You know me, I love wildlife and seeing all of the critters that call Alaska home. From humpback whales to moose, each region of Alaska has a different group of animals that you can watch for, and getting to see wildlife up close in its natural setting is always unforgettable. Today we’re talking about how to see wildlife and what tours or self-guided experiences are the best for getting to see bears, whales, birds and more.
I love getting to share my love of Alaska and wildlife, so hopefully you find this helpful as you’re planning your trip. The wildlife tours we cover below are all ones that we’ve done and recommend, and then the tips for seeing wildlife on your own is completely how we approach seeking out our favorite Alaska wildlife. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need some more specific advice, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great trip to AK!
NOTE: Through the end of July 2026: If you book any tours through Viator (my preferred booking service) you can save 10% with the code JULY2550 (up to $50 savings). See what great Alaska adventures you can save on! And this includes passage on the Alaska Railroad and Kenai Fjords Tours!
*Affiliate links are present and we may earn a commission at no cost to you if you choose to book something we recommend. We will only recommend activities we’ve done ourselves and that are actually good experiences.
Alaska Wildlife Tours We’ve Enjoyed
Even though it’s always great to just be traveling along and see wildlife, sometimes you have the best luck when you go out on a tour. Something great about wildlife tours in Alaska is that you can either book them as a singular person or you can book a whole van or boat for the experience. Depending on your budget and how much exploring you get to do on your own, wildlife tours can be totally worth your time and money.
Anchorage Area Wildlife Tours
Anchorage is a great home base for getting to visit South Central AK, including the edge of Prince William Sound. Wildlife tours from Anchorage vary from van tours with a focus on photography to boat tours that also visit glaciers, and even flight seeing that is absolutely stunning. So, which tours would I say offer the most value for wildlife? Here are my top picks that are in the Anchorage area:
Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise from Whittier
It’s about one hour and 15 minutes to Whittier from Anchorage, and here you’ll board one of the nicest boat tours in AK. The Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise is all about whale watching and seeing the glaciers of College Fjord, which are awesome. Between the waterfalls, the glaciers and the wildlife it’s a really fun tour and is great for all ages. I like that there are plenty of viewing areas both inside and out. Book it here!
Lake Clark National Park from Anchorage
Rust’s Flying Service does a day trip from Lake Hood near ANC out to Lake Clark National Park. This is one of the best places for getting to see brown bears, and the flight itself is jaw-dropping. You’ll fly past Mt Redout and land on beautiful Crescent Lake… and there are bears. Amazing. — use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage.
Photo Safari from Anchorage
If you’re a photographer, this is a great option for you. You’ll go out with a local guide who knows the backroads and best spots to see wildlife, as well as the general sights. Driving along Turnagain Arm, it’s a great chance to look for eagles, Dall sheep and even beluga whales. It’s fun and a great experience. Book it here!
Knik Valley Helicopter Tour
I know that this is a big ticket item, but it’s also amazing for the views and wildlife. I’ve done two tours here and both times saw tons of animals from the air, from mountain goats to moose. Outbound Heli Adventures is my favorite of flightseeing companies for this. Check out Outbound Heli Adventures here — Booking through the link is a direct booking and you’ll even get a 5% discount on your flightseeing.
Seward – Kenai Fjords Tours
I’ve done this tour so many times and it’s always going to be one of my favorites. Kenai Fjords National Park is one of Alaska’s 8 National Parks and only a little of it can be visited onshore (Exit Glacier), so to see all the wildlife and get to go to the tidewater glaciers, you need to do a boat tour. Kenai Fjords Tours (KFT) is my favorite way to do it, and you have your pick of different tour lengths. Book a Kenai Fjords Tour here!
Valdez – Stan Stephen’s Cruises
Valdez isn’t as visited as Seward, but I have to say, it’s the prettiest place in Alaska. It’s surrounded by mountains on all sides, and doing the glacier and wildlife cruise from downtown takes you out to the edge of Prince William Sound and either to the Columbia Glacier or Meares Glacier. Both are really cool and the wildlife is awesome. Check out Stephens Cruises and use discount code MYAKTRIP10 for a 10% discount on your booking.
Denali National Park – the Transit Bus
If you haven’t been to Denali NP, you might not be familiar with how access into the park works. You can only drive yourself about 15 miles into park and then you have to either be on one of the tour buses or using the transit bus. The difference is that the tour buses are narrated and the transit bus serves the purpose of transporting guests along the Park Road, and they’ll do some stops for wildlife, but then you also can just be let off at different parts along the road to hike and explore on your own. Pick which is the better option for you, because off-trail hiking in Denali isn’t for everyone. Check transit bus availability here!
Juneau – Whale Watching Capital of the World
Southeast Alaska is a really cool place to visit, and even with all of its otters and bears, the whales are what really stand out. If you get to have some time in Juneau, Harv & Marv’s does really cool small whale watching tours and they have you out on the water for a bit longer than most other tour companies. I think it’s really fun and is some of the best wildlife watching you can do in the Juneau area. Check out Harv & Marv’s here and use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your booking.
Ketchikan – Black Bears and Boardwalks
When you’re in Ketchikan, there are plenty of whale watching tours to choose from, but there’s also something really unique that is great when the salmon are in. Kawanti Adventures has a big piece of land south of town and they’ve built a boardwalk and trail system through the forest. What makes this so interesting is that black bears LOVE this area so your guided wildlife tour is actually a walk through the woods looking for bears below you. It’s pretty cool and unique.
Tips for Seeing Wildlife in Alaska on Your Own
Of course you don’t have to be a part of a tour to see wildlife in Alaska, but you do need to be observant and actively visiting places where you can see animals. Just driving along the highways will likely help you spot a moose or some deer, but when you’re traveling on your own instead of being part of a cruise group or something, you have the freedom to explore on the cheap and get to where the wildlife is!
SAFE Bear Viewing Tips
So how do you find bears in Alaska and how can you observe them safely. I have tips and I’m also not a good example. I have spent a lot of time in the wilderness of Alaska and am way too comfortable when I see bears in the wild, so my tips are for the city-slickers that aren’t like me. And I guess that’s my first tip: if you are new to wild bears, only enjoy them from your vehicle. Bears are smart and way faster than you imagine, so if you’re new to bear encounters, keep your distance with a barrier between you and the bear. Read our article on Bear Safety in Alaska.
Now, where to see bears in Alaska safely… I have some ideas, and keep in mind that bears are wild and can be unpredictable, *so proceed at your own risk*. Riverbanks are the BEST spots to see bears and thankfully Alaska has a lot of rivers. When the different salmon runs hit, the potential of seeing a bear along a river grows exponentially. In fact for the easiest bear viewing, you can just research when the nearest fish hatchery or most popular fishing spot is and then head there. Bears know when the salmon are coming in and go to the easiest places to catch them. Hatcheries, fish weirs, bottlenecks in rivers, and stream confluences are great places to see them. Here are some easily accessible areas to see bears in Alaska:
- Upper Ship Creek in Anchorage
- Russian River in Cooper Landing
- Bear Creek in Seward
- Solomon Fish Hatchery in Valdez
- Beach near the DIPAC Macaulay Hatchery in Juneau
- Fish weir on Chilkoot River in Haines
- Whitman Lake Hatchery aka Herring Cove in Ketchikan
Even though wildlife is never a guarantee, visiting these spots in mid to late summer is as close to a bear guarantee as you’re going to get.
Where to Look for Moose in Alaska
Moose are my favorite land animal, so seeing moose in Alaska makes me crazy happy every time we encounter one. A lot of visitors don’t get the chance to see moose though, and it’s often because they’re just in the wrong spots. Moose don’t want to be where the people are. They don’t want to see them dancing and walking around on the street. Moose want to be alone where they can just chill and eat, so to see them you need to visit those spots which include ponds, muskeg, river banks and willow-rich forest areas.
There are a few given spots where you’re all but guaranteed to see a moose, and those spots are the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage, the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula, the road to Chena Hot Springs, and then the Edgerton Highway / McCarthy Road. These spots have the perfect habitats and are just quiet enough that moose know they can exist here peacefully.
Note: if you’re visiting Southeast Alaska (the Inside Passage) it’s very unlikely that you’ll see a moose. There just isn’t a large moose population in the islands. Haines and Skagway may provide a bit more of an opportunity, but still not a big moose presence.
Sea life to Watch for from Shore
Did you know that you don’t always have to be in a boat to be able to see sea life? That’s right, there are some great places where you can watch for whales, otters and more if you’re patient and just want to enjoy nature. Of course the best way to do this is to be on a beach (yes, Alaska has beaches) but not every coastal destination has lots of beaches to hang out on. The best beaches are the ones in the fjord areas, like Seward, Haines and Valdez. These beaches lie at the edge of very deep areas where marine life can dive down for feeding and then surface near the shore.
The most common marine life to see from the shore are whales and sea otters, and guess what: these are what you’ll likely be looking for from a boat as well. True, seeing sea life from the shore is not as up-close or active as you’ll usually get out on a boat, but it can be cool. Bring your binoculars to the beach and you’ll likely have some luck watching humpback whales or orcas in the not too far distance. Sea otters are sometimes close to shore in Seward or Valdez, so if you’re visiting these towns, keep an eye out and your binocs at the ready.
Birding in Alaska
Some of the coolest birds in North America make their way to Alaska in the summer, so you have lots of species to watch for. I think my favorite migrating bird is the arctic tern. They are small and white, make awesome noises and do the coolest hover and dive. They’re wherever water is, but usually lakes and ponds. Another awesome bird to watch for is the trumpeter swan, and there are a lot of them to see all around Alaska. We’ve seen them from the air while flightseeing, up close in ponds, and far across marshes. I love them, and their cygnets are adorable.
And of course bald eagles are a big draw for lots of people, and there’s no shortage of them nearly everywhere you go. You’ll see them everywhere and they really are beautiful and majestic. If you visit during a big salmon run you’ll likely get to enjoy some good eagle dive bombs as they fish. I love it. Also, there are golden eagles in Alaska, so when you’re visiting the Interior, like Denali National Park, you can be on the lookout for them.
I think this is enough information for you to be able to make some great plans for seeing wildlife in Alaska. Remember that you don’t have to do every tour available and a lot of animals can be seen just by exploring on your own, but tours really do help because they offer great access to the wilderness and they’re professional wildlife spotters. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need additional suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great trip to Alaska!
