fortress of the bear

Even if you only have a few hours to spare in Sitka, please make time for the Fortress of the Bear if you are a genuine animal lover, with a special soft spot for bears looking for the real deal you have come to an absolutely wonderful place. I am a bear lover. I have been to Katmai to see the fabulous coastal brown bears and I had booked a day trip to Pack Creek. However the weather prevented me from getting out to Pack Creek from Juneau (this is quite typical ). It so happens that my pictures from Fortress of the Bear are some of the most amazing photos we have ever taken of bears! It is almost impossible to detect that these photos were not taken in the wild! Just look at their website and you will see that Fortress of the Bear receives no government financial support. This place has allowed orphaned bears to survive and thrive in magnificent spacious and natural surroundings. Previously orphaned bears were shot as they had no chance of survival in the wild. This rescue centre is not a showy glitzy place and is not for people with mobility issues as you have to mount stairs to reach the observation platform. However you can watch them in perfect safely and have unobstructed views. The wonderful man who is responsible for setting up and operating the Fortress of the Bear shows his love and understanding of these magnificent creatures by giving the commentary. You will never forget the antics these intelligent bears will happily do to get their meals. Your memories will last a lifetime. If you are really rushed you can see them in under 30 minutes, but I was happy to savour everything for a good 90 minutes. For us, the most outstanding bears were the huge brown coastal bears. When we were there, we also saw the cutest black bear cubs. We went on July 5 and saw them in a completely natural environment.When we were on our small ship cruise a fellow passenger had shown us pics taken on July 4 where they had organized a picnic for the bears and set up a table with a red and white striped table cloth. Really cute. Shows how much they really care about the bears. However, we preferred the more natural environment when we were there. You will not regret your visit.

This is a great place to see bears without a trip into the wild. If you get the opportunity, try to make it during feeding time. One of the younger grizzly bears clasps his paws together and does a little dance to try to alert the keeper that he is hungry. It really is hilarious! It is a bit pricey but still worth a visit.

I fed a grizzly bear grapes! Great place to visit the owners were incredible people. Not your lower 48 zoo by a long shot. Straight up the coolest place I went in Sitka. If you like wildlife photography plan some time. Again I fed a bear.

May daughter and I took a cruise on Holland America this past September and went on excursions at every port. I will put this in the top three of ANY excursion I have been on and I have traveled fairly extensively. This venue may not please some who are looking for a more Hollywood-like version of animal watching. There are no performers here. What there is is a very touching story of a man who was tired of being asked to go out and shoot bear cubs when their mothers were killed. I'm sure it must have been devastating for him because he clearly loves these animals. So...he decided he needed to try to save them and he designed and built a rather unusual living space, a mote-like area with trees and rocks and water, essentially making it resemble as closely as possible their natural habitat. The bears are well-fed and were lounging happily in their enclosure and it was a joy to see the founder interact with them. You get a very close up look at two bears in particular (brown bears, I believe) and it is a wonderful opportunity to admire their amusing antics while playing with a swinging tire and just being contented bears. There are some newer additions--three adorable black bears and I believe they hope to rescue many more that would otherwise never make it. The goal is to enlarge the enclosure so that the future bears have more space and can eventually be released back into the wild. This man, and his wife gave up a very comfortable life to take on this feat and it is a truly wonderful thing to witness. You will also learn some interesting facts about these magnificent animals and what it takes to protect bears in an environment where their space is increasingly encroached upon by man. I will be donating to Fortress of the Bears going forward. Make this a stop on your trip. You will not soon forget it!

If you're in Sitka, you really do have to stop at the Fortress of the Bear! I have never seen another bear habitat like it. The work that the people there are doing is amazing, and they are clearly very passionate about it. There is a very small admission fee that goes directly to support the program, and it will take you less than an hour to see the place, get great pictures, and listen to the people who work there tell you all about the facility and the stories behind all the bears. It's really a one of a kind experience!

The bears are treated well and respected by the compassionate and knowledgeable staff. This is a must see attraction.

My husband and I visited Fortress of the Bear when we were in Sitka, Alaska. The reviews I had seen were mixed, but I highly recommend visiting this place. They rescue bears that would otherwise be shot by the government. This is not a razzle dazzle tourist show like Sea World or big zoos, but is is a place that everyone visiting Sitka should visit. The people who work there are extremely knowledgeable and were able to answer all the questions that came their way. It is also clear that they are passionate about what they do. The bears all seemed happy and content. Fortress of the Bear relies on visitor donations, and so I urge everyone to visit this amazing place and help them in their quest to save the bears! Fortress is a small place, but we were there for two hours because we were so captivated by the interesting information we were given! This is a must visit place when you are in Sitka! Go on to Facebook and like Fortress to help give them exposure.

While I don't like seeing animals kept in captivity, the alternative for these cubs was a death sentence after their mothers were killed. To have this privately funded facility take care of the orphans for life and educate visitors along the way is a better alternative I believe. It was a chance to observe and learn about these beautiful creatures up close without the risk of being hurt or of impacting on them in the wild. The thing I did find sad was seeing the bears begging for food. Having said that this was a real highlight on our cruise. We saw lots of amazing scenery but this was our only chance to see wildlife for an extended period of time up close. The shuttle bus to and from the visitor's centre was also appreciated.

Probably some of the happiest bears in the world. Everyone in the family will enjoy this. Try to get there at feeding time. Not like the average zoo, this place really knows how to keep their animals happy. A real treat. don't miss it.

They took some abandoned mill facilities and thru sweat equity turned (recycled) them into a habitant for wayward bears.This is a great place to get close enough to view several different bears. The guides are knowledgable and answered all questions.

Well worth a visit even though it has kind of a zoo feel. The bears are entertaining to watch and you can learn a great deal. Good photo opportunity. Recommended.

We went on a rainy August morning. The only people there for an hour or two, we watched the bears and listened as the young couple told us the story of Fortress of the Bear, talked about the individual bears, and described bear behaviors. We were fortunate to be present for a feeding.This is an orphanage for cubs who have lost their mother, and Alaska Air has flown them in from different parts of Alaska. Fortress has turned an old water treatment plant's vast concrete casings into living areas the envy of any zoo. This is as close as you will likely get to Alaska bears, who are very smart with individual personalities.We were in Alaska for ten days, and this was a highlight of our trip. It could have been timing, but the place is magical and the young couple who keep it going are brilliant and compassionate.

The Fortress has 3 very large enclosed areas that house bears in their natural environment. They roam freely, play in the water, and climb logs. These bears were rescued when their mother died. You can get an up close (safe) view of all of them. We sure enjoyed watching them!

What a fantastic place to see happy healthy bears who are being so well taken care of. They are under no stress and are so playful. The caretaker really loves these bears, hope to go back next year.

In an ideal world places like this shouldn't exist but they do because of we humans.For a man and his wife to devote themselves to look after orphaned bears is of itself laudable - to build a sanctuary where 8 bears are held in relatively open and free conditions is remarkable - especially from nothing. The Sitka local authorities should now be championing this project it now having been proved it can be done.We were off a Silversea cruise and saw others who didn.t interact with the staff and dig in to the rationale behind this facility.At first glance it might seem basic or Spartan but the philosophy and dedication that go behind it are amazing.There is a lot of love out there thank goodness - we wish them and the fellow Brit researchers from Devon who we didn't meet all the luck in the world and our deepest thanks for righting others wrongs with complaint.Anne and Trevor BartonManchesterEngland