Sitka, Alaska (2025)

September 15, 2025 – September 15, 2025

Observe brown and black bears in the Fortress of the Bear rescue center.
Hear how the bears have been nurtured and brought back to health.
Visit a remote homestead on the deep-water fjord Silver Bay.
Learn about the challenges of living in the Alaska wilderness.
See how once-orphaned and displaced bears are cared for in a rescue center and explore a remote homestead on a deep-water fjord. You will enjoy an up-close view of the animals at the Fortress of the Bear, where brown and black bears are typically in residence. The naturalists will elaborate on why the bears were brought to the center, their personality traits and how they are ensured a fulfilling life at the rescue center. The stories are inspiring, as many of the bears were once malnourished, injured or orphaned.

Living in the remote Alaska wilderness can be challenging for animals and people, as you will discover in more detail at a private homestead on Silver Bay that the McGraw family established generations ago. While gathered around a crackling campfire, you will hear stories of some of the first pioneers to visit the area, including those hoping to strike it rich mining gold and silver.

 

Private Homestead owned by the McGraw Family

Skagway, Alaska (2025)

September 13, 2025 – September 13, 2025

Ascend the beautiful mountains on the White Pass Summit Train. From your antique narrow-gauge car view incredible scenery, as your tour guide shares stories and the history of the Klondike Gold Rush. At the foot of the pass, nestled next to a waterfall, rests Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp and Salmon Bake. Here a cast of sourdoughs and dance hall girls will entertain you with a hilarious melodrama and a poem.

We then visited Liarsville gold fields, where you are guaranteed to find the precious metal that drove people wild with Gold Fever!

The grand finale is a visit to the Red Onion Saloon in historic downtown Skagway. The Red Onions’ madams will throw you a private party in the prestigious Red Onion Brothel.

 

Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp

 

Juneau, Alaska (2025)

September 12, 2025 – September 12, 2025

Alaska’s official state sport with a trip to Dog Sledding Summer Camp.

Your adventure begins on the breathtaking drive along Gastineau Channel, through the historic AJ Gold Mine site and into the remote and scenic Sheep Creek Valley. As you arrive at the summer camp training site, you will be greeted by a professional dog musher and some of the state’s most famous athletes: the Alaskan Huskies! You will receive an educational tour of the camp, and visit a 19th century replica Iditarod Outpost. Next, climb aboard a comfortable wheeled cart and relax as your energetic Alaskan Husky team guides you along the one-and-a-half-mile trail through beautiful landscapes. You’ll return to Dog Sledding Summer Camp for your chance to meet the dogs and snuggle the next generation of great Alaskan athletes: sled dog puppies!

 

Ketchikan, Alaska (2025)

September 11, 2025 – September 11, 2025

Arrive at Clover Pass Resort where your 36-passenger boat charter awaits. Your experienced Captain and crew will set to the sea for an hour-long adventure toward Neets Bay Bear Observatory. This expansive wilderness area is limited to a small number of visitors each year and you will have the golden ticket. The sights and sounds of the Tongass National Forest will leave you breathless. Photo opportunities will be ever-present as you sail toward Neets Bay. Stay alert to the abundant Alaskan wildlife throughout the journey. You may see whales, eagles, sea lions, and more.

Southeast Alaska is home to hundreds of bears, and they stake their claim near salmon spawning streams that feed into the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival at Neets Bay, near the base of the stream, you will be debriefed on the habitat you are about to explore and the bears you will hopefully be observing. Bear and Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed as this excursion takes place in the wild, bears are not captive for viewing Enjoy the serenity of this lush forest and the chance to see smaller woodland creatures as you walk along a well-maintained forest trail while making your way to the viewing platform.

 

Anchorage, Alaska

September 5, 2025 – September 9, 2025

We decided to add a pre-land tour of Denali National Park (Mt. Mckinley National Park)

 

Anchorage Trolley Tour with Ace

New Friends we met & They gave us cool gifts

Alaska Railroad Train Ride to Denali National Park

Frozen frog

On the way back to our hotel from Denali park we stopped at a
Alaska Veterans Memorial Park 

At the airport flying to Seattle to catch the cruise

Outside Passage, Alaska

August 01, 2015

Today we cruised the outside passage. I only have pictures of us on the ship.

Follow us on our journey the next and last destination on this trip is Victoria, British Columbia.

Maria
John

Our friend Michael
Maria & John  – with our friend who is also the F&B Director Adam Martindale
Isaac, Michael, Nano, Maria, John & Adam

Wrangell, Alaska

July 27, 2015

Our tour today was another Bear adventure hopefully today we get the chance to see some.

We disembarked the ship at the pier and met up with a covered, heated boat and took a twenty-five-mile ride to Anan, traveling via Eastern Passage.

Upon arrival at the Anan, we were greeted at the trailhead by U.S. Forest Service personnel, who gave us a brief orientation of what we were going to do and see. Beginning this month pink salmon arrives at Anan Creek to spawn which attracts brown and black bears, bald eagles and harbor seals.

The walk to the observatory was 20 minutes long and about a 1/2 mile in length, we had one guy in the front with a shotgun and one guy in the back with a rifle. When we got to the observatory, we had 90 minutes of bear watching.  We even saw a bear catch a salmon and eat it in the creek.  The current was so strong in the creek, it didn’t even faze the bears which was wild to see how powerful they are.

Follow us on our journey our next destination is Juneau, Alaska.