Brown Bears of Summer

Interior Katmai National Park. I really rather not disclose specifically where we are for these tours any longer; when I’ve done that in the past, it’s generally not been a useful thing.

But somewhere very cool in the park.

Those are fine. We’ll have you complete our Food Form and disclose that information to us there. Whether it’s allergies, preferences, dislikes and likes or whatever, we can almost always accommodate that.

Most likely. We’ll provide 4 Season Mountaineering tents due the possibility of strong winds in the area. Theese tents are sturdier and more robust than luxurious taller tents you might be used to, but they hold up well in inclement weather.

Because the location is a remote wilderness setting, we don’t always know who (if anyone) is going to be in the area and where they’re camped when we arrive. We will make every posible effort to give each guest their own tent, but if available tent space is limited and we can’t grab our favored space, we may have to double some folks up.

That really depends. Some trips here we’ve not hiked more than a 1/4 mile or so up or down the river. Other trips we’ve wandered the tundra quite a bit and explored nearby creeks as well. It’ a pretty flexible location. The hiking isn’t generally very challenging, it’s good walking. We can go as far or as not far as you need.

But being in better shape makes the trip more productive, safer, and easier to manage. If you’re not comfortable hiking a few miles carrying your gear, this might not be the trip for you. Take a look at one of our other brown bear tours perhaps.

Summer in Alaska can be buggy just about anywere. That said, by lae July/early August they’re usually waning a bit. And this location isn’t super buggy, so you should be fine. bring repellent and headsets, etc. We’ll provide info to that end in your trip departure packet.

For now, we do not provide a charging station. It just becomes a bit much to deal with. You’re welcome to bring a smal solar panel for yourself and charge your batteries as you need.

My preference is just to bring enough batteries for a trip. The larger Nikon batteries hold up pretty well.

Likely, none. Any location that has a super high conentration of hungry bears probably doesn’t have a great array of other animals walking around.

You MAY see wolves, but they can be tough to photography anywhere, particularly in Alaska. You likely will not see moose, or sheep, or goats, or caribou, and almost definitely will not photograph any even if you do see them.

You may see birds, mostly smaller birds such as gulls, magpies, ravens, etc.

This location is about bears and salmon. In my opinion, I find that seems to work best for wildlife photo tours.

You can’t. You’ll be offline unless you have a satellite phone or satellite conencting texting device like an Inreach. There is no cell service anywhere in the area. King Salmon does have some limited service, if you have Verison or one of the Alaska providers. ATT does not work there.

As a rule these trips are probably most beneficial for the intermediate to advanced photographers. If you’re looking for rudimentary photography instruction what I’d suggest is to consider one of the Day Trip photography excursions where we can work on some of the fundamentals and get things moving.

That said we’ve had some great tours over the years with all levels of photographers coming out and getting some really strong images. I’ve had professional photographers from across the world sign up on these trips and come back for more.

I’ve also had beginners and novice photographers come out and together we made some real inroads into their learning process. That’s just one example of a real benefit that comes with running smaller groups.

What these trips are not is a vacation. You’re more than welcome to come out on a trip for bear viewing or aurora borealis viewing but one of the real strengths of these trips is that they’re tailored for people interested in a focused serious photography adventure.

For the Alaska Landscapes photo tour to Skolai Pass, it’s a similar mix of folks, with the nature of the trip tailored somewhat to the skillset and diversity of the people on the trip. We’ve enjoyed trips with adventurous experienced backpackers where we trekked quite a distance and made some great images and we’ve also done trips for less experienced outdoors folks, being somewhat less mobile, but equally rewarding in both the wilderness experience and the photography efforts.

Three big things set us apart.

Local expertise, small groups, and genuine commitment to conservation.

I’ve been photographing Alaska’s wildlife for 30 years. Guiding photo tours since 2002. I live here year-round, which means intimate knowledge of locations, weather patterns, and wildlife behavior—plus the resources and flexibility to adapt when conditions change.

Small groups matter. I limit tours to 5 photographers. You’re not fighting 10 other people for the same angle.

Professional operation. As a Wilderness First Responder with all required state licenses and National Park Service permits, safety and legal operation are non-negotiable. We’re also Gold Level certified by Adventure Green Alaska and contribute 5% of profits to conservation.

I photographed many of the same bears for over a decade before ever leading a tour to see them. That level of familiarity with both location and subject can’t be replicated by operators who fly in for the season.

Well, this could be quite a discussion. And it varies somewhat, year to year. Trips change and situations change really a bit more rapidly and frequently than you imagine. But this post will hopefully help clarify some of the differences between each of our brown bear tours a bit.

I’ll mention each trip and then outline a few of the factors unique to that trip as well as what some of the differences might be:

Alaska Brown Bears and Coastal Wildlife

The Brown Bears and Coastal Wildlife Tour is NOT a camping trip. On this tour we stay on board an 80′ boat and are well taken care of by Captain Chuck and his partner Olga. Great people.

You can charge your batteries, laptop, etc as well as yourself on the comforts of Chuck’s boat.

We travel stretches of the Katmai Coast, going to shore each day to photograph the bears. We typically go to at least 2 or 3 different bays, but this does depend on weather, conditions, bear activity, etc, etc.

This trip we also aim to find some other creatures; primarily marine mammals like seals and sea otter, as well as eagles. We’ve had some decent luck with wolves on this tours as well. Superb backgrounds and mountain scenery.

Hiking and difficulty level is low. This trip works well for most folks, beginners to experienced, and you do not need to be in great shape.

Departs from and returns to Kodiak, AK.

Grizzlies in the Fall Tour

The Grizzlies in the Fall Tour is the most “luxurious of those, with (limited) National Park Service services available, and some infrastructure to help your comfort somewhat. An outhouse, covered shelters, etc. It’s pretty comfortable and easy camping conditions for just about anyone. Being later in the year it is likely to be the cooler of the tours.

We spend some time in the river, but due recent park service changes and increasing visitation levels we don’t do that as much as we used to.

This trip works great for instruction and learning photography. Non-hikers and those with mobility concerns will be OK on this trip.

Great for bear portraits, cubs and great big fat bears.

Yes you can recharge you camera gear.

Excellent for camera and photography instruction and more of a workshop today.

Departs from and returns to King Salmon, AK.

Grizzlies in the Mist

The Grizzlies in the Mist Tour is as remote as remote gets, no infrastructure or services or facilities of any kind. Camping is primitive, not designated sites or anything. No outhouse, etc.

Photography is excellent. Shallow waters, smaller creeks and hungry bears combined with abundant spawning salmon equal excellent photo opportunities for bears chasing salmon. Very, very few people or plane traffic. Incredible mountain backdrops. Have had some luck with wolves on this trip, but not something I specifically promote it for. They’re a treat that appears as they choose.

Hiking is easy-moderate.

Coastal Alaska can be wet, and it can be cold; we’ve had frosts at least twice here.

You have to be battery power independent.

Departs from and returns to Homer, AK.

Brown Bears of Summer

The Bears of Summer Tour is another remote wilderness setting. No infrastructure of any kind.

The photography is great. Bears chasing salmon. Big bears, little bears, awesome backdrops and Alaska wilderness scenery.

More human traffic than the grizzlies in the mist trip. Mostly fishermen, but some bear viewing and photography tours as well. Camping is primitive.

Hiking is variable. It can work well for those a bit out of shape, but works really well if we have a group of people who can walk and be mobile. We may not have to, but it’s always nice to have that option.

Weather can be windy, but generally isn’t terribly cold.

Departs from and returns to King Salmon, AK.

General Brown bear photo tours

All these tours are in Katmai National Park. None of them involve backpacking with camping gear. All can be buggy, but generally none of them are even what I would call “moderate” for bugs. Everything’s relative though.

There’s no way this kind of short post can answer all your questions, but hopefully this outlines most of the significant differences between each of these brown bear photo tours.

These photo tours are a flexible itinerary designed to assist the serious photographer put together a productive photography adventure. It means the trip is scheduled around your photography. We follow the light, getting out early to shoot dawn and getting out late to shoot dusk.

The long days of Alaska, for example, might mean alpenglow is at 11:30pm, and again at 4:30am. There’s simply no way to catch both of those times and still have a regular breakfast, lunch and dinner schedule and hike an 8 hour day. Well, there IS, but doing that for a week straight is an arduous task. So I run these tours around photography time, which means we might be catching up on rest, etc, during the middle of the day, so we can be where we need to be in the golden light of the evening.

Everything is tailored around photography, whether it’s a bear photo tour, a wildlife tour, a landscape photo tour to Skolai Pass or the Aurora borealis in the dark of winter. We shoot when the shooting is best, and we eat, sleep and hike outside of those hours. You don’t want to miss that golden brown bear photo because you’re back at the lodge having dinner!

Every photo tour is different. Some are hotel-based in Fairbanks, others involve camping at remote bear locations or chartering private boats.

What’s always included

1. Professional guide service (25+ years experience, Wilderness First Responder certified)
2. All accommodations (hotels, camping, or boat-based depending on trip)
3. Safety equipment (satellite communication, comprehensive first aid)
4. Photography instruction and field assistance
5. All necessary permits and access fees

What varies by trip

1. Meals: Included on most bear tours and remote trips. Not included on hotel-based tours in Fairbanks or Haines where restaurants are available.
2. Transportation: Bush flights, boat charters, and ground transport are included when required for the trip. Your flight to/from Alaska is not.

What We Don’t Include

1. Airfare to Alaska
2. Alcohol
3. Trip insurance (we recommend it and suggest you call Travelex.)
4. Guide gratuities
5. Personal and camera gear

Check the specific trip page for exact details on what’s provided.

Reserving your place on a trip requires a 50% deposit. Deposits are non-refundable. All trips MUST be paid in full 45 days prior to the scheduled departure date.

If the client cancels on a trip paid in full, 80% of the price can be deferred and applied to another trip that is scheduled to occur within the next 12 months, provided that all three of the following occurs: 

i) Expeditions Alaska, LLC is able to fill the cancelled spot,
ii) Expeditions Alaska LLC is able to fill the the trip that the client cancelled on, and
iii) 30 days (or more) notice is given.

If a client cancels a trip and Expeditions Alaska is not able to completely fill that trip, regardless of the number of original participants in that trip, Expeditions Alaska will not defer or refund any portion of the cancelling client’s payment. 

Expeditions Alaska, LLC cannot guarantee that a spot will be available on a scheduled trip in the next 12 months.  If no spot is available and you cannot use your deposit in those 12 months, the deposit is forfeited and non-refundable. 

If cancellation is within 30 days of the trip, only 50% of the fee can be carried over to a future trip. The remainder is forfeited and non-refundable.

No refunds, credit, or other reimbursements are given for cancellations within 14 days of the trip departure. 

Expeditions Alaska, LLC reserves the right to cancel and/or modify the itinerary of a trip for any reason. If Expeditions Alaska cancels a trip you will be refunded your payment in full, minus a $250 administrative fees plus any unrecoverable deposits Expeditions Alaska, LLC made to organize the trip.  If Expeditions Alaska cancels changes the date of a trip and you can no longer attend, you will be refunded your payment, minus a $250 administrative fees plus any unrecoverable deposits Expeditions Alaska, LLC made to organize the trip. 


If weather or other factors delay or impede your trip, there will be no refund of fees. Expeditions Alaska, LLC is not responsible for any other costs incurred by the client as a result of the cancellation, delay, or modification of a trip.

Additional costs incurred through weather delays and itinerary changes are the responsibility of the client.

Additional costs incurred by the client, such as changes to flights or additional costs, etc, are the sole responsibility of the client.

* May be Trip dependent. See trip details on each page regarding the terms for the photo tour you are interested in.

I know you do. As well you should.

I recommend starting with the General Trip FAQ page

More questions? Email me or call me  if you like.

Upon your reservation I’ll send out a comprehensive trip information packet that covers just about everything and more you might imagine about your trip.