spot today!