Frequently Asked Questions

In order to secure your booking and trip date(s), we require full payment for your trip.  We will always work with you to attempt to reschedule should you need to make changes to your itinerary. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, our booking policies are firm.  Therefore, we highly recommend purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment.

If you need to cancel your trip for any reason, the following is our cancellation refund policy:

Cancellations made 60 days or more prior to your trip date: 100% refund of your trip cost, less a $100/person, non-refundable permit fee.

Cancellations made 30-59 days prior to your trip date: 50% refund of your trip cost.

Cancellations made less than 30 days prior to your trip date, including “no-shows” on the day of your trip, are non-refundable.

If Bear Creek Outfitters cancels your trip for any reason, including as noted in our passenger weight surcharge policy, you will receive a 100% refund of your trip cost, less a $100/person, non-refundable permit fee.

We operate our trips using small aircraft that have restrictions on weight and balance for safety.  Therefore, any passenger weighing more than 250lbs (113kg) will be charged an additional $300 to help ensure adequate aircraft space.  Actual passenger weights are verified for each guest prior to departure.  If you or a member(s) of your party exceed 250lbs, please let us know at the time of booking, or as far in advance of your trip date as possible.  In the uncommon scenario that a guest does not provide prior notice of exceeding 250lbs, and additional aircraft space is not available, we reserve the right to cancel your trip.

• Layered clothing for warmth – check the forecast in the morning for daily temperatures
•  Polarized sunglasses and a hat (available for sale in our shop)
•  Waterproof camera/smartphone
•  Gratuity (10-20% recommended)

Yes, transportation to our shop at the Juneau International Airport is provided from anywhere in Juneau.  We can pick guests up at all the major cruise ship docks as well.

Our trips require a moderate level of fitness, and mobility.  Guests should be able to safely walk up to 1 mile over terrain that may involve uneven, or slippery ground.  Full day fly fishing guests may walk further distances (typically 1-3 miles) during their trip.  Moderate mobility is also needed to climb in and out of the small aircraft we operate.

Trips can be customized for Private Groups, typical door-to-door times including pick-up/drop-off, briefing, scenic flights, and time in the wilderness:

Bear Viewing 5.5-6 hrs

Half Day Fly Fishing 5.5 hrs

Full Day Fly Fishing 8.5 hrs

Guide gratuities are customary in the industry.  Our guides are experienced professionals and will appreciate any gratuity that they are given if you feel their services have warranted it.  Typical gratuities range from 10%-20% of your trip cost.

Yes!  Cruise passengers represent a large portion of our customers for both fly fishing and bear viewing trips.  We operate independent of the major cruise lines, but have several decades of experience providing shore excursions.  Our trip lengths and customizable scheduling allow us to work with a wide variety of ship schedules. We also provide dock to dock transportation.

We have several aircraft to fit the needs of each trip.  We operate DeHaviland Beavers and Otters, as well as Cessna 180, 185, and 206.

BCO does not hold an Alaska liquor license and does not provide alcohol.  Guests are welcome to provide your own.

Both locations typically involve a hike of about a quarter mile with no elevation gain, but over unimproved rocky beaches and tide flats.  Both locations involve sitting quiet and still, often in the rain, observing bears.

Waterfall Creek is a site that has been utilized and developed by BCO for more than 20 years! Waterfall Creek is operated mid July-September when the Bears are actively fishing for Salmon at the base of a spectacular waterfall.  This offers frequent observation of bears fishing at 75yds or less.  Available July 20 – September 15

Pack Creek is the only designated Brown Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island National Monument and is located primarily along a grassy estuary. Pack Creek is operated May-September with limited availability with a limit on the total number of guests permitted per day. Available May 2 – September 30

Both locations are managed to have only small groups on shore in order to have minimal impact on the Bears in the area.

The photos used on each page were all taken at their respective locations.

Bear Creek Outfitters pioneered fly in bear viewing at Waterfall Creek into a world class destination, in the last decade several other commercial operators have popped up also offering trips there.  We still have permits in several other locations that don’t allow any other commercial operators on those days creating a wilderness experience that is truly Alaskan.

Private Trips to either Pack or Waterfall Creek have private flights and guides, but we may encounter other people, group sizes are managed to maintain a good viewing experience but it is more common to encounter other groups at some point during our day than not.

These trips involve more hiking and stream crossings without trails and are not for the faint of heart.  Viewing distances are similar to Pack Creek.

Early May until mid June is Mating Season and this is when we most often see the big males come out to play, courtship behaviour, tidal foraging, and the first new spring cubs of the year.

Mid July – mid September is Fishing Season for the bears.  They love to feast on Pink, Chum, Sockeye, and occasionally Silver Salmon.  The first fish of the year is usually caught between the 12-16th of July, and then the action builds in intensity through mid August.  By September many bears are in hyperphagia and everyone is fattening up.  This is the time of year that Waterfall Creek really shines.

From about June 20 – July 14 is what we call Shoulder Season, it means that most of the bears are up in the berry patches and avalanche chutes and difficult to see.  Some bears, especially females with cubs, and sub adult bears continue to use the meadows at Pack Creek.  However viewing is slower and typically at greater distances.  The chances of seeing a bear at all drop from over 99% in the two High Seasons down to about 66% for most of Shoulder Season.

We provide our guests rain gear, rubber boots, and waders when necessary to keep you dry when loading and unloading from the floatplane.  We also provide binoculars and spotting scopes so our guests can take in all the views that the excursion offers.  Waterproof tote bags are available for use, as well as a light snacks and water.

Contact us for private family trips with younger children, it is amazing to expose younger kids to wildlife in the right circumstances.  We love getting kids out to experience something much different than a zoo.

Minimum age on group trips is 12 years due to tour duration and the patience required for viewing wildlife quietly in a setting where our actions and noise level impact other group participants.

Juneau, Alaska and the Tongass National Forest has world class fly fishing all summer long, but July and August are the peak of the salmon season.  We have excellent Dolly Varden (char) fishing all season long.  Some locations offer an opportunity to catch coastal cutthroat trout.  Our first Pink Salmon typically arrive in late June/early July and that run lasts most of the summer.  Silver Salmon offer a more challenging angling opportunity and typically arrive mid-to-late August.  Depending on the time of year, other species you may encounter include Chum Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead and more.

We provide all necessary fishing equipment.  We use quality equipment from brands like Sage, Echo, and Simms.  We favor modern, fast-action fly rods (6-8wt), and reels with a solid drag system.  Leaders, flies and other tackle all provided by your guide.  We carry wader sizes from Women’s small to Men’s XXXL, and wading boots from Women’s size 5 to Men’s size 16.  We also have a selection of Children’s waders (please inquire for sizing).

• Guests ages 16 and older need an Alaska Fishing license ($15/day) https://store.adfg.alaska.gov 
• Layered clothing for warmth – check the forecast in the morning for daily temperatures
•  Polarized sunglasses and a hat (available for sale in our shop)
•  Waterproof camera/smartphone
•  Gratuity (10-20% recommended)

Yes!  Alaska is the perfect place to learn how to fly fish, and most first-timers are able to complete a basic cast after about 15-20 minutes of instruction and practice.  Your guide will custom tailor a casting and fishing demo to fit your skill and experience level.  

Besides trip length (~5.5 hours for a half day versus ~8.5 hours on a full day), the main difference is how much water you’re able to cover.  On a half day trip, we try to be efficient – limiting walking time and maximizing fishing time.  On a full day trip, we can fly further and explore more – taking time to fish as we work our way up or down stream.  As you can probably guess, this means a full day trip involves more walking (typically between 1-3 miles).