alaska waters - day tours

Very professional and well organised trip. Very well informed about fauna and flora on walk to Bear Observatory. Both guides were very careful and well prepared for any unexpected meeting with a Bear on the walk to and from the observatory.Saw plenty of black bears and one brown bear with cubs despite being early July when we visited. Would definitely recommend Alaska Waters and the trip to Anan.

I had a great time riding the Stikine River tour. The guide was so personably and easy to talk to and had a wealth of knowledge. My only complaint is they are persistent with calling you. I didn't actually book a tour but they somehow got my number and called once or twice a week saying I did book a tour and asked me to pay to confirm. I just happened to find myself with some spare time so I followed through and booked it...and glad I did.

I did 2 tours with this company; the Anan bear tour and the Stikine River tour. I was lucky enough to have the same guys on both tours. They were very knowledgable and professional. The jet boat they used was great, clean and just the right amount of space for a small group of people. The bear tour was excellent, they cater for all ages. Highly recommended. 5 stars!

Very beautiful. Capt Jim and Scott made this a very informative trip. Exciting jet boating too. They made every attempt to point out sights and ways of life that are unfamiliar to those of us not living in the wilderness. The trip to glacier lake was superb. It was pretty cool temp wise. These guys are hardy. Driving along in short sleeve shirts. Interesting lessons on moose hunting and trapping. Normally I would find this absolutely distasteful but here it was just part of how you live. No sport value but food and income. I highly recommend this trip.

I cannot say enough about Jim Leslie and his crew from Alaska Waters. I was up visiting my niece on Petersburg and we had booked this tour. Through a misunderstanding, we missed the pickup at Banana Point. It cost Jim a lot to run that boat over to pick us up from Wrangell. He was very concerned for our welfare that we had not shown up, which was very caring. He asked if we could go another day and did not charge us to come out again and pick us up three days later. The crew were awesome and very caring and very knowledgeable. The trip itself was one of the best trips of my life. We were surrounded by black bears eating their fill on a record salmon run. In the last hour the grizzlies came out and two males put on a show for us wrestling in the water for about an hour. A small grizzly came out and did belly flops and played for 15 minutes making for excellent video/pictures. I will be back. The amount of people who can visit a day is 60 and I will be back as there were always photo opportunities and no crowding or people getting in your way as that 60 is for the day and there were only about 20 when we were there. I had a trip of a life time thanks to Jim, because he certainly did not need to come back out and get us and he was very sweet and gracious.

Another highlight of Alaska. We went with Alaska Waters to the AnAn bear observatory and they were very professional. On the walk up to the observatory there was a brown bear on the path but at all times we felt safe. The bears were amazing, brown and black and lots of eagles. It was nice going in the afternoon as we stayed til the end of the day and didn't feel rushed. We had plenty of time to watch the bears and go down a few times behind the blind (screen). Jim was also very helpful during the booking process. Highly recommended company to view the bears.

We just got back from a delightful morning at AnAn Bear viewing with Jim, James and Scott. The whole trip was perfect, we saw brownies and black bears with cubs! these guys work to make you feel safe, because you are definitely in bear country! (this was our 3rd bear trip with AK waters, we are definitely repeat customers).We also did the Petersburg/LeConte Glacier trip a few days ago and enjoyed it immensely. We got very close to the glacier, picking our way through all the floating ice chunks (2nd time for that trip). We have also done the Stikine River/Shakes glacier trip and got to see some great scenery.can't recommend them enough !

We had 3 trips with Alaska Waters and they were all spectacular! 2 with Jim to the bear observatory area and up the stikine river and one with Mark to the Le Conte glacier and Petersburg. Both guides though different were outstanding - experienced, smart, outgoing, and u could tell they love nature, and they know their surroundings very well. Despite the fact they probably had many many hours of guiding tourists, they were at all times looking around to find and show us a moose, waterseal , brown bear bathing or else. Thank u Jim and Mark.

We took a jetboat trip with Alaska Waters owner/Captain Jim & deckhand Scott up the Stikine River. This wilderness river trip was fantastic for the scenery. We saw eagles, but not much other wildlife. Capt. Jim took the boat up a crystal the clear tributary where we could look below the boat at hundreds of salmon enroute to spawn. The trip highlight was threading our way among blue glacial ice chunks to the base of Shakes glacier. The boat was comfortable and had a restroom! Highly recommend Alaska Waters for this trip.

Thank you for the kind words. We do love our little piece of Alaska and love to share it with interested visitors. It is our passion.

We pre-booked our trip for the Petersburg and Le Conte trip. We were met and greeted by Jim and our Capt for the day was James (father and son)It was early in the season so we almost had the boat to our selves.Jim and James obviously love where they live and sharing it with their guests for the day, they were informative, warm, and very kind.in every way.We had a wonderful trip with many stunning sights of mountains, glaciers and icebergs. Would love to come back and do it again sometime.Thank you both . Richard and Helen U.K.

I chose to go with Alaska Waters, because of Jim's experience in the wilderness having lived in Wrangell for over 20 years. His knowledge and care of the bears was so apparent giving me confidence that I felt that I could do as a single woman this incredible adventure of a lifetime. His choice of timing in the late afternoon was excellent, for our group of 12 was the only ONE at the Bear Observatory giving us an intimate experience with these amazing creatures in this enchanting old growth forest. I don't know about the other tour groups, but Jim gave us HOURS to view these bears fishing for the unfortunate schools of salmon fighting to go up stream. By the time I left, some of the highlights were twin subadult grizzles being chased away by a stubborn mama black bear named Virginia, protesting cubs being reprimanded by their mother for disobeying her, black bears vying for the best fishing spots. And the list goes on! On our hike out, there were about 25 bald eagles all sitting serenely on a tree across lake. In addition to all of this, I greatly appreciated their boat having a bathroom given our trip was over 6 hours in length. Thank you Jim and the staff with Alaskan Waters for this AMAZING day!

This is a must see for any visitor to Alaska. Make sure you book well in advance due to a limited number of permits per day. This observatory was definitely a trip highlight. The bears were everywhere in this fishing location ... both black and brown. The eagles were everywhere as well waiting for the leftover salmon. Jim and his crew were first class professionals in terms of our safety getting to/from the observatory.

We went to Petersburg & the Le Conte Glacier with Jim & James, a wonderful experience. James expertly guided the jetboat through ice filled waters to get as close as we could to the calving glacier - what a thrill, we never anticipated being up close & personal with ice-bergs! Despite the very cold temperature outside, inside the boat was cosy & the on-board toilet much appreciated. Our guide's knowledge of & enthusiasm for this beautiful area was tremendous, & we really felt as though the trip was about the guests on board, rather than a schedule.The following day we travelled up the Stikine River with Jim, and again felt as if Jim wanted us to see as much as possible, without worrying about his schedule - although always keeping an eye on the tides! This is another stunning area, and Jim's detailed knowledge of the river & flora & fauna was again in evidence. I spotted a black bear on the shore & we were able to follow it along the banks for a while - very exciting.Thouroughly recommend these experiences!

If there were a higher rating, we would give it. Jim and James (our father-and-son captains) were more concerned with our being able to experience as much as possible in one day than they were with their schedule. Son James expertly and pains-takingly pushed our way through the thick ice fields to get us as close as humanly possible to the Le Conte Glacier. We appreciated the opportunity to get close to nature and view wildlife as it should be seen. We sat there, in the silence of nature, and watched harbor seals with their brand new pups. We have never seen anything like it. The "boys" are both knowledgeable and provided us with a wealth of information. This is the only boat with an on-board bathroom - you will all appreciate that. We spent 2 full days (Stikine River and Le Conte Glacier) with these folks and they made us feel like family. And lest we forget, Lisa in the office/gift shop was very friendly and helpful. We loved Wrangell and we loved Alaska Waters! Thank you from Ralph & Linda in Phoenix, AZ.