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Updated by Vishal Subramanyan on Aug 15, 2018
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Best Places to See Wildlife in Alaska

Alaska is world-renowned as a great wildlife viewing destination. Here are the best places to spot animals in this amazing state.

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Brooks Falls

Brooks Falls

Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National park is a great destination for bear viewing. Bears here concentrate up at the falls to feast on the jumping salmon. The bears can be viewed safely from the observatory deck as they swim, fish, and play. Up to 20 can be seen at once. People looking for a more comfortable place to view bears, this is the right place for you. It has a lodge and a restaurant just a mile away from the falls. Other wildlife that can be seen include wolves and foxes. Brooks Falls is only accessible by floatplane.

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Fish Creek, Hyder, Alaska

Fish Creek, Hyder, Alaska

Fish creek is a road accessible bear viewing destination, located outside the small and remote town of Hyder, Alaska. Grizzly and black bears are frequent visitors to the stream and people have reported daily sightings of them and their cubs fishing salmon. Another highlight of this bear viewing deck is the large population of wolves. Due to the abundance of salmon, wolves here have evolved to fishing salmon as a large part of their diet. They are seen very frequently fishing from the deck. People have reported daily sightings of these endangered canines. Bald Eagles are also very common here and can be seen fishing salmon on a daily basis.

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Denali National Park

Denali National Park

The legendary Denali National Park is Alaska's flagship park, and not without reason. It hosts impressive scenery and it has the famous Mt.Denali. Mt.Denali rises up to a sprawling 20,308 feet. Mt.Denali is the highest point in North America. Denali National Park overall has spectacular scenery and an abundance of hiking trails. It also has extremely nice campsites, particularly Wonder Lake, which is the closest you can get to the mountain without climbing it. But another great feature of Denali is its abundance of wildlife, which attract many people to Denali National Park.

Denali National Park has an abundance of grizzly bears. The way to see grizzly bears is on the bus ride though the park. You can see grizzlies hunting, resting, their cubs playing, etc. The bears have been known to walk on the road and even fight in the park, all viewed from the bus. People have seen up to 7 grizzlies on a bus drive, several of them being cubs. I talked to a bus driver who had been driving that year for two months, and he only went on two or three rides without seeing a grizzly. The bears are often far away, so bring your binoculars and telephoto lenses. Though black bears are present, they are seldom seen. Wolves were once in abundance in Denali National Park and spotted on almost every drive, but many who strayed outside the park were killed. Now, only 60 wolves remain in the park and they are seldom seen. Our bus driver said he had been driving that year for two months and had only seen wolves twice. One rare animal that resides in Denali National Park in a healthy population is the lynx. Though sightings are rare, they are probably more commonly observed in Denali National Park then anywhere else in the world.

Whit so much predators in Denali, there has to be prey. Denali has an abundance of an endangered animal. This animal is the dall sheep. They were once almost hunted to extinction in the park. Dall sheep are part of how the park was made. A man who fell in love with dall sheep told the government to make the area a national park, which they did. The past few years have been bad for the sheep though. The most abundant animal that we saw in Denali National Park was the caribou. We had 7-8 sightings, though they were only individuals. Caribou are relatively abundant in Denali and are frequently seen. They are the large mammal you are most likely to see. Moose also live in abundance of Denali National Park. We had two sightings. They are not as common as caribou, but still can be seen. Look in all bodies of water and go in the morning or evening for best viewing.

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Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park is located on southeast Alaska's and is one of Alaska's best national parks, and not without reason. It has an abundance of tall and impressive glaciers, spectacular scenery with beautiful blue waters, and some of the best sea kayaking on the planet. Glacier Bay National Park also has lots of great remote hiking trails and backpacking routes. For those seeking an essence of the wild and remoteness, Glacier Bay National Park is the place to go. It is described by many to be like walking in prehistoric times. Not only does Glacier National Park hold these things, but is also holds an abundance of wildlife, both predator and prey.

Glacier Bay National Park has an abundance of bears, both black and grizzly bears. This habitat is well suited for them because of the remoteness and the abundance of salmon and other prey. To see bears you should go on a boat tour or go sea kayaking. Bears often come down to the beach to fish salmon and do other things. People have reported daily sightings of grizzlies and black bears. They have seen up to 22 bears in 12 days! Unknown to many people, wolves are rather abundant in Glacier Bay National Park and seen frequently. They are often spotted on the beach with their playful pups. Wolves have also been seen fishing salmon here on occasion. People have reported multiple sightings of them, usually while sea kayaking and sometimes on boat tours. People have seen wolves and grizzlies fighting and wolves and grizzlies feeding on a whale carcass. There is an abundance of predators in Glacier Bay National Park.

With an abundance of predators, there has got to be an abundance of prey. Glacier Bay National Park has one of the healthiest salmon runs in Alaska, attracting predators like bears, wolves, and eagles. It also has several moose, with people reporting daily sightings of these magnificent animals and their calves. There are also mountain goats in Glacier Bay National Park, an animal that is not too common in Alaska. People have reported daily sightings of these animals.

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Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park is a gem of a national park located on the Kenai Peninsula. It has several glaciers and fjords. Kenai Fjords National Park also has tours where you can hike on the glaciers. The park is home to the famous and large Exit Glacier. It has beautiful mountains and blue water. But Kenai Fjords National Park also has tons of wildlife.

Kenai Fjords hosts populations of grizzly bears and black bears, all though sightings of black bears are far more common. both types have bears have been spotted frequently all over the park. Moose are also frequently spotted in Kenai Fjords National Park and people have reported daily sightings of moose and their calves. One highlight of Kenai is the boat tours out of the nearby town Seward. on these tours you get to see puffins, eagles, whales, and many other animals. But the main highlight of Kenai Fjords National Park's wildlife viewing is the mountain goats. There are a large number of herds in the area which are frequently spotted.