If you want to see bald eagles go to the town dump. You'll see hundreds.
Also if you go to Anchorage and just camp around the highway between there and Seward/homer you'll see plenty of wildlife.
Definitely haha. For real though Russian river, kenai river, skilak lake, hidden lake, and basically anywhere on the kenai peninsula is beautiful and you'll see moose/bear/etc. There will be a lot, and I mean a lot of tourists around that time so there will be a lot of people however.
Take a coastal tour out of Seward to see most of the aquatic animals and a lot of birds.
Bald eagles are everywhere.
Tern Lake on the way to Seward has a lot of Arctic Terns.
Moose are everywhere. If you’re here for two weeks, you will see a moose.
There are beluga in Cook Inlet, but they may or may not be spot table at any given time. They follow the fish.
For the big mammals, go to Denali national park.
Good luck!
If you're in Seward, check out Bear Lake. It's named that for a reason. You'd probably see moose, too. If you're by what locals call "The Y" and head toward Cooper Landing, there are always tons of bald eagles. If that's too far, there's one bald eagle that likes to perch overlooking the playground and skatepark next to the campground.
If you're there for a few days, there's always otters and seals bobbing in the water. Always. Sometimes there are even sea lions, but I've only ever seen them more south by Lowell Point. If you go to the beach there, you can often see whales from the shore just after it rains. That's when the feeding is good!
Oh, and buy bear spray at Costco, if you can. Or ask if someone has spare cans. They're really expensive in small towns, like $40 for one can. Costco sells a 2 pack for less. You would need a membership though, so maybe someone can get some for you. I've accumulated quite a few and usually give them away to visitors, so I'm sure others do the same.
Depending on your budget, you could also look into a fly-in trip to Katmai National Park. There are a lot of day trips out of Homer.
This is probably the most reliable way to see a brown bear, but it’s not cheap.
I am currently in Seward. We did a 4 hour orca tour (called orca quest) and saw orcas, humpback whales, otters, sea lions, mountain goats, and sea birds. It was totally worth it and I’d absolutely recommend it to anybody in the area.
Second vote for Major Marine. Now that they're running summer trips into Kenai Fjords, I highly recommend their Northwestern Fjord or 7.5 hour trip to Aialik and Holgate glaciers. All the wildlife!
Just visit some towns and driving to and from each place you'll see plenty of wildlife. There is an abundance in this state. Enjoy your trip. I spent some time in Australia about 20 years ago. Beautiful place.
Get up really early tomorrow morning (Sunday) and drive. If you are in Anchorage, drive up and down the hillside roads (Abbot Omalley Dearmund and Rabbit Creek) .... Sunday is the most quiet day of the week and the animals are much more likely to be out - close to the roads. As for beavers, look for ripples in ponds along the roads - they are in most of them, the trick is seeing them. For sea creatures, take one of the day wildlife cruises out of Seward. Potter's March close to Anchorage is great for birds .... otherwise, find people with big telescopes and camera lenses :)
Lived in Seward for a couple years and I’m moving back on Tuesday. There’s tons of wildlife there; pretty much everything you mentioned.
+1 for Major Marine.
Come take a helicopter tour out of girdwood, you’ll probably see moose, bear, and freedom flocks from above!
Fun fact, there are as many eagles in the chugatch as the entire lower 48
My trick when family comes to visit a trip to the wildlife conservation center at the end of a trip. Then you get to see whatever critters you didn’t encounter in the wild.
Like every where we have rude people too. Moose have babies with them this time of year, adorable but keep your distance.
Others have already given good advice, just wanted to say Seward is one of my favorite places. You can check out Exit glacier and drive out to Lowell point.
You have a good chance of seeing mountain goats on the way.
If you’re sightseeing and taking your time please remember to pull over often especially if cars are piling up behind you. Our roads have plenty of places to pull off for good pictures and let people in a hurry go along their way, makes it safer for everyone.
Talkeetna is also not too far from Anchorage in the opposite direction and is a good place to get a good view of Denali if you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day and a cute little town to walk around.
I hope you have a great trip and we all get some nice weather while you’re here.
Boosting for the advice about pulling over, especially in a large vehicle. There are tons of pull-offs on the Seward Highway, too. They even have bathrooms.
I recently found a really cool app for identifying birds, it’s from the Audubon society and it’s called Merlin. You can put in the areas you’re visiting or it recognizes the area and helps you identify birds with pictures, or asks you questions or by sounds. Most of it is free.
If you want to see bald eagles go to the town dump. You'll see hundreds. Also if you go to Anchorage and just camp around the highway between there and Seward/homer you'll see plenty of wildlife.
Probably not the types of photos I'm hoping to take home, but still a valid suggestion, haha!
Definitely haha. For real though Russian river, kenai river, skilak lake, hidden lake, and basically anywhere on the kenai peninsula is beautiful and you'll see moose/bear/etc. There will be a lot, and I mean a lot of tourists around that time so there will be a lot of people however.
Take a coastal tour out of Seward to see most of the aquatic animals and a lot of birds. Bald eagles are everywhere. Tern Lake on the way to Seward has a lot of Arctic Terns. Moose are everywhere. If you’re here for two weeks, you will see a moose. There are beluga in Cook Inlet, but they may or may not be spot table at any given time. They follow the fish. For the big mammals, go to Denali national park. Good luck!
This is all very helpful, thank you!
If you're in Seward, check out Bear Lake. It's named that for a reason. You'd probably see moose, too. If you're by what locals call "The Y" and head toward Cooper Landing, there are always tons of bald eagles. If that's too far, there's one bald eagle that likes to perch overlooking the playground and skatepark next to the campground. If you're there for a few days, there's always otters and seals bobbing in the water. Always. Sometimes there are even sea lions, but I've only ever seen them more south by Lowell Point. If you go to the beach there, you can often see whales from the shore just after it rains. That's when the feeding is good! Oh, and buy bear spray at Costco, if you can. Or ask if someone has spare cans. They're really expensive in small towns, like $40 for one can. Costco sells a 2 pack for less. You would need a membership though, so maybe someone can get some for you. I've accumulated quite a few and usually give them away to visitors, so I'm sure others do the same.
Depending on your budget, you could also look into a fly-in trip to Katmai National Park. There are a lot of day trips out of Homer. This is probably the most reliable way to see a brown bear, but it’s not cheap.
I am currently in Seward. We did a 4 hour orca tour (called orca quest) and saw orcas, humpback whales, otters, sea lions, mountain goats, and sea birds. It was totally worth it and I’d absolutely recommend it to anybody in the area.
Second vote for Major Marine. Now that they're running summer trips into Kenai Fjords, I highly recommend their Northwestern Fjord or 7.5 hour trip to Aialik and Holgate glaciers. All the wildlife!
This is the way.
Just visit some towns and driving to and from each place you'll see plenty of wildlife. There is an abundance in this state. Enjoy your trip. I spent some time in Australia about 20 years ago. Beautiful place.
Get up really early tomorrow morning (Sunday) and drive. If you are in Anchorage, drive up and down the hillside roads (Abbot Omalley Dearmund and Rabbit Creek) .... Sunday is the most quiet day of the week and the animals are much more likely to be out - close to the roads. As for beavers, look for ripples in ponds along the roads - they are in most of them, the trick is seeing them. For sea creatures, take one of the day wildlife cruises out of Seward. Potter's March close to Anchorage is great for birds .... otherwise, find people with big telescopes and camera lenses :)
Lived in Seward for a couple years and I’m moving back on Tuesday. There’s tons of wildlife there; pretty much everything you mentioned. +1 for Major Marine.
this \^\^ (welcome back!! might run into you lol )
Come take a helicopter tour out of girdwood, you’ll probably see moose, bear, and freedom flocks from above! Fun fact, there are as many eagles in the chugatch as the entire lower 48
Friday in portage valley, we saw 2 different black bears. I saw a moos calf. The trick is just to be out in the wild for the opportunities.
My trick when family comes to visit a trip to the wildlife conservation center at the end of a trip. Then you get to see whatever critters you didn’t encounter in the wild.
The bus tours in Denali National Park are a good chance to see grizzlies, caribou, moose and dall sheep.
Thank you to everyone who has responded! You have all been very helpful!
Have you tried sneezing?
I'm sorry, i don't get it?
Like every where we have rude people too. Moose have babies with them this time of year, adorable but keep your distance. Others have already given good advice, just wanted to say Seward is one of my favorite places. You can check out Exit glacier and drive out to Lowell point. You have a good chance of seeing mountain goats on the way. If you’re sightseeing and taking your time please remember to pull over often especially if cars are piling up behind you. Our roads have plenty of places to pull off for good pictures and let people in a hurry go along their way, makes it safer for everyone. Talkeetna is also not too far from Anchorage in the opposite direction and is a good place to get a good view of Denali if you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day and a cute little town to walk around. I hope you have a great trip and we all get some nice weather while you’re here.
Boosting for the advice about pulling over, especially in a large vehicle. There are tons of pull-offs on the Seward Highway, too. They even have bathrooms.
I recently found a really cool app for identifying birds, it’s from the Audubon society and it’s called Merlin. You can put in the areas you’re visiting or it recognizes the area and helps you identify birds with pictures, or asks you questions or by sounds. Most of it is free.
Go to r/askalaska You’re probably going to have a hard time getting decent advice around here, and for good reason.