THINGS TO DO
WILDLIFE
BEARS
JULY - AUGUST
Anan Creek, on the mainland
Humpbacks in Zimovia Strait
WHALES
BIRDS
MARINE ANIMALS
Sea lions, seals, otters, porpoise. Local operators run trips.
SPRING
YEAR-ROUND
FROM WORLD-CLASS BEAR VIEWING TO ABUNDANT MARINE WILDLIFE, WRANGELL SITS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF IT.
Both brown and black bears come to Anan Creek to feed on coho and pink salmon during July and August, attracting seals, eagles, otters and the occasional wolf. The waters around Wrangell are abundant with marine life, from humpback whales and porpoises to seals, sea lions and otters. And every spring the Stikine River Delta — one of the biggest staging areas on the Pacific Flyway — fills with migrating birds.
Where to start depends mostly on when you are here.
WHAT’S AROUND AND WHEN
Wildlife here runs on a calendar, and most of a trip comes down to which part of it you land in.
Spring belongs to the birds. Eagles start arriving in early February, landing out all over town. In April the hooligan run comes up the river and the birds arrive for it — bald eagles gather on the flats in numbers that are hard to describe and easier to just go look at, shorebirds move through the delta, and sandhill cranes pass overhead in flocks of hundreds. Sea lions congregate on the islands north of Wrangell to wait. Out in LeConte Bay, harbor seals head into the ice to birth and rear their pups, and orcas sometimes follow them in.
Summer is bear season. Both black and brown bears come to Anan Creek to feed on coho and pink salmon through July and August, and the seals, eagles, otters and the occasional wolf come with them. Orcas turn up less frequently once July arrives, and stay around through September.
Whales are the constant. Resident and transient humpbacks can be seen year-round, cruising the Wrangell shoreline in Zimovia Strait.
MORE WRANGELL EVENTS
SPRING THROUGH SUMMER
THE STIKINE RIVER
JULY & AUGUST - PERMITS REQUIRED
ANAN WILDLIFE OBSERVATORY
LATE APRIL
STIKINE RIVER
BIRDING FESTIVAL
OPERATORS
TOURS & CHARTERS
WHALES
The waters around Wrangell are rich with marine life, attracting humpback whales, orcas, and the occasional grey whale.
Both resident and transient humpback whales frequent the area and can be seen year-round, cruising along the Wrangell shoreline in Zimovia Strait — diving, lunge feeding, and if you are really lucky, breaching. Among the surrounding islands toward Clarence Strait, reefs and strong tidal currents create ideal feeding grounds where humpbacks bubble-net feed.
A technique used by humpbacks in only a few places in the world.
They blow a curtain of bubbles from below to surround a school of fish and drive them to the surface, then lunge out of the water with their mouths wide open.
Orcas are present in Southeast Alaska in May and June and less frequently from July to September. They usually cruise in groups of two or three, but sometimes ten or more. A rare sight is orcas among the icebergs in LeConte Bay, where they prey on harbor seal pups — in early spring the seals head into the bay to birth and rear their pups among the protective ice floes.
MARINE MAMMALS
Wrangell is home to an abundance of marine mammals including Steller sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, Dall’s porpoise and harbor porpoise. Several local tour operators offer excursions specifically for marine mammals, whale watching included.
IVAN SIMONEK
BIRDS
The birds show up first. Every spring the Stikine River Delta turns into one of the biggest staging areas on the Pacific Flyway, and Wrangell sits right next to it.
Eagles start arriving in early February, landing out all over town. In April the hooligan run comes up the river and the birds arrive for it. Bald eagles gather on the flats in numbers that are hard to describe and easier to just go look at. Shorebirds move through the delta, sandhill cranes pass overhead in flocks of hundreds, and sea lions wait it out on the islands north of town. Trumpeter swans can be found at Pat’s Lake.
1,600 eagles at peak. 120+ species recorded.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Anan takes advance planning. Permits are required in peak season and daily numbers are limited.
Go with a local operator unless you know the water. Most wildlife viewing here is reached by boat or floatplane.
Book ahead in summer, and for Birdfest week.
Bring binoculars, layers and rain gear.
The wildlife keeps its own schedule. That is rather the point.
PLAN AROUND IT.
How to get here, where to stay,
and who to go out with.