Meet the Bear Viewing Guides of Wild Coast Excursions — Experts on Pack Creek, Waterfall Creek & Alaska’s ABC Islands
The guides, rangers, authors, and naturalists who shape Alaska’s most authentic bear viewing experiences.
Why Our Guides Are Juneau’s Bear Viewing Experts
Wild Coast Excursions is a guide-owned bear viewing outfitter built by people who have spent years working in Alaska’s most important brown bear ecosystems. Our team includes former U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Rangers, career naturalists, environmental scientists, published authors, wildlife photographers, and certified guides with deep field experience at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island, Waterfall Creek on Chichagof Island, and throughout the Tongass National Forest.
Because we are guide-owned, our priorities are simple: safety, ecological respect, quiet observation, and meaningful connection to the land. Every member of our team has years of first-hand Pack Creek experience, and many have served as rangers, scientists, or decades-long guides in the Kootznoowoo Wilderness. This depth of experience is why Wild Coast Excursions is recognized for providing Juneau’s most knowledgeable, responsible, and place-based bear viewing experiences.
Our Bear Viewing Guides
Peter Nave – Founder & Lead Guide
Certifications:
- Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) certified Guide
- Canadian Avalanche Association – certified Avalanche Forecaster
- B.A. Geography (Environment & Sustainability), University of British Columbia
- National Registry EMT
Experience:
Peter was born and raised in Juneau and began guiding in the Tongass National Forest in 2005. His role as a Lead Wilderness Guide for another local outfitter started his career at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island in 2012. Childhood time at his family’s backcountry cabin near Waterfall Creek on Chichagof Island shaped his early connection to tides, bears, and the coastal ecosystems of the ABC Islands. Over the last two decades he has guided extensively internationally and throughout the Tongass, leading mountain trips, documentary and TV productions, bear viewing tours, and backcountry safety programs.
Approach:
Peter blends technical guiding expertise with a stewardship-first ethic — emphasizing quiet observation, awareness of wildlife and place, and deep respect for Admiralty and Chichagof Island bear habitat.
Matt Brodsky – Lead Guide & Former U.S. Forest Service Assistant Wilderness Ranger
Experience:
Before joining Wild Coast Excursions, Matt served as the Assistant Wilderness Ranger for the Juneau Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest, working extensively at Pack Creek, the Kootznoowoo Wilderness, Tracy Arm–Ford’s Terror, and every congressionally designated wilderness area in the district. As Wild Coast’s Lead Guide, he oversees our fly-in wilderness trips and ensures guests create meaningful, lasting experiences in Alaska.
Background:
Matt’s USFS duties included wilderness character monitoring, visitor management, bear viewing site stewardship at Pack Creek, and public safety in some of Southeast Alaska’s most sensitive wildlife habitats. Prior to becoming a Wilderness Ranger, he guided and later served as general manager for another Juneau-based guiding service. He originally came to Alaska as an Expedition Leader with Alaska Crossings, leading multi-week expeditions for at-risk Alaskan youth. In the offseason, Matt works with Juneau students as a naturalist teacher for Discovery Southeast. He also holds a degree in chemical engineering.
Approach:
Matt’s skills as a naturalist are second to none. His guiding philosophy is grounded in wilderness ethics, safety, and respect for the ecological principles that protect Pack Creek’s long-standing wildlife viewing traditions.
Cam Ogden – Guide, Environmental Scientist, & Former USFS Pack Creek Ranger
Experience:
Cam served multiple seasons as a USFS Pack Creek Ranger, helping manage visitor flow, monitor bear behavior, and uphold viewing protocols within the Kootznoowoo Wilderness — one of the most densely populated brown bear habitats in the world.
Current Work:
Cam works on environmental initiatives with the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, supporting community-focused conservation and ecological resilience in Southeast Alaska.
Approach:
Cam offers guests a science-based, field-tested perspective on Pack Creek and Admiralty Island ecology, shaped by her years working on the ground as a Ranger.
Bjorn Dihle – Guide, Author & Conservationalist
Experience:
Bjorn has spent “almost too many years to count” guiding in the Tongass, including extensive time on Admiralty Island, Chichagof Island, and both Waterfall Creek and Pack Creek. He is known for remote, unsupported trips across the ABC Islands and other Alaskan wilderness areas — traverses that few guides attempt or even consider. His work for various Alaska bear viewing programs has included exploration and product development in the most remote regions of the Tongass.
Notable Background:
Bjorn is an acclaimed Alaskan writer and naturalist with work appearing in Alaska Magazine, Outdoor Life, and other national publications. He has guided multiple nature documentaries and docuseries filmed in Alaska. His book A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears is a deeply informed and widely admired exploration of brown bears and the human stories connected to them. He has spoken widely — including at the University of Alaska — about conservation, wilderness ethics, and brown bear natural history.
Approach:
Bjorn brings a rare blend of field experience, cultural insight, and narrative skill, helping guests see Admiralty and Chichagof Islands with both scientific clarity and emotional depth. He also helps host our annual guide trainings.
Mattheus Temple – Guide & Environmental Technician
Experience:
A lifelong Juneau local, Mattheus has guided for years at Pack Creek, Waterfall Creek, and remote regions of the Tongass National Forest. As a former lead guide and operations manager for another Juneau bear viewing and wilderness outfitter, he brings over a decade of experience with tide patterns, wildlife behavior, and Southeast Alaska backcountry travel.
Current Work:
When not guiding, Mattheus oversees environmental monitoring for a major project outside Juneau, helping ensure local waterways, wildlife habitat, and surrounding forests remain protected and compliant with environmental standards.
Approach:
Mattheus guides with an emphasis on ecological understanding, patience, and respect for the landscapes that support Alaska’s coastal brown bears. His lifetime of experiences in the Alaskan backcountry keeps groups entertained with genuine stories of our wild coast.
Nathan Kelley – Guide, Naturalist & Certified Photography Instructor
Experience:
Nathan works as a naturalist and photography instructor for National Geographic | Lindblad Expeditions, guiding in Alaska and the Antarctic. His Alaska guiding focuses on the Tongass National Forest, Admiralty Island, Chichagof Island, and the remote shorelines of the Alexander Archipelago.
Approach:
Nathan helps guests capture the essence of bear habitat through wildlife photography, emphasizing quiet presence, patience, and minimal-impact viewing practices. Guests appreciate his calm, thoughtful presence in the field.
Why Our Team Matters
Wild Coast’s guiding team reflects decades of collective field experience in the most important bear viewing regions of Southeast Alaska. From the sedge meadows and tidal flats of Pack Creek, to the salmon streams of Waterfall Creek, to the ancient rainforests of the Tongass National Forest, and the broader bear habitat of Admiralty and Chichagof Islands, our guides have lived, worked, and explored the landscapes we share with our guests.
With backgrounds in wilderness ranger work, scientific research, expedition leadership, natural history interpretation, search-and-rescue, and professional guiding, our team embodies the knowledge and respect needed to safely explore and protect Alaska’s wildest places — especially the sensitive coastal brown bear ecosystems of the ABC Islands.
We believe world-class bear viewing experiences are rooted in expertise, humility, ecological awareness, and genuine reverence for the land — values shaped by years spent in Southeast Alaska’s brown bear country and the protected wilderness of Admiralty and Chichagof Islands.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Guides & Bear Viewing Expertise
Why does guide experience matter for bear viewing in Juneau?
Pack Creek and Waterfall Creek are wilderness environments with protected coastal brown bear habitat. Experienced guides help visitors move safely, understand bear behavior, follow site rules, and minimize disturbance to wildlife.
What makes Wild Coast Excursions guides specialists in Pack Creek and Admiralty Island?
Our team includes former Pack Creek Rangers, U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Rangers, environmental scientists, authors, and long-time naturalists with years of field experience on Admiralty Island, Chichagof Island, and the Tongass National Forest.
Do your guides have formal training or certifications?
Yes. Our guides hold certifications in wilderness medicine, avalanche forecasting, mountain guiding, environmental science, and natural history interpretation, along with extensive field training from the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.
Are your guides familiar with both Pack Creek and Waterfall Creek?
Yes. Every Wild Coast guide has worked on both Admiralty Island’s Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area and Chichagof Island’s Waterfall Creek, giving them deep familiarity with seasonal bear behavior across Southeast Alaska.
How does your team support responsible bear viewing?
We emphasize quiet observation, wildlife-first decision-making, and Leave No Trace principles. Our rangers, naturalists, and guides reinforce best practices that protect coastal brown bears and their habitat.
What types of guests do your guides work well with?
Our team works with photographers, families, small groups, and first-time wilderness travelers, offering patient, educational, and safety-focused experiences suited to all comfort levels.
Can guests ask your guides questions about bear biology or local ecology?
Absolutely. Many of our guides have backgrounds in natural history, environmental science, or professional writing and storytelling, and they enjoy teaching guests about Alaska’s bear country.
Further Reading on Juneau, Admiralty & ABC Islands Bear Viewing
- Pack Creek Bear Viewing: Complete 2026 Guide
- Pack Creek Permits: How the System Works (2026)
- What to Expect at Pack Creek
- Waterfall Creek Bear Viewing: Complete 2026 Guide
- When to Go Bear Viewing in Juneau (Seasonal Guide)
- Why Go Bear Viewing in Juneau? (Comparison of Juneau, Admiralty Island & Other Inside Passage Destinations)
- Where to see Bears in Juneau? (2026 Local Guide)
- Juneau’s Two Premier Bear Viewing Destinations (Pack Creek & Waterfall Creek overview)
- Private Bear Viewing Tours in Juneau
Ready to Experience These Places Firsthand?
If you’re planning a visit to Pack Creek, Waterfall Creek, or anywhere in Juneau’s bear country, our small guide-owned business is here to help you experience these places respectfully and safely — with the deep local knowledge that comes from years spent guiding on Admiralty and Chichagof Islands.
Learn more about our bear viewing trips or ask us anything about planning your day on Admiralty Island, Chichagof Island, or the surrounding Tongass wilderness.
Explore Our Bear Viewing Trips
