The 5 Best Places to See the Wildlife in Canada & Alaska

Guarding the north of the Americas, Canada and Alaska offer more than its breathtaking view of mountains, rivers, and glaciers.

Wildlife encounters are almost a thing of the ordinary in this frontier – you simply have to know where to look. If you want to see a sleuth of bears fishing by streams, a moose crossing the road, or a pod of whales leaping from under the waters, visit these areas that are home to some of the most popular wildlife in Canada and Alaska.

Redoubt Bay, Alaska

About 70 miles southwest of Anchorage, Redoubt Bay is a critical habitat area for Alaska’s phenomenal wildlife such as the brown bear, black bear, bald eagle, and seal. The spring’s transition to summer usually brings in a run of salmon which attracts most of the animals to the chain of Big River Lakes. You’ll see bears diving after silver salmons and eagles swooping in for a feeding.

For the more adventurous, expert guides can lead you through nature’s forest trails or the winding inlet of Big River Lakes. Redoubt Bay is also a destination for a third of the migrating bird population in the state, making it one of the best places for bird watching.

Brooks Falls, Alaska

Travel by seaplane for a viewing expedition at the Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. As much as 50 bears can be spotted simultaneously during the height of the salmon run. Here, you can watch salmon leaping over the 6-foot falls while the grizzly and brown bears reach to catch them.

Brooks Falls is also a good fishing ground for rainbow trout and arctic char. Because of its undisturbed wildlife, it provides a natural habitat for animals to roam freely and safely which makes for an unparalleled experience with nature and its inhabitants.

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

Covering more than 600,000 acres of the Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Fjords National Park is a refuge to many land and aquatic wildlife in Alaska. It’s a haven rich in glaciers, waves, and mountain tops – ideal habitat for species such as seals, otters, falcons, puffins, wolverines, and polar bears.

Trained guides will discuss with you the park’s diverse ecosystem and historic background while watching orcas, fins, humpbacks, and dolphins along the bay of Kenai Fjords. With Harding Icefield covering more than half of Kenai Fjords National Park’s land mass, hiking tours are readily available for a more intimate viewing experience of mountain goats, bears, moose, and hoary marmots.

Great Bear Rainforest, Canada

The Great Bear Rainforest remains part of the largest untouched coastal temperate rainforest on Earth. This 21-million acre of pristine wilderness is a natural habitat to unique subspecies like the Kermode (“Spirit”) bear, a member of the Black Bear family with a recessive gene that makes its fur white.

Abundant in vegetation and other natural resources, it’s a home to many other wildlife such as cougars, coastal gray wolves, grizzly bears, humpback whales, and bald eagles. There are also activities available in the site including kayaking, fishing, and hiking.

Churchill, Canada

At the far north of Manitoba, Canada is a town on the Hudson Bay called Churchill. Nicknamed as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” this Arctic tundra is also a residence to numerous land and marine wildlife.

Due to its sub-arctic climate, polar bears are seen all year round – whether they’re hunting for seals during the winter or migrating towards the northernmost part of the region at the end of spring. Other species such as beluga whales can be spotted along Churchill River as soon as the summer months start. Many more wildlife claims this town as their natural habitat, among those are wolves, foxes, moose, and caribous.