Alaska: A Bear Viewing & Kenai Wilderness Odyssey

The May 25th itinerary is in a slightly different order than the itinerary below. For details, click here. 

Arrive in Anchorage
Venture above the 49th parallel to America’s “Last Frontier” for 19 hours of sunlight and the best Alaska brown bear viewing you can find! Particularly adorable are those bear cubs seeing their first summer, frolicking in the grass and streams, while their mothers teach them survival skills. Hungry from their winter hibernation, brown bears are also busy fattening up on the rich fish, grass, nuts, and berries that burst forth in Alaska’s short summer season.

During your adventure, you’ll get to know your Alaska-based guides, who will help you discover this incredible wilderness area in Alaska. You are also accompanied by an AdventureWomen Ambassador, committed to helping make your experience a fun and personally rewarding adventure, and cheering you on as you reach beyond your comfort zone to take on new challenges in your own unique way!

Arrive in Anchorage and transfer by free hotel shuttle to the Comfort Inn Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage, where your AdventureWomen Ambassador is waiting.

Meet in the hotel lobby at 6:00pm for introductions and orientation. Dinner is on your own tonight, but if you have the energy, you may want to go grab a bite to eat with some of your fellow travelers.

You will want to pack the few things you need at Bear Camp in your day pack tonight. The rest of your belongings will stay in your main bag, which will be stored at the Adventure Lodge for the two nights that you are at Bear Camp. You only need a couple of days of clothing – most women just bring one outfit and a change of socks and underwear!
Meals on Your Own

Overnight: Comfort Inn, Ship Creek

Anchorage to Bear Camp
You will be picked up by vehicle and transferred to the Great Alaska Adventure Lodge, where you will make a brief stop for any last-minute gear organizing, trip orientation, and a delicious lunch.

Travel to the airstrip where you will board bush planes for a spectacular flight to Bear Camp, a truly remote experience in every sense of the word. Perched on the edge of Lake Clark National Park and on the shores of Cook Inlet, with towering mountains behind and rugged coastline ahead, you know as soon as you land on the beach that this is a very special place. Bear Camp is accessible only by bush plane – a quintessential Alaskan adventure. You will land on a beach surrounded by endless vistas of snowy peaks with not even a cabin or highway in sight.

Meet your guides on the beach for an orientation about bear country safety. You can walk unattended around Bear Camp itself, but only during the day. Forays beyond the camp perimeter only take place as a group, and only when accompanied by a guide carrying a shotgun.

Note: About the shotguns carried by the guides – they are for your safety. The bears are so focused on foraging for food that the guns, in our experience, have not been de-slung from the guides’ shoulders.

After your first bear viewing opportunities, retire to your Weather Port accompanied by the sounds of gulls circling the bay.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Bear Camp

Bear Camp
Wake up to the smell of hot coffee and then spend the morning with the royalty of Alaska Wildlife – the incredible brown bear.

If the weather is nice, you may have yoga on the beach. No roads or trails access this area, so you get a glimpse of the “homesteader experience” and true Alaskan wilderness as you feel your internal clock reset to a different pace.

Spend time today observing the amazing bears that this area is known for. Whisper with your new AdventureWomen friends as you see the bears foraging and playing.

This evening may include a fire on the beach as the sun almost sets.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Bear Camp

Bear Camp to the Kenai River
Indulge in more photographing and viewing bears from the viewing stations situated throughout the area. Stand witness as bald eagles circle the heavens and bears lumber through the channels, splashing in the rivulets, and devouring the delectable grass.

After lunch the bush planes arrive and you fly back to “civilization” and the Adventure Lodge, with all its creature comforts.

Transfer back to the lodge, settle in, and enjoy happy hour and dinner, ending another exciting day.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Adventure Lodge

Kenai River
Stop to stretch your legs and take a hike to the face of Exit Glacier, a retreating glacier, almost close enough to touch.

Once in Seward, board a large cruise boat for an extensive wildlife cruise through Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park on the Kenai Peninsula’s western shore. This is the beginning of Prince William Sound, made famous by the tanker “Exxon Valdez.” Whales, dolphins, mountain goats, puffins, sea lions, seals, otters, and sea birds join the glaciers, mountains, and fjords on this beautiful adventure near the Harding Icefield.

While cruising, the captain offers a thorough narration of your surroundings. The boat is designed so that you can experience and photograph the sights comfortably from inside the cabin, or outside on the observation deck. Visit a glacier, one of the many tidewater glaciers that are fed by the massive Harding Icefield. Spend time listening and watching for icebergs to “calve” into the sea. As you continue to cruise, the Captain shares facts about local geology as you photograph bald eagles, harbor seals, cormorants, sea otters, and maybe humpbacks and orcas as they play and feed.

Enjoy happy hour and dinner at the lodge.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Adventure Lodge

Kenai River
Leave the Adventure Lodge and travel to the Upper Kenai River for a scenic float trip through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Canyon.

Your rafts take you through spectacular Kenai Canyon, a remarkable area teeming with moose, black bear, and salmon. At times you will float over spawning beds of salmon, watching them jostle for position! In turn, you can view bald eagles and bears as they maneuver for the best fishing spots. The prodigious spawning salmon feed native trout populations, bald eagles, and grizzlies. This important ecosystem is generally considered the “cradle” of the area’s animal life.

You will want rain gear and warm clothes today. Rubber boots will be provided. Enjoy lunch shoreside.

Happy hour and hors d’oeuvres await you back at the Adventure Lodge before dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Adventure Lodge

Kenai River
No trip to Alaska is complete without a visit to the charming, historic, and scenic “End of the Road” town of Homer and Kachemak Bay. On the way you will pass early Russian churches, active volcanoes, and most likely view baby moose with their mothers. It is a truly unforgettable and fun-filled day of exploring the art and uniqueness of the famous boardwalk at “Land’s End.”

The Kenai Mountains loom behind every building, and the town is a nature lover’s nirvana where common sights can include moose grazing, a black bear crossing the road, or porpoises playing in the surf.

In downtown Homer, you can sample delicious seafood and visit art galleries, museums, and shops that sell locally made crafts. Nearby is Halibut Cove, a unique fishing and artists’ enclave where the roads are made of water.

Return to the Adventure Lodge on the banks of the Kenai River, surrounded by Alaska’s stunning wilderness this afternoon.

After nightly happy hour, enjoy your last dinner and evening together, reminiscing about bears, whales, and all the amazing activities you’ve shared throughout the week.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Adventure Lodge

Depart Alaska
This morning, choose between two options. You can paddle in sea kayaks on the Swan Lakes Wilderness Trail, to watch for moose, swans, eagles, and countless ducks. Alternatively, enjoy a morning of guided sport fishing with one of the lodge’s expert guides (additional fee required).

Depart for the Kenai Airport, stopping to view wildlife along the way. Fly from Kenai to Anchorage, arriving at approximately 4:45pm. You may choose to take a plane out this evening or stay another night in Anchorage on your own.
Breakfast, Lunch

Please note: AdventureWomen will attempt to adhere to the itinerary as much as possible. However, certain conditions (political, climatic, environmental, and cultural) may necessitate changes in the itinerary. AdventureWomen reserves the right to alter any itinerary at any time, if necessary. We will attempt to notify participants of changes as far in advance as possible. Costs incurred by such changes will be the responsibility of the participants.