|
|
Between August 1st and September 30th you can visit the bear viewing observatory at Traitors Cove. Fly by floatplane along the beautiful waterways of the lush Tongass National Forest across Revillagegedo island to a US Forest Service maintained trail and the Margarete Creek Bear Viewing platform. Bears can be seen plunging into the rushing water to retrieve their meals of wiggling salmon. This is a perfect opportunity to photograph Alaska's real fisherman in action! |
|
|
 |
In addition to bears feeding, you will also see bald eagles picking over the scraps left by the bears and of course, the real stars of the show, the salmon as they battle their way upstream to spawn. |
|
|
Your journey will be accompanied by the Island Wings bear guide who will provide information about the flora and fauna along the way. Combine a short hike, beautiful scenery and a magnificent wildlife experience in one trip.
This is a four hour tour that includes a floatplane flight, a one mile drive by van on a US Forest Service road and a short hike along a boardwalk trail to the viewing platform. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring plenty of camera batteries! |
 |
|
|
 |
The US Forest Service restricts access to Margarete Observatory by permit. As a result, only small numbers of people have the opportunity to visit this beautiful site, so book early! |
|
|
The four hour Traitors Cove bear viewing tour includes: a thirty minute flight each way and three hours at Traitors Cove. All tours include complimentary ground transportation to and from our dock which adds fifteen minutes to the beginning and the end of your tour. For this four hour tour you will need to budget four and a half hours total time. Season: July 20th through September 30th. Price: $475 per person. |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Dear Michelle –
We just wanted to let you know that our bear tour with Island Wings was defiantly a high point of our week in Ketchikan. If I’d brought more money we’d have done another one!!
Your service is certainly worthy of a great deal more praise. Not only was the flight pleasant and the plane in great condition and spotlessly clean, all the information you yourself provided about southeastern AK was an added bonus. We learned things from you we’d never known before and didn’t hear anywhere else.
We highly recommend Island Wings to anyone considering a trip of this sort, in fact, we did recommend your service to a couple who came up on the ferry….Thank you for adding so much to our trip…
Sincerely Lynn and Rick K |
 |
|
|
 |
Michelle,
Enclosed is a disk with some of the pictures we took of the bears at Traitors Cove. If you find any that you like you can use them on your website. The W.'s, Joyce and I had a great time and we have told our travel agent how well the flight and viewing went and have recommended you to her. Thanks again for a great excursion.
Sincerely yours, Bill O. |
|
Anan Creek Bear Viewing Observatory Tour
|
From July 1st to early August you can experience a trip of a lifetime at the world renowned bear viewing observatory, Anan Creek. Fly along the beautiful waterways of the Tongass National Forest to Anan Creek which hosts one of the largest pink salmon runs in Southeast Alaska. The presence of the salmon draws a large dinner crowd, including both black and brown bears, seals, river otters, mink, marten and eagles.
|
 |
|
|
 |
Anan Creek is staffed by US Forest Service personnel at the trail head and at the bear viewing platform. The viewing platform includes a photo blind just feet from the feeding bears. |
|
|
Your adventure begins with floatplane transport to the trail head at Anan where you’ll be received by a U.S. Forest Service Park Ranger. After a briefing you will hike up the well maintained half mile trail following the river to the bear viewing platform. |
 |
|
|
 |
From the platform, bears can be seen and photographed while they catch and feed on salmon. The salmon are the true stars of the show as they make their way against the current of a massive waterfall. |
|
|
Throughout your stay at Anan you will be escorted by our bear guide. Island Wings is the only air service operating from Ketchikan that offers fully guided service to the Anan Creek Bear Viewing Observatory. Other Ketchikan air taxi operators provide transportation only. This trip is a total of five hours. Shorter tours may be available upon request. |
 |
|
|
 |
Neither food nor camera flash are allowed on the trail and comfortable shoes are recommended. Visitation to Anan is by permit only and is highly limited. Restricted permits were established to protect the bears and their habitat. It is wise to book early as permits go fast! Island Wings is limited by the US Forest Service to 80 permits per year at Anan. You may bring water up the trail, however all food items including gum must be left in the food locker at the bottom of the trail. |
|
|
The five hour Anan Creek bear viewing tour includes: a forty-five minute flight each way and three and a half hours at the Anan Creek Bear Viewing Observatory. All tours include complimentary ground transportation to and from our dock which adds fifteen minutes to the beginning and the end of your tour. For this five hour tour you will need to budget five and a ha f hours total time. Shorter tours may be available upon request. Season: July 1st through mid August. Price: $775 per person. |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Michelle…
Just wanted to tell you again that my husband and I really enjoyed the trip to the Anan Creek Observatory. That was the best shore excursion we did in Alaska. Also thanks for taking us in the back way to Ketchikan so we could see what Misty Fjords may have looked like. You keep your plane in good shape and did a good job as a pilot explaining things to us. I have just referred a co-worker coming to Alaska next week.
I also recommended you on the Internet via message board at cruisemates.com. The book that I read prior to our trip which recommended you was “Adventure Guide to the Inside Passage and Coastal Alaska” by Lynn and Ed Readicker-Henderson.
Keep up the good work and hopefully we can book another excursion with you sometime. Alaska is definitely a place we want to return to.
Chris and Bonnie M. |
 |
|
|
 |
Dear Michelle…
We wanted to write and tell you how much we enjoyed our flight with you and of course seeing the bears at Anan Creek….We also went to our travel agent and told him what a success the trip had been and thanked him for arranging it for us. Thank you again so much and best of luck in all you do.
Very best wishes Walter and Diana S. U.K. |
|
|
