Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

Informal bear viewing could happen anytime when you're in Alaska. To increase the odds you'll see a bear, state and federal parks offer a variety of destinations with reliable and relatively safe bear-viewing opportunities. Various travel companies and flight services offer packages or day-trip tours.

Katmai National Park & Preserve / Brooks Camp

What you'll see: Brown bears fishing for salmon.

Best viewing times: Peaks in mid-July and again in September. Be prepared for cool, wet weather.

Location: Alaska Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage.

Access: By commercial air service to King Salmon, then charter air service to Brooks Camp.

Cost: Approximately $500-$600 round-trip from Anchorage. There is no road access.

Information: Katmai National Park & Preserve Headquarters, 1-907-246-3305; Web site

Pack Creek-Stan Price State Wildlife

Sanctuary, Tongass National Forest

What you'll see: Brown bears fishing for salmon.

Best viewing times: July and August.

Location: Admiralty Island National Monument/Kootznoowoo Wilderness Area.

Access: By charter boat or floatplane from Juneau.

Cost: Approximately $100-$200 round trip per person. There is no road access. Visits are by permit only.

Information: Juneau Ranger District, 1-907-586-8751, fax 586-7928; Web site

Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site, Misty Fiords National Monument, Tongass National Forest

What you'll see: Brown and black bears fishing for chum and pink salmon in Fish Creek; harlequin ducks, herons, bald eagles, beavers and maybe even wolves.

Best viewing times: July and August

Location: About three miles outside the town of Hyder in Southeast Alaska

Access: The Cassiar Highway provides road access from British Columbia. Visitors are encouraged to use shuttle services from Hyder and Stewart to reduce traffic congestion. The Alaska Marine Highway System provides ferry service to Hyder from Ketchikan from June through August.

Information: In season, 1-250-636-2367; at other times, contact the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, 1-907-228-6220; Web site

Note: "Visitors to the site should be aware that bears frequently walk on the road, through the parking lot and along the dike. They are often very close to people."

Anan Wildlife Observatory, Tongass National Forest

What you'll see: Black and brown bears fishing for salmon in Anan Creek. Bald eagle, seal and other wildlife sightings are also common.

Best viewing times: Mid-July to mid-August. From July 5-Aug. 25, visits are on a permit basis only, with 64 permits available per day.

Location: About 35 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell in Southeast Alaska.

Access: By boat or floatplane only. Commercial operators available in Wrangell and Ketchikan. Air charters from Ketchikan start around $200 per person round trip; from Wrangell it's about $200 each way per plane, which holds up to five people. Guided one-day boat trips from Wrangell begin around $145 per person. There is no road access.

Information: USDA Forest Service; Wrangell Ranger District, 1-907-874-2323; Web site

Denali National Park

What you'll see: Grizzly bears, usually individuals or females with cubs, in Interior Alaska's alpine tundra habitat or on gravel bars along rivers.

Best viewing times: Most visitors access the interior of the park via bus mid-May through mid-September. Vehicle traffic to most of the park is limited.

Access: By road on the George Parks Highway or by Alaska Railroad. Once you are in the park, the best way to see bears is to take a shuttle or tour bus. Reserve anywhere from five hours for a tour to 13 hours for a round-trip bus trip into the park.

Information: Denali National Park, 1-907-683-2294 Web site

Adapted from the Alaska Public Lands Information Centers' publication "Bear Viewing 2004" and National Park Service publication "Bear Viewing Areas in Alaska," For details, see the Alaska Public Lands Information Center Web site and "Bear Viewing Areas in Alaska" (PDF file).