Up Close with Brown Bears in Katmai: A Grizzly Viewing Experience Like No Other

By Mac Mirabile, World Wildlife Fund

Walking in Bear Country: A Thrilling Start

Walking past fresh bear tracks in Katmai is an exhilarating experience. Each footstep brings us closer to that once-in-a-lifetime photograph—brown bears at close range. But this expedition also required us to overcome our innate fear of encountering these apex predators in their natural environment. Our Expedition Leader explained in detail the bear behavior we would encounter and, more importantly, how to ensure our group’s presence had minimal impact on the bears.

A Family of Four in Hallo Bay

We spotted a mother with three spring cubs on our first foray into the sedge meadows of Hallo Bay. We would photograph this family extensively over the next three days, searching for them as we followed trampled grass trails shared with the bears. Wading through streams and walking through mud, we followed our Expedition Leader, who positioned our group for the best combination of bear activity and light angle on an unseasonably warm, sunny evening at 8 p.m.

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An Intimate Wildlife Encounter

We sat on stools, cameras and binoculars trained on the mother and cubs as they crossed a stream and grazed slowly in our direction. The cubs meandered toward a patch of low grass near the top of a small hill, while their mother fed nearby, occasionally raising her head to scan for other bears. Earlier, we had seen her retreat with the cubs at the first sign of another bear 500 yards away. Now, she grazed calmly just 30–50 yards from our group.

Their playing started innocently enough—an innocuous nibble on one cub’s shoulder escalated to a raised paw, then a clumsy standoff as they stood on their hind legs, pawing and pushing each other. Their playful sparring lasted just 10 minutes, but it flew by as I alternated between snapping photos and filming video. No nature documentary can do justice to the show those two cubs put on for us that evening.

Savoring the Sounds of Katmai

Putting the camera down, I exhaled deeply and took everything in. Savannah sparrows sang nearby, wind swept through the tall grasses, and the surprisingly loud sound of the mother bear grazing carried through the still air. Looking up, I realized more bears had entered the scene—a blonde mother with second-year cubs approached, and a single male followed another female in the distance. We experienced dozens of equally captivating moments during our early morning and evening excursions from our home aboard the Ursus.

A Place Like No Other

Each picture I took helped cement a memory of a place where bears have no fear of humans. These bears are so well habituated to respectful bear watchers that, at several points, we were closer to the cubs than their own mother. Walking off the beach for the final time, I reflected on all the wildlife experiences I’ve had—and realized that nothing compares to Katmai.