Our guide uses a monopod, and he is also a professional photographer. I agree with the suggestion of taking the 100-400 and a 1.4 telextender which should give you all the reach you will need. And you will be walking, crossing drains (creeks) which may swell with the big tides on the Cook Inlet. You may also end up hiking on the mud flats if you are lucky to hit the Golden Hour and a really low tide, but the mud flats can extend out almost a half mile. We probably walked from one to two miles a day, depending on where the bears might be. I also photographed bears from the front porch of my cabin and have two great images of two cubs on either side of the SSCL sign and the mother bear scratching her back on the large wood carving of the signature bear in front. We have had bears walk within 10-15 feet of us, and on one occasion a mother flopped down within fifty feet of us and nursed her cubs. It is highly unlikely that you will photograph any salmon because the run starts later in the year, but you should see lots of spring cubs and second-year cubs. Personally, I shot a Nikon 7200, recently replaced with a 7500 and our guide shoots a D-500 although he seem to be migrating to the mirrorless Sony bodies. Generally, depending upon the weather I take two bodies, one with the Tamron 140-600, the other with the Nikon 18-300, and may take either my Mi-Photo light tripod or break it down to a monopod. I suggest you not leave anything in the buggies because the bear are inquisitive and may try to eat anything left there. The seats in the buggies are also fair game for the bears.
Is this by chance a David Cardinal workshop? If so, I have joined him for the last four years and can tell you that you are in for a treat. The lodge is amazing, David and the guide get you really close to the bears. I had a cabin mate a few years ago that brought a Canon 600mm and was really sorry. It was way too much lens with no versatility. I always brought my Nikon 200-400 and was very pleased with the results. You are going to get really close to the bears, a big lens might get their heads only. Enjoy and tell David I said hi. Bernie
Ironically, we have usually visited during David's workshop, and they have always been a nice group of folks and David has been a pleasure to know. I agree with your comments completely. In fact, the 200-400 can frequently be too much lens unless you are planning to do full-head portraits. We have had nursing mother bears nurse within fifty feet of us, and on the mud flats getting to within 60-80 feet of bears clamming for razor clams is common place. Just remember, you don't have to outrun the bear, just the slowest person! The only problem with SSCL is that several pilots are bringing in day tourists are the beach area can get crowded with the selfie crowd! Enjoy your trip and bring back some great images!
One consideration should be the overall weight of your gear as it could be a factor on smaller aircraft. You may want to check with the tour operator to see if there are any weight restrictions if you're bringing a lot of gear. I was on a tour in Canada where one photographer had to pay extra to charter another small aircraft. Due to the weight of his gear he couldn't go on the flight with the others.
I went to Lake Clark last year. While you will have opportunities for bears that are relatively close, there is also a very large meadow where you'll be happy to have any extra reach you can muster. Have an awesome time!
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