Neets Bay Bear Watch

The Neets Bay Bear Watch Adventure, which grants visitors exclusive access to one of the most famous black bear habitats in Alaska, is one of the very best tours in Ketchikan (or anywhere in the state!) for encountering Alaska’s scenic beauty first-hand. This limited-availability adventure and one of the most exclusive Ketchikan cruise excursions begins with a stunning boat ride through awe-inspiring wilderness, followed by a short hike through lush, ancient rainforest toward Neets Bay Creek, home to a pack of black bears that fish for salmon in the crystal-clear waters. If you’re a wildlife-lover with an interest in learning more about the ecosystems of Alaska, this standout tour is a hard-to-beat opportunity for experiencing Alaska’s massive mammalian life up close!

As is the case for most other Ketchikan cruise excursions, our Neets Bay Bear Watch Adventure tour starts with pick-up right at the cruise docks. Then you’ll hop on a thirty-six-passenger boat for a stunning trip through lush Tongass Rainforest islands. This boat trip will be fully narrated by your naturalist guides with plenty of photo and wildlife opportunities along the way. Keep an eye out for whales, eagles, sea lions, and more! Then it’s off through the old-growth Alaska woods with your expert naturalist guide for a quarter-mile jaunt past the Neets Bay Salmon Hatchery, the annual birthplace of many thousand Alaskan salmon fry! Soon you’ll find yourself alongside Neets Bay Creek, where you’ll see for yourself what makes this one of the best tours in Ketchikan Alaska: with luck, you’ll behold hulking black bears swatting for salmon and feasting on the bountiful summer harvest.

Talk about an exhilarating encounter! Once you’ve got all the photos you can handle, it’s time to hop back on board your vessel & boat back to port. With its intimate views of the local landscapes and a high likelihood of encountering Alaskan wildlife in its natural habitat, it’s fair to say that the Neets Bay Bear Watch Adventure is among the very best wildlife tours in Ketchikan Alaska for creating unforgettable memories!

For a bear-viewing tour closer to town, check out the Wildlife Sanctuary & Totem Center!