Bear Cove

Overview

About Bear Cove

Why stop

The back-of-cove camp pairs a cobble shore with old-growth forest and a bog.

Heads up

Water-only access makes this a substantial backcountry commitment.

Map

Where it is

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Full map

BeachBear Cove59.78972, -149.62861

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Getting there and camping

There’s no road access. Water taxis and charters from Seward commonly drop visitors into Aialik Bay. The park discourages paddling directly from Seward because the coastline is exposed and the waters around Aialik Cape can be treacherous. The north end of the main beach has a food locker; the smaller southern camp has none. A stream is described behind the main beach, but its reliability and potability aren’t established, so don’t count on it as your only water. Bear Cove’s park listing doesn’t describe toilets, so plan for a backcountry stay and follow park waste guidance.

5 active Kenai Fjords alerts

ClosureHerman Leirer Road to Exit Glacier closed to carsHerman Leirer Road, the only road access into Kenai Fjords National Park, is currently closed to automobile traffic.Official details
ClosureExit Glacier canyon closure: sudden outburst-flood riskThe canyon from Exit Glacier’s toe to where Exit Creek opens into the Outwash Plain is closed; stay on designated park trails.Official details

See all 5 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Kenai Fjords Tour Guide

Your drive to Bear Cove, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kenai Fjords National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

20 audio storiesacross Kenai Fjords’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
Wildlife heatmapsfor Orca, Humpback Whale, Black Bear, and 13 more
Works offlinemaps, 5 trails, 37 places, and audio download before you lose signal
CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive

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Guide

More about Bear Cove

What Bear Cove isBear Cove is a remote cobble landing beach and backcountry camp on Aialik Bay.

Bear Cove is a remote cobble landing beach and backcountry camp on Aialik Bay. The main beach sits at the back of the cove beneath old-growth spruce and hemlock; behind the trees, the ground opens into a flat bog with a small stream. Kayak parties sometimes use it for pickup and drop-off, so it serves as a landing as well as an overnight stop.

The south-side campThere’s a smaller, less-used campsite on the south side, with a distant view of Holgate Glacier…

There’s a smaller, less-used campsite on the south side, with a distant view of Holgate Glacier across the water. Standing dead trees behind that beach form a ghost forest: land subsidence during the 1964 earthquake left them standing in place. Leave the standing deadwood where it is.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Kenai Fjords

All Kenai Fjords wildlife maps

31 sightingsOrcaMost seen around 11 AMSighting map

47 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map

42 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

41 sightingsMooseMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

225 sightingsSea OtterMost seen around 11 AMSighting map

59 sightingsHorned PuffinMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kenai Fjords. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.