What it's like
Margaret Creek is one of five designated Bear Viewing Areas in the Tongass National Forest, set aside so visitors can watch and photograph bears safely. It is a Forest Service facility on Revillagigedo Island, 26 miles north of Ketchikan.
A visit starts at the Margaret Bay dock, with a gravel trail one mile on that leads through old-growth temperate rainforest to a viewing platform over the creek. Bears come to the stream when the fish are running, and birds and salmon are often in view as well.
Good to know
- Access is by boat or floatplane only, so the trip out and back takes up much of a day.
- Forest Service staff are on site only intermittently, in August and the first two weeks of September.
- Bears gather here when fish are in the streams, so the best viewing follows the salmon run.
- Ketchikan is one of the rainiest cities in North America, so bring rain gear.
Margaret Creek Wildlife Observation Site
A Forest Service bear viewing site on Revillagigedo Island, where a rainforest trail leads to a platform over Margaret Creek. Visitors come to look for black bears, birds and salmon.
Tours that go here
Prices are per person, booked with our partner, Shore Excursions Group.
Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary
A 40-acre temperate rainforest near Ketchikan, with forest trails, salmon spawning streams and a boardwalk through hemlock, cedar and spruce.
Tongass National Forest
Tongass National Forest is the large forest that surrounds Ketchikan. Its trails, backcountry roads and waters are open for hiking, cycling, paddling and fishing.
Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
A Forest Service visitor center in downtown Ketchikan, with exhibits on the Tongass rainforest, native cultures and wildlife. A good first stop in town.
Creek Street
Creek Street is a wooden boardwalk built on stilts above Ketchikan Creek, the most scenic stretch of downtown. Shops, galleries and old brothel buildings line the walk.
The same kind of day, elsewhere
Wildlife and birding
