Trail
Pack Creek Trail
- Distance
- 0 mi
One-mile trail from the Pack Creek bear-viewing tower; permit required in season.
0.0 mi
Bear viewing site
Pack Creek
Permit-only brown bear viewing on Admiralty Island, managed jointly by the Forest Service and ADF&G.
Admiralty Island National Monument · USFS
- Bear species
- Brown bear
- Peak months
- Jul–Aug
- Viewing type
- Tower and spit viewing with ranger supervision
- Platform
- Yes
- Permit required
- Yes
- Permit url
- recreation.gov
- Daily limit
- 24
- Access modes
- Floatplane · Boat
- Fee
- 60 USD
- Safety rules
- Stay in designated viewing areas and follow ranger instructions; no food on site.
FloatplaneBoat
Pack Creek is in the northeast corner of Admiralty Island, about 30 minutes by floatplane from Juneau. The island, which the Tlingit call Kootznoowoo or “Fortress of the Bears,” holds an estimated 1,500 brown bears and no black bears. Peak viewing usually follows the pink and chum salmon return, generally from the first week of July. From April 1 to September 30 a day-use permit is required ($60 per person per day), with a limit of 24 visitors a day. The site is wilderness, with no facilities except an observation tower. Bring rubber boots and rain gear, and follow ranger instructions. No bears or people have been harmed since the area has been actively managed.
- [1]Distance: about 30 minutes by floatplane from Juneau (USFS Pack Creek Wildlife Viewing Site); also reported as about 40 miles south of Juneau (USFS Pack Creek overview), approximately 30 miles south of Juneau (USFS Pack Creek directions). All footnotes
Location
In pictures
Wildlife viewing · Bear viewing
Sources
- Pack Creek Wildlife Viewing SiteUSDA Forest Service, Tongass National Forest · Accessed 2026-11-08
- Juneau Wildlife Viewing: Pack CreekAlaska Department of Fish and Game · Accessed 2026-11-08
- USFS Misty Fiords and Admiralty Island National Monuments; Pack Creek; Anan Wildlife ObservatoryUSDA Forest Service
Last updated 2026-11-09
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