Pack Creek Bear Viewing (Admiralty Island)
Pack Creek
A famous brown bear viewing site on Admiralty Island, reached by seaplane, where you can watch brown bears catch salmon from an observation tower.
The Tlingit people call Admiralty Island the “Fortress of the Bears,” and its brown bear density ranks among the highest in the world. Pack Creek lies about 45 kilometers south of Juneau and is jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the state government. Permits must be applied for in advance for July and August, and daily visitor numbers are limited. Visits are usually made on tours run by licensed operators, who fly in by seaplane and land on the beach, then take visitors on foot to an observation tower, where bears can be seen fishing in the creek up close. The full tour takes about five to six hours and is relatively expensive.
Opening hours
Jun-Sep; permit required
Nearby sights
- Treadwell Historic Mine
- Mount Roberts Tramway (Goldbelt Tram)
- Red Dog Saloon
- Walter Soboleff Building (Sealaska Heritage)
- Last Chance Mining Museum
- Alaska State Museum
- Juneau-Douglas City Museum
- Alaska State Capitol