Bear Viewing Excursion and Airplane Adventure Tour
4.5
Bear Viewing Excursion and Airplane Adventure Tour
By Alaska Air Service
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About
Ages 10-90
Duration: 6–7 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More
- Lunch
- National Park fees
- Landing and facility fees
- Airport/Departure Tax
- Bottled water
What's not included- Gratuities are appreciated
- Start:
- 2600 E 5th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, USATour departs from North Edge Airpark-Hangar "C"
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 51175P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- A moderate amount of level walking is involved.
- Sorry this tour location is not wheelchair accessible
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required, maximum trip size per plane is 5
- Not recommended for child aged 10 and under
- On site weather conditions vary, customers should have sensible shoes and rain jackets.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 51175P1
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Jennette S0 contributionsFantastic Flightseeing tourMy 12 year old son & I had the experience of a lifetime on our flightseeing tour of Knik Glacier and Chugach Mountains with Alaska Air Service. Bill was extremely helpful (and patient) helping us secure a last minute reservation. You can tell they pride themselves on customer service. When we arrived at the hanger, Bill took the time to show my son our route on the map and talk planes with him (my son desperately wants to be a pilot when he grows up). Safety is their top priority and it showed from start to finish. Bill was very informative, an excellent pilot and always checking to make sure we were comfortable on our flight. The views of the glaciers are breathtaking. I really can't put into words how beautiful the flight was. My son says the highlight of the tour was dropping down into the glaciers and the remote landing. I whole heartly agree, this flightseeing tour exceeded my expectations.Written June 10, 2024
- U1004QAjakea0 contributionsTrip of a lifetimeTrip of a lifetime with an outstanding company! I contacted Bill, the owner, before deciding on this trip and he couldn’t have been more open and informative. We had a warm welcome from Bill on arrival. Safety is clearly a core value and you immediately recognize the staff works really hard to give the best experience possible. Our pilots Lucas and Katie were the absolute best!! Professional, informative, engaging and fun, while always ensuring things were done safely. We had an awesome flight, fantastic bear viewing and a wonderful lunch at Silver Salmon. This was our first day of a 12 day Alaska trip and as great as the whole trip was, nothing topped the day we had with Lucas and Katie!! Highly recommend Bill and his team, they are the best. We definitely hope to go back!Written June 21, 2023
- M S0 contributionsAn experience to remember!This is the one we’ll be telling people about from our trip to Alaska. Our pilot and guide, Nick, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the areas we were seeing as well as Alaska in general. We only saw one bear on our trip BUT our encounter was SO memorable - the bear came within about 8-10 feet of us, not once, but twice! The lunch provided was tasty and filling. We’d definitely recommend this trip.Written August 8, 2022
- Eric G0 contributionsWonder crew and pilotsGetting to remote locations in Alaska means small airplanes. Our group needed to land on a beach south of Anchorage. Not a problem, just have to schedule for low tide. The crew picked up our group at our hotel and drove us to their operations. We hired two aircraft to carry seven people and all our of gear. The pilots made the hour or so flight enjoyable with stories. Highly skilled pilots smoothly landed on the beach.Written August 21, 2019
- Steven B0 contributionsGreat bear tripWe had Bill take us to Bear Camp to observe and photograph some brown bears. Bill was a great pilot and guide for the day. We had a fantastic trip to start our travel in Alaska.Written July 17, 2019
- miata550 contributionsAlaska AirlinesAlaska air charges $25 per checked bag, however they have a 20 minute luggage guarantee. Truly our luggage made it to the carousel before we did.Written October 23, 2018
- Kevin P0 contributionsBear viewingGreat trip and well worth the money. We able to see some great scenery. The bears were out and our pilot did a wonderful job getting us there to see them.Written August 16, 2018
- MattShetzer0 contributionsFantastic ServiceBill and his group did a fantastic job getting our photography workshops into Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. We'll be using them again next year !!!Written August 13, 2018
- Zakimon0 contributionsAmazing Flight over DenaliGreat flight over Denali. Bill, our pilot, was a perfect host and pointed out the various landmarks. Really smooth plane too.Written July 2, 2018
- rcbresnick0 contributionsPilot Bill was amazingPilot Bill is amazing. Great pilot and very engaging. We flew with Bill back from bear watching expedition. I left my phone on the plane. Bill went above and beyond to track me down to return it. When we couldn’t meet in Anchorage he got it out the next day and I had it the following day in Orlando. I really appreciate all of the work Bill went to return my phone. If you have need a charter I highly recommend Alaska Air Services and especially Bill.Written June 29, 2018
- cwgrant0 contributionsGreat tourFantastic Bush Pilot tour. Highly recommended. Jordan gave a great tour and a smooth flight. If I get back to Alaska I would book another tour with Alaska Air ServiceWritten June 24, 2018
- justinmcchesney0 contributionsBreathtaking views on the flight and excellent trip!Bill with Alaska Air Service was wonderful and was flexible with our trip to Alaska from Kentucky. He kept great contact with me up until the flight and was very accommodating. Bill even kept an eye on the weather and called me when he thought we would get the best views and it was truly amazing. If you are visiting Alaska, it has to be done by air to see the true beauty and amazes of God's creation! Would highly recommend them.Written June 12, 2018
- zgoofy10 contributionsDenali-The Great OneWorth every penny. We couldn't be happier with our whole experience, from phone interactions to drop off in downtown Anchorage.Written September 1, 2017
- TanyaJCox0 contributionsWonderful Service!We have worked with many flying services in Anchorage and Bill is the best - very service oriented and covers all details. Looking forward to working with him again next season!Written August 17, 2017
- michaelaB3408SV0 contributionsGift Giving SuccessThis flight was a gift for family. Alaska Air Service made doing business with them very easy. Booking the flight online was simple and straightforward. Payment was easy and I received a confirmation e-mail immediately. Changes that were necessary were clearly communicated early and were compensated generously (a flight that was unavailable was replaced with another flight and a landing was included on the replacement flight, even though a landing was not part of the original booking). Dad said the pilot was "amazing" and the experience was "beyond words." I really appreciate Alaska Air Service making this gift such a success.Written August 10, 2017
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
39 reviews
Excellent
35
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
4
WWTraveler
1 contribution
Jul 2021
We booked for a bear viewing airplane excursion to Clark National Park in March for the trip in July. One hour before departure at 8am we got a text message saying trip was canceled due to bad weather. We talked to the Alaska air to consider other options but they said cannot fly.
Fortunately, we could go with another service and the weather was very pleasant in Clark National Park area that day (2-July-2021).
Perhaps Alaska air was over booked or changed their plans suddenly.
Either way be careful when you choose Alaska air service.
Fortunately, we could go with another service and the weather was very pleasant in Clark National Park area that day (2-July-2021).
Perhaps Alaska air was over booked or changed their plans suddenly.
Either way be careful when you choose Alaska air service.
Written July 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sir, we understood your frustration on the day of travel. Although certainly a let down that your tour was cancelled, we make no apologies for placing SAFETY as our number one priority. Our next criteria is quality of experience. Your review wording states we 'cannot fly' when, in fact, we had chosen NOT to fly. In our 30 years of safe (and accident free) flying in Alaska we have learned to not push weather and "try it". Unfortunately other companies will attempt flights, under pressure such as yours, and we believe take undo risks.
Our encouragement for all travelers using our fabulous network of air charter companies is to do research on safety records and interact with the owners and pilots prior to making a decision. You'll find Alaska Air Service gets high marks and five stars.
Written July 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chris T
4 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This was the highlight of our trip. 100% recommend. Everyone (from the owner on down) was completely customer service oriented. We felt 100% safe the entire time. Our pilot, Katie, went out of her way to make sure we had a great experience in challenging conditions. We saw MNAY bears up close and had the experience of a lifetime!!!
Written July 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim K
1 contribution
May 2022 • Family
Our family of three went on a bear tour to Lake Clark National Park yesterday and it was the experience of a lifetime! Bill checked in with us a couple of times before the trip to see if we needed a ride and to make sure of our food allergies (we have several and they were great about accommodating). Bill greeted us and his friendly, unpretentious manner set us at ease immediately. Our pilot (Lucas) was excellent and the flight was breathtaking. We saw a lot of bears and a couple came to within 10 yards of us. We appreciated that they respect the bears space and do not “push” them as we saw some other groups do (the bears we saw up close approached us from a long ways away). Lucas and Kelly (another guide and pilot) were fun and great at their jobs. We highly recommend this company and tour - do it - you will not regret it!!!!
Written June 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to give your results. Your understanding on our business approach is well said! The 5 star summary says it all. Thank you. -Bill.
Written June 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mrs J
United Kingdom11 contributions
May 2024 • Family
We were originally 5, but ended up being 4 but had a plane to ourselves. Going early in the season means it isn’t always possible to see Bear. Lucas our pilot gave us the most amazing flight out, pointing out Beluga Whales; Moose, Bears; Eagles on the way. He talked us though what we were seeing and about the area we were crossing.
We saw a bear on landing and he was quick to get us on the ground and we were able to walk along as it wandered back to the hillside. Amazing. He also spotted an Otter, more eagles but really, we were just wowed by the area we were privileged to be able to explore. The scenery was truly amazing. We changed locations for a lovely packed lunch provided by the company.
An amazing day.
The company were great before hand, replying to email queries and on the day with my husband being ill. Very professional and helpful.
We saw a bear on landing and he was quick to get us on the ground and we were able to walk along as it wandered back to the hillside. Amazing. He also spotted an Otter, more eagles but really, we were just wowed by the area we were privileged to be able to explore. The scenery was truly amazing. We changed locations for a lovely packed lunch provided by the company.
An amazing day.
The company were great before hand, replying to email queries and on the day with my husband being ill. Very professional and helpful.
Written May 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris B
10 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
This was our most expensive and Primary tour. The website is inaccurate. It states "You and your guide will spend literally hours roaming beaches, meadows, and streambanks finding and watching these incredible animals."
This is not true; you will only stay in a viewing area that could be 400-1600 + meters from the bears. When I contacted the Owner Bill, he contradicted what the pilot told us about the bears staying 400-1600m away at High tide.
If the company had told us prior to the flight that the bears would be far away due to the high tide and we cannot walk in the meadows or streambanks as advertised to get close to the bears, we would have not flown out with Alaska Air Services and gone to Brooks Falls with a 1-day Photographer tour.
The owner Bill answered my e-mail with this. "Chris: Thanks for writing with your feedback. Some of your feedback is helpful, other comments respectfully, miss the mark." Then he put crazy things like "Finally, trekking out onto the mudflats harasses the bears. We dont do it. That strategy will destroy this resource. Surrounding a bear with 18 people is an awful outcome. You might get your picture but you stress the animals."
All of this is just not true or what we expected or what Bill advertises on his website and shows photos. I we would have walked the 200 meters to the stream and the viewing and photos would have been good. If we would have walked up the beach 2000 meters, the viewing would have been 50 meters.
In Summary, a waste of money. This could have been great if they did what the website stated. Only book with a Photographer guide, not an airplane company.
This is not true; you will only stay in a viewing area that could be 400-1600 + meters from the bears. When I contacted the Owner Bill, he contradicted what the pilot told us about the bears staying 400-1600m away at High tide.
If the company had told us prior to the flight that the bears would be far away due to the high tide and we cannot walk in the meadows or streambanks as advertised to get close to the bears, we would have not flown out with Alaska Air Services and gone to Brooks Falls with a 1-day Photographer tour.
The owner Bill answered my e-mail with this. "Chris: Thanks for writing with your feedback. Some of your feedback is helpful, other comments respectfully, miss the mark." Then he put crazy things like "Finally, trekking out onto the mudflats harasses the bears. We dont do it. That strategy will destroy this resource. Surrounding a bear with 18 people is an awful outcome. You might get your picture but you stress the animals."
All of this is just not true or what we expected or what Bill advertises on his website and shows photos. I we would have walked the 200 meters to the stream and the viewing and photos would have been good. If we would have walked up the beach 2000 meters, the viewing would have been 50 meters.
In Summary, a waste of money. This could have been great if they did what the website stated. Only book with a Photographer guide, not an airplane company.
Written July 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mr. Bowne- Thanks for writing with your opinions. Sorry we didn't meet your expectations. Our guides and employees worked really hard to bring you this epic experience. The language barrier made it difficult to communicate that areas you wished to access were off limits and closed from the NPS boundaries. Additionally the media video you reference on our website was provided by the National Park Service. We provide it so to give you expanded information on this beautiful location. Thanks for exploring Alaska with us. Truly a wild and unpredictable place.
Written August 1, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karen F
Sedona, AZ14 contributions
Jun 2021
We arrived at the airfield pretty nervous for our flight in a small plane to see the bears . Within the first 10minutes of our flight we were totally at ease and loved every minute of the flight there and back. Jordan is a great pilot and shared alot of information about the area and its history. Our time at Lake Clark National Park was incredible! We had multiple bear sightings and learnt all about the bears and their habitat from Jordan. The packed lunch was delicious and we even sat and had lunch watching a bear have his! We have recommended Alaska Air Service, Jordan and this trip as we continued our travels through Alaska and will continue to do so in the future.
Written June 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for your 5 star review and excellent description of your day. Jordan does a great job getting you safely up close and personal to this great State and its incredible views. The bears generally cooperate but it does take that special attention to get those great interactions. We are pleased you had a trip of a lifetime! Thanks for flying with us.
Written July 5, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tanya Shipp
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Couples
The airplane ride was beautiful as Lucas took great care to fly over Belugas, glaciers and wildlife. He landed the plane on the beach right in front of sibling bears and they walked right past us. The picnic was in a beautiful area. Loved it all. A great day.
Written June 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tanya (and newer "Hubbie"), we all had a great day making yours something to remember! Thanks for being patient with Covid thing.You made it and the bears delivered! Your "5-star" sums it up. Epic. Cheers. Bill.
Written June 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
emorygrad
Atlanta, GA314 contributions
I had been a little nervous for this trip to Lake Clark, between the small plane and being so close to bears, but it was wonderful! Our pilot, Katie, taught flying lessons in the off season which for some reason gave me a lot of confidence in her. The flight in and out was very scenic and comfortable.
Seeing the bears up close was very cool; they were very calm around us. We saw maybe 8-10 over the course of the day in two different locations. At one point, we were 15 yards from a momma bear and two babies.
Our pilot was quite knowledgeable about them and their behavior. When one bear kept looking in our direction, she had us move (I realize writing that, it sounds obvious to move, but in the moment I felt good about how she read his cues).
We enjoyed the lunch- Katie even brought camping chairs for us!
With kids (and even me frankly) the one day trip to the area was sufficient. Doing an overnight would have been overkill for us.
Seeing the bears up close was very cool; they were very calm around us. We saw maybe 8-10 over the course of the day in two different locations. At one point, we were 15 yards from a momma bear and two babies.
Our pilot was quite knowledgeable about them and their behavior. When one bear kept looking in our direction, she had us move (I realize writing that, it sounds obvious to move, but in the moment I felt good about how she read his cues).
We enjoyed the lunch- Katie even brought camping chairs for us!
With kids (and even me frankly) the one day trip to the area was sufficient. Doing an overnight would have been overkill for us.
Written August 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YuontoGo
Huntsville, AL166 contributions
We took a day trip to Lake Clark National Park with Alaska Air Service and it was fantastic! The flights over & back were scenic and comfortable. The small plane trips are exciting. We saw lots of bears at Lake Clark. They were on the beach and in the meadows. So many great pictures!
Our pilot and guide was knowledgeable and friendly. He told us so much about the area. Lunch was provided with our trip and the sandwiches were very good.
We would go with Alaska Air Service again.
Our pilot and guide was knowledgeable and friendly. He told us so much about the area. Lunch was provided with our trip and the sandwiches were very good.
We would go with Alaska Air Service again.
Written July 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tour784165
2 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
If there was a zero stat I would given it to them. Stay away from this tour company if you have any food allergies or disability. We booked travel with them months ago and let them know up front about the food allergies and my recent surgery. Planned the whole Alaska trip around this tour. They canceled on us the day before the tour because they did not want to provide us food for our daughter who has food allergies and husband who is gluten free. They refuse to pick up the phone to give us an explanation of why they were canceling. All they said is that we are difficult and their company is not going to turn them self upside down to accommodate us. We even told them
that please don’t cancel we will bring our own food, but they said that we have been rude, would not give me an example of what we said that was rude. They kept on calling us difficult. The only difficult thing about our family is the allergies my daughter has. I explained to them that it was my daughters birthday gift to see the bears, they did not care. So be aware if they don’t like the “TONE” of your text they will cancel last minute and through your whole trip off.
that please don’t cancel we will bring our own food, but they said that we have been rude, would not give me an example of what we said that was rude. They kept on calling us difficult. The only difficult thing about our family is the allergies my daughter has. I explained to them that it was my daughters birthday gift to see the bears, they did not care. So be aware if they don’t like the “TONE” of your text they will cancel last minute and through your whole trip off.
Written July 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our company provides premium flightseeing and air charters and has for over 15 years. We strive to be attentive to our clients in all aspects, primarily safety of flight, but also to provide a high quality experience. Our comments (clearly expressed to you) indicated that your repeated requests for special handling (beyond just meals) exceeded our ability. We offered a $30 discount, and you wanted $30 per person. Last minute cancellation without communication? We gave you ample time to re-connect and even provided several options for companies that might be able to accommodate your continuous, changing, requirements. Companies such as ours will go the extra mile for gracious and "responsible" customers. Even from this critique of your experience you demonstrate the attitude that caused this decision. We believe the customer is always right, except in this case, you are wrong in your understanding. I stand behind our decision to move on.
Bill-Owner.
Written July 8, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hyon K
Mandeville, Louisiana
How safe is this excursion. What are chances u get attacked by a bear
Written April 28, 2022
What are the chances of seeing bears if we book a this excursion from around 12 - 15 September 2020
Written February 8, 2020
Il fatto che non avete mai risposto alla mia prima domanda era già indicativo della vostra scarsa serietà.
Vergognatevi.
Written August 5, 2019
Buongiorno. Sono interessato a questo tour giornaliero. Dovrei essere lì a fine luglio (date precise da definire a breve). Potrei avere qualche informazione. Grazie
Written January 5, 2019
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