Traitors Cove Bear Viewing

Overview

Island Wings Air Service is owned and operated by Alaska veteran pilot Michelle Masden, who started flying in 1977 and began her business in Ketchikan in 1993. Island Wings takes the time and makes the effort to help you realize your Alaskan dreams. Share our love of flying through our vast Alaskan wilderness. Experience the freedom of flight over the wild grandeur of the mountains, the islands and the endless sea. In business since 1993, Island Wings takes the time and makes the effort to help you realize your Alaskan dreams. Our focus is the quality of your experience. From the handling of your reservation, to the equipment we operate, to the places we visit; we don't compromise and neither should you. The total time for this tour is 4.25 hours including: the flight, three hours onsite at Traitors Cove Bear Viewing Observatory, and fifteen minutes for the pick-up and drop-off.

City: Ketchikan

Mon 28 Apr

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $525.00

Make a reservation

Mon 28 Apr

Starting at $525.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

We operate well maintained six-passenger DeHavilland Beaver floatplanes

Guaranteed window seats for all passengers

Voice activated, noise cancelling headset for each passenger

Interactive narration with your Pilot

Pick-up and drop-off by Island WIngs van from the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau on Cruise Ship Berth 2

US Forest Service Special Use Permit for Bear Viewing within Tongss National Forest

All inclusive tour

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please wear layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
All passengers MUST provide us a contact phone number when booking or call us at (907) 225-2444 to confirm a tour time.
Passengers travelling via cruise ship MUST provide their cruise ship name to us so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

What To Expect

Tongass National Forest

Between July20th and September 30th you can visit the bear viewing observatory at Traitors Cove. Fly by floatplane along the beautiful waterways of the lush Tongass National Forest across Revillagegedo island to a US Forest Service maintained trail and the Margarete Creek Bear Viewing platform. Bears can be seen plunging into the rushing water to retrieve their meals of wiggling salmon. This is a perfect opportunity to photograph Alaska's real fisherman in action! In addition to bears feeding, you will also see bald eagles picking over the scraps left by the bears and of course, the real stars of the show, the salmon as they battle their way upstream to spawn. Your journey will be accompanied by the Island Wings bear guide who will provide information about the flora and fauna along the way. Combine a short hike, beautiful scenery and a magnificent wildlife experience in one trip. This is a four hour tour that includes a floatplane flight, a one mile drive by van on a US Forest Service road and a short hike along a boardwalk trail to the viewing platform. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring plenty of camera batteries! The US Forest Service restricts access to Margarete Observatory by permit. As a result, only small numbers of people have the opportunity to visit this beautiful site, so book early! The four hour Traitors Cove bear viewing tour includes: a thirty minute flight each way and three hours at Traitors Cove. All tours include complimentary ground transportation to and from our dock which adds fifteen minutes to the beginning and the end of your tour. For this four hour tour you will need to budget four and a half hours total time. Season: July 20th through September 30th.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (38)

teaforgirls

Feb 2023

Our family (2 parents, teen daughter) enjoyed our Traitors Cove Excursion. Communication from the time of booking was excellent. They picked us up at the Liquid Sunshine Gauge very near our cruise ship. Michelle had excellent info during our flight and Anika was an excellent guide on land. It is a well run company and we felt safe and well informed the entire time.

Rovadia

Feb 2023

Service was excellent. We had the most beautiful flight with amazing views. Michelle our pilot and Annika our guide were great. Sadly, there were no bears. We saw some Salmon, one bald eagle and that was it. We knew there was no guarantee we'd see bears but still it was so disappointing.

C4162ILkimz

Dec 2022

For months prior to taking my mom on her bucket list trip to Alaska by cruise, I did hours of research on public NTSB records. Having a background in aviation quality and safety, signing up for an excursion by floatplane in Alaska can be rather daunting - Alaska has a less than stellar safety record compared to the lower states because the lower 48 are not as reliant on air travel to get around. I chose Traitor's Cove Bear Viewing because of the flawless safety record of Island Wings Air Service, and I was not disappointed. If you have any hesitancy or questions, I encourage you to just call Island Wings because they provide a very personalized experience. Less than five-star reviews make mention of not seeing bears. We saw only one, but the description makes it clear what you should expect based on the time of year you visit. Mom & I went in mid-September 2022 after the bears were past prime feeding season, so we did not expect many to be visible. To me, you are entrusting your life to a pilot, and Michelle is impeccable. Michelle and her team cannot control bears, but they set reasonable expectations on what you will see depending on time of year and climate conditions. They also (in addition to safety) provide very knowledgeable, accommodating and entertaining guides. This was a completely wonderful experience for both me and my mom. My greatest appreciation to Michelle and her crew.