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Alaska (AK)
Ketchikan
Things to do in Ketchikan
Herring Cove
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Herring Cove

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Herring Cove
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4.0
15 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
2
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
1
david and theodora
Noosa, Australia190 contributions
easy to get to
Sep. 2023 • Couples
the best low cost chance to see salmon and possibly a bear. no bears the day bwe went though. hundreds of salmon dead and alive.
Written 16 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mischa C
66 contributions
Herring Cove is a Bear and Eagle magnet!
Jul. 2023 • Friends
If you're coming to Ketchikan and want the best chance of seeing bears, in fairly close proximity, then Herring Cove is the place to go. Spawning salmon return in record number to the stream where they were from. This means this is a great stream for easy catching for the bears as salmon are making their way back to the Herring Cove Hatchery area. I'm a local and usually see at least one bear in the river every time I go out there with friends and family who are visiting.
Written 27 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
katjop
Rochester, NY144 contributions
Salmon, Eagles and Bears!
Jun. 2023 • Family
Herring Cove should be the number one place to go to when you visit Ketchikan. It was our first stop on our private 3-hour tour with Bernie of Orca Song Tours. Bernie allowed us to spend as much time as we wanted here since there was so much activity going on. It was the end of June so the salmon hadn’t started spawning yet but there were tons hanging out at the mouth of the cove. Not only did we see salmon, a harbor seal and lots of eagles (mostly juvenile eagles perfecting their hunting skills) but BEARS, too. We even saw a mama bear and three little cubs! Visiting Herring Cove was definitely one of the highlights of our 18 days in Alaska.
Written 2 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer K
10 contributions
Bears!
Jul. 2022
We went 2 nights in a row around 8pm and we saw a black bear both nights. Just be quiet and be smart. They are wild animals.
Written 15 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjordan1301
Mansfield, TX16 contributions
Herring Cove Was A Hit With Us!
Jul. 2021 • Couples
Someone in town told us to go to Herring Cove right at low tide to possibly see bear activity. We were on our own in town, and had our own car so we tried going twice. The second time we sat quietly with another couple for about 30 minutes and we saw a Mama bear and two Cubs. The Mama bear caught a salmon and quickly ran back into the tall grass with the Cubs. Wildlife does not always cooperate, but we respect their space and loved seeing a glimpse of their life.
Written 20 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
250Todd
Taylorsville, UT33 contributions
The water was low, the fisheries were not open, the salmon weren't running, so it wasn't much to see.
Jun. 2021
We just drove past it several times because there just wasn't much going on or much to see. I'm sure later in the season it will be worth stopping at.
Written 6 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gayl M
34 contributions
A bear, ravens and salmon!
Sep. 2019
This was our last port of call from our cruise and we had yet to see a bear (or much else in the way of wildlife) Broseph was our bus guide from the cruise ship to Herring Cove. He shared a lot of information about living in Alaska and Ketchikan. We were dropped off at the main meeting area and met our guide Red. He explained what we could or might see with no promises - wildlife doesn't always cooperate. We walked, on elevated board walks through this privately owned preserve. Red detailed all the flora around us but was in constant (ear piece) contact with other guides listening for a bear sighting. After seeing the salmon, a gray seal and watching the antics of the ravens, Red said it was time to go (we were already well past our departure time). Suddenly, he pointed out a female black bear and she didn't disappoint. She walked right under us on the boardwalk and into a shallow pond to fish and swim. There must have been 50 people watching and you could have heard a pin drop everyone was so respectful and enamored with our private show. We were a bunch of happy campers returning to the ship even though we didn't stop at the scheduled wood carvers shop. This is a great family outing but it's not a given that you will see bears or eagles. Ask for Red as your guide.
Written 5 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
theresaf910
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania11 contributions
Lions and tigers! No, just bears!
Jul. 2019
Check the times for low tide and you will likely see a bear or two. On any given day there will be at least thirty people lining the road and the bridge while they observe the bears.
Written 4 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tour79918
3 contributions
Happy with Bear Sightings.
Aug. 2019
We went to tourist information in Ketchikan and asked about going out to herring cove. The very helpful young man informed us low tide was at 7:00 and an hour either side was the best time for bear sightings. He also told us his mother went down most evenings and there were usually bears there at the moment. He ordered us a taxi just before he closed at 5:30 and our incomparable driver Joyce picked us up about 10 minutes later.
We saw a bear from the car as we arrived. We stood in the car park and looked down. We arranged for Joyce to pick us up an hour later.
There were a few other groups of people, mainly locals, around and that was a great help in enabling us to get used to look for movement in the long grass or among the trees.
We saw several bears at a distance many one every 5-10 minutes and quickly got good at spotting them. I was glad to have binoculars with me. After about half an hour a mama and baby appeared and walked along the river just below us.
Joyce duly arrived back when the hour was up.
The taxi fare was a flat rate of $35 dollars each way ( I think for up to half an hour). Joyce offered to stop at the Totem poles but we had visited there earlier in the day.
We could see across to the raised board walk but were told it was closed. However, some people did make their way onto it just before we left.

Date of visit 14 August 2019
Written 29 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suzanne M
Taupo, New Zealand30 contributions
Cheerful, helpful, friendly guides, but.........
Aug. 2019
$300 U.S. for a nature walk, through some native forest, and an extensive boardwalk, searching for bears! How many bears in this country, again! We did manage to see a couple, all 50 tourists of us, from the boardwalk, but honestly? For such a huge amount of money, paid by people like us, SO keen to see a bear.... very over priced!
Written 17 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Herring Cove: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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