Wildlife· Admiralty Island· Alaska Southeast — Juneau, Endicott Arm & Icy Strait
Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area (Admiralty Island)
57° 54.4′ N · 134° 17.8′ W
Pack Creek on Admiralty Island, in the Admiralty Island National Monument, is a Forest Service wildlife viewing site where brown bears fish for salmon. Access is tightly limited by permit.
Practical
Coordinate is the OSM bear observation tower, ashore. Permit holders may visit 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, April 1 to September 30; the Forest Service limits visitors to 24 per day. A February 2026 report gave the fee as 60 USD per person via recreation.gov permit 233328. Sources conflict on whether private boaters can buy public permits or only commercial guide companies can take visitors; unconfirmed, so check with Admiralty Island National Monument, (907) 586-8800. No camping in the viewing area. Peak viewing usually follows the return of pink and chum salmon, generally the first week of July. Very high tides above 16.5 ft can spoil viewing for a few hours on a few days.
Best for
Brown bear viewing with a permit
Season
Apr 1-Sep 30; peak early July onward
Nearby
- Taku Harbor Cannery Ruins13.3 NM away
- Taku Harbor Public Dock (Taku Harbor State Marine Park)13.3 NM away
- Port Snettisham (Stephens Passage)14.1 NM away
- Williams Cove (Holkham Bay)21.6 NM away
- Douglas Harbor (Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor)22.5 NM away
- Tracy Arm Cove (Holkham Bay)23 NM away
- Holkham Bay (Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm Entrance)23.5 NM away
- Harris Harbor (Juneau)24.1 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).