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Where to See Wildlife in Alaska: Bears, Whales, Moose, Eagles, and More

Last Frontier Events|March 26, 2026

Alaska has 365 million acres of land and about 730,000 people, which means the wildlife outnumbers the humans by a ridiculous margin. Brown bears, black bears, moose, humpback whales, orcas, bald eagles, caribou, Dall sheep, sea otters, puffins, musk oxen -- they are all here, and you do not need to go deep into the backcountry to see them. Some of Alaska's best wildlife viewing happens from the road, the ferry, or the edge of town.

Bears

Alaska has an estimated 100,000 brown bears (grizzlies) and 100,000 black bears. Seeing one in the wild is not rare -- it is almost inevitable if you spend time outdoors.

Best Bear Viewing

Katmai National Park (Brooks Falls)
The most famous bear viewing spot on earth. Brown bears stand in the Brooks River and catch sockeye salmon mid-jump. Peak season is July (first salmon run) and September (second run). Access is by floatplane from King Salmon. Day trips from Anchorage or Homer run $700-$900 including flights. It is expensive, but watching a 1,000-pound bear pluck a salmon from the air 20 feet away is worth it.

Pack Creek (Admiralty Island, near Juneau)
Guided bear viewing on an island that has more brown bears per square mile than anywhere in the world. Permits required (limited to 24 people per day). Book through USFS or a guide service.

Hallo Bay (Katmai coast)
Coastal brown bears digging for clams on the beach. Less crowded than Brooks Falls, equally dramatic. Access by bush plane from Homer.

Denali National Park
Grizzlies are regularly spotted from the park buses, especially along the Toklat River and in the Sable Pass area. You will not be as close as Katmai, but seeing a bear in the vast Denali landscape is humbling.

Roadside (anywhere)
Black bears and brown bears regularly appear along highways across Alaska. The Seward Highway, Sterling Highway, and roads in the Matanuska Valley are common spots. Never approach a bear from a vehicle. Stay in or near your car and give them space.

Whales

Alaska's waters host humpback whales, gray whales, orcas, beluga whales, and more.

Best Whale Watching

Juneau -- The most reliable humpback whale watching in Alaska. June through September, multiple sightings per trip are essentially guaranteed. Several operators depart from the cruise ship dock. $150-$200 for a 3-hour tour.

Sitka -- Smaller boats, fewer tourists, equally good whales. Humpbacks feed in Sitka Sound all summer.

Resurrection Bay (Seward) -- Kenai Fjords tours combine whale watching with glacier viewing and seabird colonies. Humpbacks and orcas are common. Full-day tours ($200-$350) go deep into the fjords.

Turnagain Arm (Seward Highway) -- Beluga whales hunt salmon in the shallow, silty waters of Turnagain Arm from mid-July through August. Pull over at Beluga Point (mile 110) and scan the water -- the white backs are unmistakable. Free. Binoculars help.

Point Adolphus (Glacier Bay area) -- One of the highest concentrations of feeding humpback whales in Southeast Alaska. Accessible by boat from Gustavus.

Moose

There are roughly 200,000 moose in Alaska, and they live everywhere -- including downtown Anchorage, where they wander through yards, eat gardens, and occasionally block traffic on the Glenn Highway.

Best Moose Viewing

Anchorage -- Not kidding. Kincaid Park, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, and the Anchorage hillside neighborhoods all have resident moose. Spring calving season (May-June) means mothers with newborn calves in suburban yards.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Portage, Seward Highway) -- Guaranteed moose viewing in natural enclosures. Orphaned calves in spring are absurdly cute. $13.

Denali Highway -- The unpaved 134-mile road between Cantwell and Paxson is one of the best moose-spotting drives in the state. Also caribou and bears.

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge -- Moose everywhere, especially along the Skilak Lake Loop Road.

Safety note: Moose are more dangerous than bears in Alaska. More people are injured by moose than by bears every year. Never approach a moose, especially a cow with calves. They charge without warning, and they are fast.

Bald Eagles

Alaska has more bald eagles than the rest of the US combined -- roughly 30,000 breeding pairs.

Best Eagle Viewing

Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (Haines) -- The single greatest concentration of bald eagles on earth. From October through February, up to 3,500 eagles gather along the Chilkat River to feed on late-run chum salmon. The sight of hundreds of eagles in bare cottonwood trees is staggering.

Homer Spit -- Eagles perch on the pilings and fly over the harbor year-round. They are so common locals barely notice them.

Anywhere with salmon -- During salmon runs (June-September), eagles congregate along every salmon-bearing river in the state. Where there are fish, there are eagles.

Caribou

Alaska has 32 caribou herds totaling about 750,000 animals. The Western Arctic Herd alone has 250,000+ animals.

Best Caribou Viewing

Denali National Park -- The park's herd roams the tundra visible from the park road. Bus tours into the park frequently spot caribou, especially beyond the Teklanika River.

Dalton Highway -- The road to Prudhoe Bay crosses caribou migration routes. During fall migration (August-September), herds of thousands cross the highway.

Denali Highway -- Unpaved road with excellent caribou viewing in summer and fall.

Sea Otters and Puffins

Sea otters: Resurrection Bay (Seward), Kachemak Bay (Homer), and most Southeast Alaska waterways. They float on their backs in kelp beds, cracking shellfish on their bellies. Boat tours get you closest.

Puffins (horned and tufted): Kenai Fjords boat tours from Seward pass nesting colonies on rocky islands. Gull Island near Homer is another reliable spot. June-August is puffin season.

Dall Sheep and Mountain Goats

Dall sheep: Windy Corner on the Seward Highway (mile 107) is the easiest roadside Dall sheep viewing in the state. White dots on the cliffs above the road. Binoculars recommended. Also visible along the Glenn Highway at Sheep Mountain.

Mountain goats: Exit Glacier area (Seward), Girdwood area, and throughout the Chugach Mountains. Look high on rocky cliffs and snowfields.

Wildlife Events

  • CraneFest (Fairbanks, late April) -- Celebrating the return of sandhill cranes to Creamer's Field. Guided walks, lectures, and photography workshops.
  • Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival (Homer, May) -- Tens of thousands of shorebirds stop in Homer during spring migration. Guided birding walks, boat tours, and art events.
  • Salmon viewing events -- Multiple communities hold salmon-watching events at spawning streams in July-August. See nature events.
  • Chilkat Eagle Festival (Haines, November) -- Celebrates the annual eagle gathering. Photography workshops, guided viewing, and cultural events.

Check nature and wildlife events across Alaska, or browse the full events calendar to find guided viewing opportunities during your visit.

Wildlife Safety

  • Carry bear spray on every hike. Know how to use it before you need it.
  • Never feed wildlife. It is illegal and dangerous. A fed bear is a dead bear -- once habituated to human food, bears are euthanized.
  • Keep your distance. NPS guidelines: 300 feet from bears and wolves, 75 feet from other large animals. Use a telephoto lens, not your feet.
  • Make noise on trails. Clap, talk, or wear bear bells. Surprising a bear is how attacks happen.
  • Moose are not friendly. They look docile. They are not. A cow with calves will charge.
  • Store food properly. Bear-proof containers in the backcountry, locked in your car at campgrounds.

Alaska's wildlife is the real thing -- wild, unpredictable, and magnificent. Respect the animals, keep your distance, and you will have encounters that stay with you for life.

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