Alaska Charters and Adventures
Alaska Charters and Adventures
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About
Alaska Charters & Adventures was established in 1989, we are Alaskan owned and operated local company. We have a combined 130 years of experience working in the outdoor industry. We believe our guests will most enjoy Alaska scenery and wildlife in small, carefully organized groups. Our goal is to treat our guest like you are our cherished family and friends. We constantly strive to improve our technical and educational skills to be better guides, enhancing your Alaskan experience. Having shared Alaska with travelers for years, we are convinced that really small groups, combined with experienced, thoughtful guides and captains is the recipe for an unforgettable Alaskan Adventure. We have a reputation for offering the finest in high quality customized outdoor adventures for very small groups, taking great pride in our attention to detail, personalized service, & unprecedented safety standards. Choose the finest in guides to lead you to Alaska’s unsurpassed wilderness, wildlife, Fishing
Wrangell, Alaska
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Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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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.
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5.0
132 reviews
Excellent
131
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0
Average
1
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ClaireL99559
Wrangell, AK2 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
The conscientious nature of Brenda to be sure each person’s experience is Amazing, was present the entire day. Once you decide to spend the money for the day trip, you will Not be disappointed. The walk in/out is a Beautiful, almost surreal glimpse into the Tongass, and observing bears at different times and locations was ever changing the entire day. Our trip to Anan as our AK “staycation”, was money well spent, and I will encourage others to consider traveling in state to enjoy the sites and friendly folks of Wrangell! AK Charters and Adventures with Brenda and crew I highly recommend.
Written August 13, 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.
mjneenan
Chicago, IL843 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
My wife and I were in Wrangell for four nights and did a three day package, including three different boat rides. One was to the Amanda bear observatory, the next to Le Conte glacier, and the last was on the Stikine River - all with Alaska Charters and Adventures. …. This was a truly great experience for us. Boat rides were good, the commentary along the way always excellent - especially Brenda, whom we had for two of the three days. We stayed in their small apartment below where they live on the far end of the boat harbor and it was a nice place to unwind in the evenings after the boat rides, watch the boat traffic, observe the many birds around and watch the sun drop. Truly a beautiful, relaxing place to hang out! John and Brenda are both very interesting people with long experience with what it’s like to live in Alaska and they are both generous about letting you pick their brains about what it’s like to live in Wrangell. They are both very smart, articulate, and passionate about Alaska life… Also extremely knowledgeable about local wildlife. … Their boat rides around the scenic wonder surrounding Wrangell are a little bit more expensive than their competitors, but what you pay extra for was well worth it for us: very small group experience (for our three days, our group size ranged from 3 to 5), access to passionate guides with knowledge to share … and a lot of small touches, like picking us up and driving us to wherever we needed to go within town at any time during the day. … Highly recommended!
Written August 13, 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.
Patsy W
Albuquerque, NM4 contributions
Aug 2023
Captain Lindsay is a star captain! The tour was excellent, giving countless opportunities for the tour to be personalized for our group's needs. Her enthusiasm for the calving glacier, the seals, and scenery was joyful and fun! Great trip!
On a separate day, John led our small group to Anan Bear viewing. Words cannot describe the tour! John confidently led our group to the viewing platform and eagerly shared his knowledge about the area and the bears. Captain Lindsay was our captain and spotted bears along the route with her eagle eye.
I highly recommend AK Charters and Adventures as they provided excellent service from the booking, answering my many pre-trip questions (thank you, Nancy) to getting us safely back to shore! Book it!
On a separate day, John led our small group to Anan Bear viewing. Words cannot describe the tour! John confidently led our group to the viewing platform and eagerly shared his knowledge about the area and the bears. Captain Lindsay was our captain and spotted bears along the route with her eagle eye.
I highly recommend AK Charters and Adventures as they provided excellent service from the booking, answering my many pre-trip questions (thank you, Nancy) to getting us safely back to shore! Book it!
Written August 20, 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.
Guide66281119225
7 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We just returned from our fiftieth wedding anniversary trip at Wrangell, Alaska. We used the services of Alaska Charters and Adventures for our amazing trip. Our first day we went with Brenda (owner with her husband, John) for the Anan Bear Observatory tour. Wow what a trip! As we approached the site we saw a brown/grizzly bear with 2 cubs; a great start to our day. We then hiked in to the bear viewing platform with Brenda, as she gave us an excellent narrative along the half mile trail which was very informative and interesting. We were the first group to arrive and immediately saw several bears feeding on the pink salmon in the stream which was right below the platform. What an amazing site to behold. We saw 2 cubs with one bear and 3 cubs with another. As many as a dozen or more bears were there during the 4 hours we spent being awestruck by the cubs climbing trees, various bears walking on logs, and the constant catching of fish by the hungry bears!
The next four days we spent halibut and salmon fishing with the other owner, John. What a great guide and knowledgeable captain. We were very pleased with the number of fish we caught and brought home.
The last day of our trip we went with Brenda again to see LeConte Glacier. Their boat took us right next to various icebergs on the way to the tidal glacier face. It seemed like every 20-30 minutes we heard loud thunder which was the sound of the glacier calving. Such a great thing to witness. On the way home from the glacier tour we stopped by the quaint fishing village of Petersburg and had lunch and toured the beautiful town.
We would highly recommend Alaska Charters and Adventures for any of their sight-seeing or fishing adventures. We could not have asked for finer people than John and Brenda to take care of us for our entire trip. Their staff were equally impressive.
Stan & Marcia
The next four days we spent halibut and salmon fishing with the other owner, John. What a great guide and knowledgeable captain. We were very pleased with the number of fish we caught and brought home.
The last day of our trip we went with Brenda again to see LeConte Glacier. Their boat took us right next to various icebergs on the way to the tidal glacier face. It seemed like every 20-30 minutes we heard loud thunder which was the sound of the glacier calving. Such a great thing to witness. On the way home from the glacier tour we stopped by the quaint fishing village of Petersburg and had lunch and toured the beautiful town.
We would highly recommend Alaska Charters and Adventures for any of their sight-seeing or fishing adventures. We could not have asked for finer people than John and Brenda to take care of us for our entire trip. Their staff were equally impressive.
Stan & Marcia
Written September 3, 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.
Michael D
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Family
My wife, son, and I went on three tours with Alaska Charters and Adventures: the Anan Bear Observatory tour, the Stikine River tour, and a whale watching tour. All were amazing, and exceeded our expectations (which were high, to begin with). I should note that we first booked these tours in 2019, for a planed Alaska vacation in 2020. We had to cancel due to the pandemic, but Brenda Schwartz-Yeager and John Yeager, at our request, held on to our deposit until we were finally able to make the trip in 2024. Brenda was our guide for the bears and the river, and she made both trips memorable and informative. A lifelong resident of Wrangle and a highly experienced outdoorsperson, she was a wealth of information about Alaskan wildlife, geology, history, and more. She tailored the tours to our interests and made her own love of the area and its incredible beauty quite evident. Our Alaska trip was organized around the opportunity to see the bears at Anan, and they did not disappoint. Watching the many black bears, including some cubs with their mothers, fishing for pink salmon while bald eagles and ravens snatched up the carcasses they discarded was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The intermittent rain did nothing to dampen our enthusiasm and wonder. The river trip began in thick fog and it was fascinating to watch Brenda skillfully guide the jet boat around the hidden and constantly shifting sandbars. As she predicted, the weather lifted and we were treated to a landscape filled with mist-shrouded mountains and steep glacially caved valleys that disappeared straight down into the depths of the river. More wildlife, including whales; a stop at an idyllic, flower-strewn plain carved by a rushing stream; and a close-up view of a glacier were just a few of the highlights of the day. The whale-watching trip was also incredible, with humpback whales, dolphins, river otters, harbor seals, and sea lions everywhere, as well as a wealth of birds. John and Peter Chaillé of Inland Passage Field Studies were excellent, knowledgeable, and entertaining guides who found lots of wildlife for us to view and patiently answered all our questions. John even helped me properly set up the camera and telephoto lens I had rented, which made a big difference in the photos I took that day and throughout the rest of our two-week trip. Brenda and John were wonderful hosts and guides who made the three days we spent with them thoroughly enjoyable and helped us build memories that will last the rest of our lives. I cannot recommend their tour company highly enough.
Written September 2, 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.
1CZ1
Utah29 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
This operation understands all of the key points of the hospitality business. They respond promptly, administrative work is done efficiently, and they are in regular communication before and during the trip. Their equipment, boats and gear are well-maintained. Staff are genuinely friendly and attentive to all. And best of all, our trip to view the magnificent Anan bears was for most of the day. Some operators rushed their clients- not John & Brenda. They are knowledgeable and truly care about helping us have a trip of a lifetime- which we did!!!
Written August 1, 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.
Linda B.
Juneau, AK1 contribution
Jul 2022
About 15 years ago I did the Stikine River tour with John and Brenda Yeager. I’ve never forgotten the experience. John handled the navigation of the Stikine with great skill while Brenda enthralled us with her tremendous knowledge of the wildlife, surroundings and history of the area.
Last year my husband was able to go to Wrangell and view the Anan bears with the Yeagers. He enjoyed the experience so much he wanted me to join him this year. I am so glad I did! The walk to the viewing platform was highlighted with Brenda’s commentary about the many generation history of her family in the area.
The bears were very interesting and fun to watch. The new trail and viewing platform were a real bonus as were the wonderful stories by Ivan on our return to Wrangell.
The following day we were scheduled to go on the Stikine River tour but heavy fog prevented that….no problem. Brenda and Lindsey took us on an amazing trip to the LeConte Glacier and then to Petersburg. We all enjoyed a wonderful day.
On shore Nancy was so helpful and kind.
We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
Last year my husband was able to go to Wrangell and view the Anan bears with the Yeagers. He enjoyed the experience so much he wanted me to join him this year. I am so glad I did! The walk to the viewing platform was highlighted with Brenda’s commentary about the many generation history of her family in the area.
The bears were very interesting and fun to watch. The new trail and viewing platform were a real bonus as were the wonderful stories by Ivan on our return to Wrangell.
The following day we were scheduled to go on the Stikine River tour but heavy fog prevented that….no problem. Brenda and Lindsey took us on an amazing trip to the LeConte Glacier and then to Petersburg. We all enjoyed a wonderful day.
On shore Nancy was so helpful and kind.
We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
Written July 25, 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.
Douglas K
Richardson, TX3 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We made a three-generational family trip to Wrangell in July 2024, staying for six days in this beautiful part of Alaska. We went halibut fishing, whale watching, glacier viewing, and wildlife viewing at the famous Anan Creek. AlaskaUpClose organized all our activities for everyone’s pleasure and satisfaction. From start to finish, we could not have been more pleased.
On our arrival in Wrangell, Nancy had an itinerary for all our tours, with suggestions for what to bring and how to dress for comfort each day. There was a packet of information for each family unit with brochures about the Wrangell and Petersburg communities and a directory of food and beverage options.
The tours were memorable. The boats for AlaskaUpClose tours are very comfortable, and having restroom facilities on board was a big plus. Halibut fishing with John, and eating fresh-caught halibut that our son cooked at our vacation rental, was a new and unique experience for our grandchildren and a pleasure for those already initiated.
Lindsey, Ivan, and Bruce, the guides who piloted the boats and accompanied our tours seem to genuinely love what they do. They are competent at handling the boats and they allowed us to “hang out” at our leisure while we watched for whales or waited for the LeConte glacier to rumble and calve. The tour to see the Anan Creek bears was extra special. My husband and I made a trip to Anan Creek years ago and we have dreamed of being able to enjoy that experience with our family. The hike to the observation deck was a challenge for me, but the guides encouraged me and made some special accommodations to make it possible, even taking an additional guide along to help. Thanks John, Nancy, Lindsey, Ivan, and Bruce, for a wonderful week!
On our arrival in Wrangell, Nancy had an itinerary for all our tours, with suggestions for what to bring and how to dress for comfort each day. There was a packet of information for each family unit with brochures about the Wrangell and Petersburg communities and a directory of food and beverage options.
The tours were memorable. The boats for AlaskaUpClose tours are very comfortable, and having restroom facilities on board was a big plus. Halibut fishing with John, and eating fresh-caught halibut that our son cooked at our vacation rental, was a new and unique experience for our grandchildren and a pleasure for those already initiated.
Lindsey, Ivan, and Bruce, the guides who piloted the boats and accompanied our tours seem to genuinely love what they do. They are competent at handling the boats and they allowed us to “hang out” at our leisure while we watched for whales or waited for the LeConte glacier to rumble and calve. The tour to see the Anan Creek bears was extra special. My husband and I made a trip to Anan Creek years ago and we have dreamed of being able to enjoy that experience with our family. The hike to the observation deck was a challenge for me, but the guides encouraged me and made some special accommodations to make it possible, even taking an additional guide along to help. Thanks John, Nancy, Lindsey, Ivan, and Bruce, for a wonderful week!
Written July 28, 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.
NorthBendbill
North Bend, WA17 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
We had an amazing time fishing with captain John Yeager. We have fished with him in the past but took a Covid break the last two years. We contacted him to book this year and we scored the opening of King season. Also we have booked Brenda for the Anan bear watching tour which can be life changing. Up front and personal with black and brown bears. But this review is about fishing. John knows his business and does everything possible to put you on salmon and halibut. Great experience and we’ve filled the freezer. If you can book John do so. He has patience and integrity and goes out of his way to personalize the experience.
Written June 17, 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.
Carl J
Anchorage, AK75 contributions
Aug 2020
I have been living in Alaska for over 20 years, and one of the items on my Alaska photography bucket list was the bears at Anan Creek. If this is a goal of yours, then I highly recommend Alaska Charters and Adventures. Our guide and crew were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, and great hosts for the experience. Our guide (and owner) John helped us to spot wildlife (because the bears are all over the place) so we would not miss photo opportunities. As a longtime professional nature photographer, I was so impressed by the service and experience, and left satisfied beyond my expectations.
Written August 12, 2020
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.
Thank you so much! We appreciate the opportunity to be your Alaskan bear guides and I hope you are pleased with the images you got at Anan.
Written August 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi. Four of us (adults) plan on a cruise to Alaska the first week of June 2017. What do you recommend as the highlights at that time of year?
Written November 5, 2016
Fishing! If in Wrangle, go with Alaska Charters and Adventures. They are the best around!!!
Written December 8, 2016
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