Our last big stop to look for grizzly bears (Alaskan brown bears) was in the tiny towns of Stewart, BC, and Hyder, Alaska, at the tip of the Portland Canal (scroll down to see if we were successful). Just a short distance from Ketchikan, Alaska, as the crow flies, there are no roads from Stewart/Hyder to other parts of Southeast Alaska. But from the Cassiar Highway, a spur road took us to this isolated place where multiple rivers and glaciers abound. (As always, all photos and videos are by Hank and Cindy, unless otherwise noted.)
Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, was our destination three years ago, where a small daily reservation fee gave us access to a viewing platform where we could watch bears (especially grizzlies) pull salmon out of the creek for breakfast or dinner. But alas, 2.5 weeks before we were to arrive this year, the observation platform and boardwalk were destroyed by a glacial outburst flood (a jökulhlaup) when a glacial dam broke and allowed a LOT of water to rush down into this very small creek. Uprooted trees, downed-power lines, and chunks of the boardwalk were strewn all over the creek and banks, and the Forest Service had to close the observation site where people would view the bears. The salmon, which should have been extremely numerous at this time, were initially few and far between, struggling to get to their spawning location in spite of the disrupted waterway. We later learned that they were just a bit late in arriving, and by the time we left Hyder, lots of salmon were making their way up Salmon River and Fish Creek.
What were we to do? While many canceled their trips to Stewart/Hyder after the flood, we reasoned that the bears would still be somewhere around, so we decided to go anyway. We talked to the locals and those tourists who had come a few days earlier. And we went out for a couple of drives — nothing in the afternoon, but after an excellent dinner at El Tostador (literally a Mexican restaurant with a toaster museum), we hit the jackpot.
Two young grizzly bears (possibly siblings) enjoyed fishing in the Salmon River (which Fish Creek runs into), and we also got to see two adult black bears, plus two black bear cubs of the year in the marsh near Fish Creek (watch the 8-second video of the two black bear cubs below–adorable!).
We knew we had made the right decision not to cancel our trip to Stewart/Hyder! Next morning we traveled across the border once again (we camped in BC but visited Alaska multiple times each day) to search for bears, buy delicious home-made fudge in Hyder, and search for bears again.
More bear sightings the next day as well!
And we took a field trip up to Salmon Glacier, the 5th-largest glacier in Canada, on a windy gravel road that had its share of scary turns.
More bear viewing—and more—for the best bear-viewing of the whole trip!
Check out this video of some of the bears we saw in Hyder!
We determined that Haines was the prettiest place we stayed, but the bears in Hyder were the best!
And what about that destroyed observation platform? The day after we left Stewart and Hyder, the Forest Service opened a portion of it up for public viewing and apparently the bears showed up as well. We missed getting out onto the platform, but we had great views of bears (and other critters) nonetheless.
The trip home was only a bit eventful (rerouted because of fires in Central BC), with more visits with family (Mom and brother/sister-in-law) and friends (Larry and Nina). Our 7-week adventure to see grizzly bears was very productive with multiple sightings in the Kutzeymateen Valley in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, the area north of Haines, Alaska, and the Fish Creek area of Hyder, Alaska! Three fantastic locations to view these fantastic creatures!
Always amazed with the scope of your trips. Beautiful photography, so impressive.
And grateful that you share your adventures.
It’s so fun to see these pictures. Love all those eagles! And the beaver.❤️
Love that Salmon Glacier shot!! God’s quite the artist!!!
Kim
impressive