Pack Creek Bear Viewing – A Complete Guide for 2026
Written by Wild Coast Excursions’ Alaskan Bear Viewing Guides
Pack Creek Bear Viewing • Small-Group, Private & Multi-Day Bear Viewing Adventures
If you’re planning an Alaska adventure in 2026, Pack Creek Bear Viewing belongs at the top of your list. Located on Admiralty Island near Juneau, Pack Creek is one of the most extraordinary places in Alaska to see brown bears in their natural habitat. At Wild Coast Excursions, we’re proud to specialize in Pack Creek Bear Viewing Tours that focus on small groups, expert guides, and respectful wildlife encounters. This complete guide will help you plan your visit, understand what makes Pack Creek so special, and prepare for one of Alaska’s most unforgettable experiences.
Why Pack Creek Bear Viewing is So Special
Pack Creek is part of the Admiralty Island National Monument. More specifically it is the heart of Admiralty’s Kootznoowoo Wilderness, which means “Fortress of the Bears” in the Lingít language. The area is co-managed by the US Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game to protect both the bears and the visitor experience. Only a maximum of 24 permits are issued each day, ensuring a small-group, low-impact experience. This is by far the smallest visitor limit of any bear viewing site in the Tongass.
For many guests, sitting quietly on the creek-bank while a brown bear fishes for salmon just yards away is the highlight of their trip (or trips) to Alaska. For our guides, one of whom has been guiding at Pack Creek since 2012, and two of whom are former Wilderness Rangers who’ve spent whole seasons living at Pack Creek, the predictable serenity of the Pack Creek estuary, the reliable bear viewing, and the incredible wilderness experience, have created a deep and lasting connection with the Tongass as a whole. Our team’s experience in, and passion for, the area allows guests to watch these incredible animals in a calm, respectful, and unforgettable way.
A Brief History of Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Pack Creek was recognized for its incredible wilderness bear viewing at a time when the future of the Tongass and the “ABC Islands” was being hotly debated by advocates of both conservation and regional development. Bear viewing at Pack Creek had become popular with the people of Juneau by the 1930s. In 1934, Alaska’s Territorial Game Commission outlawed bear hunting in a 20 square mile area around the creek. Soon after, the US Forest Service selected Pack Creek to be an official bear viewing site and the Civilian Conservation Corps built a mile-long trail through the rainforest to a viewing tower on the upper creek.
In 1984, the area closed to hunting was expanded to include neighboring Swan Cove, Swan Island, and Windfall Harbor, an area about 95 square miles. This decision came after studies of the home range of “habituated” resident brown bears. In exchange for enlarging the hunting closure around Pack Creek, a second area on Admiralty Island was re-opened to hunting. More than 95% of Admiralty Island remains open to brown bear hunting.
The Legacy of Stan Price
Stan Price was a woodsman who lived at Pack Creek from 1956 to 1989. His presence is largely responsible for habituating bears to human visitors. His presence also discouraged poaching in this remote area. Stan hosted many visitors and became a local legend in Juneau and in wildlife conservation communities. His stories, photos, home movies, and guests helped to promote Pack Creek as a world-class bear viewing opportunity.
Due to increasing visitation to Pack Creek, Rangers established a presence to manage visitors in 1987. The “Stan Price Wildlife Sanctuary” was created in 1990 to provide “sanctuary” status to the Pack Creek drainage and estuary. The greater 95 square mile surrounding area remains closed to bear hunting. The US Forest Service manages the uplands on Admiralty Island, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game the tidelands.
A detailed timeline of Pack Creek’s history can be found on the “Friends of Admiralty Island” webpage.
How to Visit Pack Creek
Access to Pack Creek is exclusively by boat or floatplane from Juneau. Because the distance by boat is over 80 miles each way from Juneau, most visitors fly in. A few locals do make a long weekend of the 160+ mile trip by boat. Some visitors also arrive as guests of small local yacht charters.
Pack Creek can be also be visited as part of the Cross Admiralty Canoe Route. The route brings guests by personal craft like canoes, kayaks, and packrafts, from Juneau into Seymour Canal, past Pack Creek, and across the island to the Angoon via a chain of lakes and portages. This is an extended multi-day trip into true wilderness! Read this article in Alaska Magazine by Wild Coast Excursions guide, and local author Bjorn Dihle.
Wild Coast Excursions’ guests fly from Juneau on specially chartered floatplanes, and land directly at the bear viewing area. Our group trips aim to be at the bear viewing area for around 4 hours. This is an ideal balance of wildlife viewing opportunity and comfort outside for most guests. Die hard groups and photographers can arrange to stay longer and even visit over multiple days on a private trip.
At the viewing area, guests may spend time at the estuary watching bears fishing for salmon from the creek or feeding on rich foods from the beach itself. Visitors can also hike to the ‘viewing tower’ for a higher perspective of the meadows and creek below.
Permits are limited, and tours often sell out months in advance.
What to Expect on a Pack Creek Bear Viewing Tour
Our Pack Creek Bear Viewing Tours are designed to be intimate, respectful, and informative. Each trip is limited to a small group of guests, with a focus on wildlife education, responsible wilderness travel, and making a personal connection to the environment.
We cover all logistics, provide all gear, and offer the guidance needed for a safe and rewarding day in the wilderness. You’ll learn about bear behavior, salmon ecology, and the cultural history of Admiralty Island, which is an important home for the Tlingit people. Pack Creek also offers amazing and varied wildlife viewing of many species other than bears. The density of nesting bald eagles alone is worth the trip for many.
No two days are the same at Pack Creek. Some are full of quiet observation, misty clouds and soft light over the estuary. Others are alive with the sound of salmon splashing and bears chasing them through the shallows nearby. Every trip offers something new and authentically Alaskan. See a video of a late September trip here.
Responsible Bear Viewing
Our team’s approach is rooted in respect, for the landscape, the bears, and the privilege of being in their home. We maintain appropriate distances, always avoid altering bear behavior, and keep groups small to minimize impact.
Our guides have an unparalleled depth of local experience in bear management and wilderness interpretation. Having served as guides and rangers at Pack Creek for many years, we bring not only expertise but a sense of stewardship and gratitude that shapes every trip.
Many of the bears at Pack Creek are “habituated” to human visitors, meaning they see us as part of their natural environment and will seemingly ignore us to continue with their normal routines. This habituation is one of the main factors that makes relatively up close viewing of wild bears possible, and makes Pack Creek so special in Alaska.
It is important that all visitors help to reinforce this learned behavior by behaving in a consistent and predictable way. Your guide will strictly control food as well as your group’s actions and movements to help to maintain this positive experience for both bears and guests.
When to Visit Pack Creek
Bear viewing at Pack Creek is possible from May through September, with a break in the middle of summer. The beautiful early summer season is from May to mid/late June. During these weeks, the bears are concentrated on the beaches foraging for early season foods like sedges and clams. This is a great opportunity to see the new ‘cubs of the year’ emerge after being born in the den over the winter, and our only chance to see brown bears mating. It should be noted that Pack Creek offers Southeast Alaska’s only reliable bear viewing in early summer!
Peak season at Pack Creek coincides with the return of the spawning salmon. This usually builds gradually in mid to late July. Peak season begins in late July and goes into early September. Bear viewing remains worthwhile through mid September as bears pick through the last of the salmon.
Combining Pack Creek with Other Bear Viewing Adventures
Wild Coast Excursions also offers Waterfall Creek Bear Viewing and custom multi-day trips that combine both destinations during peak season. These remote, small-group and private experiences offer even more opportunity to explore the Tongass and connect with Alaska’s wild coast.
Many guests choose to visit both sites for a broader perspective on brown bear habitat and behavior, while enjoying the comfort of our small-groups. Guests who are interested in a multi-day trip, or chatting about the differences in our bear viewing areas should send us an email!
Planning For Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Because of the strict permit limits, we recommend booking your Pack Creek Bear Viewing Tour well in advance. Our June trips often sell out early, and we’re grateful to the guests who return year after year to experience this special place with us.
Whether you’re joining us for a single day, a private charter, or a custom itinerary that includes glaciers, whales, and bears, we’re here to make it seamless and memorable.
View our Pack Creek Bear Viewing Tours →
