Fortress of the Bears Waterfall Creek
Venture to the Waterfall Creek
Duration
Day Trip
About 7 Hours
Activity
Wildlife Viewing, Floatplane Flight
Highlight
Brown bear viewing, float plane flight
Price From $989 per person
Difficulty Easy to Moderate
Transportation Meet at "C" Sign by the Mount Roberts Tramway
Experience The Trip
Begin your wilderness adventure with a scenic 30-minute floatplane flight. Be sure to have your camera ready as you glide over amazing landscapes and look out for marine wildlife below before touching down at Waterfall Creek. This is a relatively unknown, remote wilderness location that provides unmatched brown bear viewing during the peak of the
salmon run, late July-August.
After landing, disembark from the floatplane and wave goodbye to the Alaskan bush pilot. The primary viewing spot is a short walk down the rocky shoreline. Follow the sounds of the waterfall and splashing salmon, as the guide hikes the
group to the viewing location.
Brown bears may be seen at any time while ashore. The guide will direct to the best spots for viewing and photography. Groups will spend most time seated, quiet, and still to enhance the opportunities of seeing bears. While we do occasionally have close encounters, our goal is for the bears to ignore us and engage in their natural behaviors.
After enjoying four hours of brown bear viewing, hike back to where your floatplane is waiting to whisk you back to Juneau. This is truly an Alaskan wilderness adventure!
From the banks of Waterfall Creek, we’ll have the opportunity to watch bears fishing for salmon. While wildlife sightings are not guaranteed, the abundant bear population of the Waterfall Creek area rarely disappoints. Brown Bears are most active during the annual salmon runs (late July and August).
See What It’s Like!
The Trip Itinerary
About 7 hours
Van transport to ABAK office for outfitting
Van transport to Juneau’s floatplane base for check-in and outfitting
Gear outfitting & orientation, transport to the float pond
Get the run down, the safety check, and acquainted with your guide.
Floatplane flight to Chichagof Island
A view of Juneau and surrounding majestic wilderness like no other. Buckle up and enjoy your flight.
Brown Bear Viewing at Waterfall Creek
Cache your food in the designated area!
Floatplane flight back to Juneau
Your Floatplane Pilot will meet you at the beach.
Transport to ABAK office, change out of gear, and dropoff downtown
Your van transport will be waiting to return you to the main office – Thanks for joining us!
Practical Info
Client Pickup Information
Located at the base of the Mt. Roberts Tramway, the C-Sign is ABAK’s primary downtown meeting location for cruise passengers and clients staying in the downtown area.
Clients arriving at AJ Dock:
Clients who dock at the AJ Dock within 30 minutes of the ABAK pick-up time will be picked up directly from AJ DOCK.
Clients Staying Locally:
Clients can be picked up from any major hotel in the Mendenhall Valley.
Clients staying at major hotels in the Downtown area will meet at our Downtown meeting location.
ABAK is unable to provide pick-up in residential neighborhoods. Clients staying at private residences, Air BnB’s, VRBO’s, or have own transportation please contact our office for meeting location information at 907-364-2333 or info@beyondak.com.
Price
- From $989 per person
Group Size: Minimum of 4, Maximum of 5; 5 to 1 client to guide ratio
Minimum Age Public Tour: 12 years old. Everyone must be in good enough physical condition to enter and exit the floatplane and walk up to 1 mile.
Minimum Age Private Tour: 8 years old – Requires a minimum of 5 guests to book to make Private.
Size Restrictions: Weight limit of 250 pounds per person due to float-plane weight capacity. The smallest shoe size we can accommodate is youth 2 size. Largest shoe size we can accommodate is men’s size 14.
Book early! Waterfall Creek space is extremely limited!
Included In The Price
- Professional Guides
- Roundtrip van & float plane transportation
- All required permits
- Rain gear (hooded jacket, rubber boots, and pants)
- Picnic lunch, hearty snacks, & bottled water
Not Included In Price
- Hot shower at the end of the day, but you can book your unique stay here.
- Professional Photography
- Gratuity for your Guide: If you feel that your guide went Above and Beyond to facilitate an exceptional experience, a gratuity is a welcomed way to show your appreciation.
Important Notes
- Bear Sightings are not guaranteed. This is wild Alaska!
- Due to aircraft restrictions, there is a 250 lbs per person weight limit on this tour. All passenger weights need to be provided at time of booking. Passengers may be weighed by float plane operator – those over 250 lbs may be subject to an additional fee.
- Waterfall Creek is a wilderness area with no facilities, restrooms, or shelter on site. All garbage and waste must be packed out.
- All participants must agree to follow all guide direction, always stay with the group, store all food items in designated areas, and keep all personal belongings on their person.
- This trip operates in all weather conditions (barring unsafe conditions, to be determined by ABAK) – it is very important to dress to get wet.
- Due to the inherent risks involved in this type of tour, pregnant guests are not permitted to participate.
- Clients must disclose information regarding pertinent medical conditions/history, allergies and any type of restriction or limitation that might introduce a higher degree of challenge on this trip.
- Every participant must sign a Release of Liability/Assumption of Risk Form at the start of the trip. Alterations and/or deletions to the form are not permitted.
- Due to various fitness abilities and weather variables, we prefer clients not schedule other excursions directly before or after our trip. Please let us know if you clients have another excursion booked on the same day.
- ABAK reserves the right to cancel any trip due to inadequate sign-ups, unsafe weather or route conditions, clients not meeting our physical requirements, and any other safety issues. In such an event, a full refund is given if the trip has not yet departed, but ABAK is not responsible for additional expenses incurred (i.e., non-refundable airline tickets, meals, accommodations, etc.)
Departure Times: Daily late July – August
Dates of Operation: July 25 – September 1st, 2024
Group Size: Minimum of 4, Maximum of 5
**For groups of 6 or more, please contact our office to arrange a custom departure
Minimum Age: 12 years old
Activity Level: Easy to Moderate
Documentation Needed:
- Group Size
- Name of client(s)
- Cell phone contact number of client
- Desired trip date and departure time
- Name of cruise ship or hotel
- Participants’ ages, especially anyone under the age of 18
- Rain gear & shoe sizes (please specify male or female)
- Any pertinent medical issues, allergies or dietary restrictions
- Primary language spoken, if other than English
