Sep 2023 - Emily C.
Alex was such a good guide! We had a fantastic time.
Sep 2023 - Donna G.
We loved this excursion! I can't say enough about the beauty and majesty we got to experience seeing this part of Alaska. And OMG, lake at the end, I could have sat there all day just taking in the beauty. Alex was a great guide, very knowledgeable about the bears and always watching out for us. Very personalized and only 5 of us on the trip, great boat. Bears plus a bald eagle. I highly recommend.
Aug 2023 - Darren P.
This was an excellent excursion! We saw the bears and our tour guide (Alex) was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly! We enjoyed the ride in the boat also. Alex answered all our questions and make our trip interesting and fun!
Thank you :)
Aug 2023 - Patricia Z.
Saw bears, beautiful area & great guide, Alex- so perfect day!
Aug 2023 - Dick L.
I just returned from a 10 day Princess Alaska cruise. This was easily the best excursion I took. Our guide, and boat captain was a Ketchikan native. He was very knowledgeable and communicative. The best part was seeing a mother bear and her 2, 2 year old cubs. We were on a platform roughly 30 feet above the bears. It was an amazing experience. My only caveat is that this excursion is totally dependent on the bears being visible. There is obviously no guarantee that everyone will be as fortunate as we were. You are totally dependent on mother nature. I got many excellent photographs. As an aside I would recommend 1/1000 sec exposure. The bears move slowly, the fish in their mouth flop around. The bears and the weather cooperated. It was an excellent excursion. Worth every penny. I recommend it highly. It easily exceeded my expectations.
Aug 2022 - Carol T.
Fantastic day on a small boat taken to a cove to look for the bears. The captain of our boat was extremely knowledgeable with him being a local Ketchikan lad where him and his family grew up around the area. Would like to have seen more bears as we only saw one mother with her two cubs but magical day nonetheless!
Jul 2022 - Kerrel J.
We were blessed with a gorgeous day. We only saw one bear but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Captain Lance gave quite an effort taking us to two different sites with hopes of viewing the bears. Unfortunately, we were there before many salmon were. When we returned to the harbor, Captain dropped us at a dock directly across from our hotel. Great service!
Sep 2021 - Hubert B.
Wow, we saw 6 bears in the creek, one of them catch at least 20 salmon the time we were there, small group (4) that make the excursion even better, pick up and return on time to catch our princess cruise departure
Aug 2021 - Judy C.
Excellent, informative, adventurous tour
Our guide was awesome !!
Sorry we forgot his name he was 19 and from Ketichan please acknowledge him for us!!
He was very personable and knowledgeable to his area
We had a great time! Highly recommend
Saw several bears fishing for salmon
Aug 2021 - Susan H.
This was our favorite excursion of the entire trip to Alaska! Our guide Alex was amazing, we saw tons of bears, seals, and eagles. Worth the time and money!
Aug 2021 - Robert M.
Alex picked us up right at the cruise ship pier and took us on a smooth boat ride to the Margaret's Creek pier. The boat only seats 6 passengers and has great seats and large windows to enjoy the scenery on the way. Once at the pier, we boarded a van for the short ride to the trailhead then about 1/4 mile walk down to the viewing platform. Once there, we quickly saw a black bear catching and eating its salmon meal. Over the 2.5 hours we were there, we saw four bears as well as several bald eagles. It was an outstanding day and this tour is highly recommended.
Sep 2019 - Corinne C.
I guess there was nothing really wrong with this tour - the boat ride was fun and the guide was great - just disappointing because we didnt see any bears
Sep 2019 - SUSAN H.
Owner's son Cody met us inside the Visitor's Center and walked us out to dock our boat. He suggested and after the tour we went to Avala's where they go out in the am and catch what they will be serving for the day. Delicious Halibut Fish & Chips, thank you Cody :) !
OMG! We got to see 3 black bears in their natural surroundings, not at a fish hatchery, the biggest "Patches" must of eaten 7-8 salmon in a row. Our captain and land tour guide Doug was 100% for bear sightings up to our excursion! Pointed out what we were seeing over the course of our boat ride from Ketchikan to entering beautiful serene Traitor's Cove, the oh so many Bear Poop along the walking trail, the smashed and grazed on Bear Cabbage plant trails left behind from the Bears having munched and lumbered on, and we even got to pick and eat berries from trees. What a thrill and once but hopefully more, lifetime experiences. THANK YOU DOUG!!! Definitely worth it! Jordan and Susan
Aug 2019 - Karla S.
This tour was absolutely awesome! It was the highlight of our cruise. We saw about 7 bears during this excursion! Captain Doug was terrific!
Aug 2019 - Desmond S.
We had a fantastic half day. Doug, our boat s captain, did a great job getting us to the island and finding the black bears. We saw 5 bears feeding on salmon.
Aug 2019 - James J.
Awesome excursion.
Jul 2019 - David B.
The boat used in this tour is ideal for all weather conditions having a warm enclosed cabin as well as an outside deck. The boat was smooth and fast. We got to see sea lions up close and eagles along the way to the best watch. Our guide Doug was very professional and passionate, we felt extremely safe the entire tour. He was very patient while trying to find the bears. We went to two different locations then back to the first again without any luck and as we gave up and started walking back to the boat he spotted a bear through the trees upstream feeding on a salmon then another bear come out in the stream beside the other bear. They fed for a little while until something startled them and they took off in slightly in our direction and crossed the walking trail only about 10 meters from us. Very exciting, we were so lucky to have witnessed these two bears side by side feeding. It really finished off an amazing tour. The tour is a small group tour which was also good as you had plenty of time to ask your guide any questions you had.
All in all this is a 5 star experience well worth doing.