BebuLamar

Do a selfie with the smart phone?

capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

FYI, Nothing is cheap in Alaska. You need to have a complete mind reset.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Great set up for that punch line!

Stan

1grumpybear

Brooks Falls but need to check when the salmon are running. Expensive but worth every penny.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Those aren't the timid black bears we have around here. Avoidance is your best defense. You'll be in their house.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I was taking bare photography in Alaska until I got too cold and had to put my clothes back on!

Bill_de Loc: US

Were you doing a little too much sippin' Sippyjug?

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ricosha Loc: Phoenix, Arizona

Carl S

Always wanted to go to Brooks Falls, but I understand it is very regimented, and time on the platform is very limited. Probably in my bucket list.

GES

Little Bells? We lived in Alaska for two years. The native Alaskans call those "Dinner Bells."

jno

Charles Glatzer at Shootthelight.com is the best guide/instructor for bear photography.

ski Loc: West Coast, USA

I recommend taking a professional tour in lieu of a self guided. One of the best is the Katmai National Park tour. The groups are small and you are guided by a professional guide who is prepared if something happens. You'll come within 30-50ft from the bears while you will be on a elevated walkway. No need to carry 110# of gear. Camera, 2 lenses 18-75 & 300 max, tripod. But, if you are obsessed going it alone, I suggest to include bear spray, tazzer, and a minimum a 357 magnum with hollow point bullets........

BM

We were in Haines Alaska in August 2019 and I contracted with Tom Ganner for a private bear and bald eagle viewing tour (website: https://timenspace.net/t-ganner-photography-contact/). His price was very reasonable and he did a fantastic job taking us around the area and showing us the optimum places to view and photograph bears and eagles while sharing numerous tips and techniques.
The surrounding area is beautiful with easy road access from Haines Junction in Yukon and convenient Alaska Marine Highway ferry access to both Juno and Skagway.

Danielmb

Treat the brown bears with respect and distance and avoid mama browns with cubs. The cubs can put on quite a show but the mothers not surprisingly are seriously protective and they can run faster than you can.

neillaubenthal

You want to go in the late summer or early fall when the salmon are running for brown bears…on our RV trip up there we were in Homer in late July and I flew down to Katmai NP. Brooks Falls is supposedly the primo spot…and there are lots of brown bears there…but it is crowded, expensive, and booked up way out. We instead flew down and landed on the beach somewhere…there are several tour companies out of Homer as well as other locations. Six on the plane including the pilot…so much less crowded and significantly cheaper. Drawback is you’re only there for 3 hours or so whereas at Brooks you get an hour at a time on the observation stand and can visit several times per day. Also…no waterfall where we were…just streams running into the sound…but you get much closer. Can’t approach the bears closer than 75 yards…but nobody told the bears about that…we had a half dozen close to within 20 yards or so and the closest one we measured fete he passed at about 12 feet…I was at 70mm or so on my D7100 for that one. We stood together and he just walked on by. I dislike crowds…but if I went again I would try to get into Brooks…I think…but with reservations so far ahead it is hit or miss if salmon are running…and no salmon means not many bears.

Grizzlies on the other hand…we’re pretty much a dime a dozen the whole trip.

Technically…browns and grizzlies are genetically the same bear…but the browns are bigger since they eat better on the salmon…and grizzlies range from blond through various shades of brown to the black one traditionally thinks for them. Browns we saw ran brown to brown/blonde mix…don’t know if they’re also black but I’ve not seen any images of a black brown bear.