In 1965, a military veteran named Wayne Byers was on the lookout for a spot to settle and occurred upon Alaska’s Chinitna Bay, simply south of the ten,016-foot-tall Mt. Iliamna. Byers rapidly fell in love with the realm’s magnificence and remoteness, to not point out its unbelievable wildlife. Two years later, he took benefit of the state’s homesteading rights to stake his declare on a 17.5-acre parcel of land between the mountain and Cook dinner Inlet. Right here, Byers may spend his days looking and trapping within the winter, and internet fishing throughout hotter months.

In the present day, his former homesteaded property is the positioning of Nab Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp, a premier bear viewing location that’s as intricately tied with the native material as was Byers himself.

Positioned on the ancestral land of the Dena’ina folks, this pristine place is accessible solely by way of boat or small aircraft and is brimming with bald eagles, moose and dozens (if not tons of) of brown bears. These large creatures are the coastal model of the inside grizzly bear, in addition to the most important land predators on the continent.

Nat Hab vacationers now have the unique alternative to grow to be completely immersed within the brown bears’ each day lives amid Bear Camp’s extraordinary Alaskan backdrop, one among snow-capped peaks and turquoise waters. As well as, the camp is a coveted probability to mattress down on a property that actually encapsulates Alaska’s pioneering spirit.

The Historical past of Homesteading in America

Homesteading is the act of being self-sufficient—of taking a bit of land and nurturing it till it will possibly maintain you. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act within the U.S. as a manner to assist gasoline westward growth. Principally, anybody over 21 or thought of the head-of-household—whether or not or not it’s a person, lady, previously enslaved individual…even immigrants keen to grow to be residents—was given a chance to stake 160 acres of land in a U.S. western state or territory. As soon as they lived on and cultivated that land for 5 years, they might then declare possession.

The Homestead Act was already in impact when the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, but it surely wasn’t till 1898 that Congress handed particular laws extending homesteading rights to what was then nonetheless referred to as the Alaska Territory. For the subsequent 90 years, homesteaders had been welcome to say a bit of this wild frontier. Issues had been slow-going at first—the primary 20 or so years noticed solely about 200 candidates—however this system picked up throughout and following World Conflict II and the Vietnam Conflict, with many returning veterans trying to procure some “game-rich” land for their very own.

Byers’ Homestead

Wayne Byers was one such homesteader, having served within the U.S. Military in the course of the early sixties after which procuring the land on which he’d construct his house. However when his advancing age made the property more durable to maintain, Byers struck up a deal: Bear Camp would lease a small portion of Byers’ land for wildlife viewing, permitting the homesteader to stay residing onsite.

Vacationers to Bear Camp would typically get equally as excited to catch sight of Byers—a real Alaska trailblazer—because the bears themselves. His tall tales and tales concerning the native area and historical past enamored friends and made him one thing of a legend. Although Byers handed away in 2014, his legacy stays at Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp.

Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp

Byers all the time had a powerful reference to the native Alaskan wildlife and a deep dedication to the land. Bear Camp maintains the same code of ethics. All through its historical past, the property has received accolades for its dedication to sustainability. Outdoors Journal as soon as named it “North America’s Finest Bush Camp,” whereas Nationwide Geographic Traveler dubbed Bear Camp one among “America’s Finest Adventures.”

Each personal and everlasting, the camp has been particularly designed to attenuate impression on the native wildlife. Photo voltaic panels present the majority of Bear Camp’s vitality wants, whereas its collection of camouflaged “Climate Port” tents mix in seamlessly with the atmosphere.

(Be aware: In 2026, Alaska Bear Camp will debut brand-new handcrafted cabins with birchwood finishes and floor-to-ceiling home windows that body uninterrupted views of the bay. It will supply unprecedented alternatives for wildlife viewing from the consolation of your abode—you’ll be able to actually watch iconic Alaskan bears from mattress! Every cabin could have twin beds, electrical retailers, a flush bathroom, a sink with sizzling working water and a propane heater to beat back the coastal chill. A close-by bathhouse will supply sizzling showers.)

Because the early Eighties, Bear Camp has been an inholding of southwest Alaska’s Lake Clark Nationwide Park, a four-million-acre, roadless coastal wilderness that’s house to steaming volcanoes, hanging glaciers, alpine tundra and turquoise lakes—together with the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. The camp is true within the coronary heart of the Alaskan wilderness, a spot the place brown bears come to feed on sedge grasses, recent berries and spawning salmon, relying on the season.

> The Bears of Lake Clark Nationwide Park

Vacationers attain Bear Camp from Homer by way of bush aircraft, with supervisor Caprice Stoner, now in her twentieth season, there to greet Nat Hab vacationers upon arrival. Nevertheless, don’t be shocked if some brown bears welcome you right here as properly. In reality, the bears are generally so shut in proximity you could hear them  “speaking” with each other via a collection of woofs and growls. Fortunately, the camp encompasses a raised viewing platform that’s the perfect spot for taking in these sounds—in addition to the opposite intricacies of those magnificent creatures—with out intruding on their house.

In the case of lodging, Bear Camp’s 10 deluxe, two-bed tent cabins overlooking the sapphire waters of the Cook dinner Inlet present the proper in a single day lodging. The camp’s communal eating tent is a superb place for catching up with different vacationers on the day’s bear sightings and adventures, in addition to for charging your iPhones and cameras, and/or poring over a small library of curated Alaska-themed books. In fact, recent, domestically sourced meals, together with regional fish and seafood, are additionally par for the course.

> A Nearer Have a look at Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp

Bear camp base owned by Nature Habitat Adventures.

The Significance of Bear Tourism

Seeing and experiencing Alaska’s wildlife first-hand via a spot like Bear Camp just isn’t solely an effective way to contribute to the native economic system, but it surely supplies a greater understanding of the significance of bears, eagles, moose, and different animals throughout the larger ecosystem. Right here, it’s simply you and the native wildlife. You’ll find out about their habits and habitats, in addition to threats and conservation efforts to guard these beloved bruins.

By collaborating in bear tourism, you’ll additionally assist Alaska stay the rugged and wild frontier that has lengthy drawn pioneering souls like Byers and defend the pristine nature of the nation’s least densely populated state.

Two Bears in the water near by Bear camp in Alaska

All images © Courtroom Whelan

Bunk with brown bears at Nat Hab’s personal Alaska Bear Camp!