Katmai National Park is peppered with boardwalks, making viewing the untamed and hungry grizzlies safe as they play, fight, and swipe tasty salmon from the bubbling river. At Brooks Falls, you often get the iconic image of a grizzly grabbing a salmon right from a waterfall as it attempts to make its way back to where it was born in order to spawn their young. The National Park protects many wildlife species, so along with the grizzly bears you may also see moose, caribou, wolf, mink, river otter, red squirrel, and much more.
Kodiak Island, home to the largest grizzlies in the world, is also excellent at this time. Here you may even get to walk among the bears as they focus on their feast, and avoiding the platforms of Katmai. Katmai, once encased in glaciers, has a spectacularly rugged landscape, and the area is great for photography, whether you are looking for action packed shots of bears, or some beautiful landscape panoramas.
The activities at Denali National Park open mid to the end of June, so July is a great time to go. The temperature averages at 13 degrees Celsius, and it is usually quite sunny, with about 91mm of rainfall during the month. The park is exceedingly well managed; you are not permitted to take your own vehicle into the park in an attempt to cut down extra pollution. Grizzly bears are a huge attraction, but you can also see roaming herds of caribou, wild wolves, Dall sheep, wolverines, the list goes on. The park is quite famous too for its amazing population of birds, and you may spot the spectacular golden eagle.
If you want to explore more of Alaska’s back country, head to a unique park called Wrangell St Elias, an inexplicably vast and rugged landscape. Wildlife is everywhere, from grizzlies to mountain goats, and you can explore by small plane, allowing you to access areas no one has been before. We love Ultima Thule Lodge for its remoteness and access to outstanding beauty.
