| The largest known gathering of brown bears in the world happens at McNeil River. Visitors get an unparalleled opportunity to watch the bears mating, fighting, playing, and feeding. In early July, chum salmon return to the river to spawn. A series of cascading rapids and pools slows the migration of the salmon and makes them easy prey for hungry bears.More than 100 bruins use the area during the peak of the run in late July. Earlier in the season, red salmon return to adjacent Mikfik Creek, and up to 25 bears are there, plunging into the cold water in pursuit of the darting fish. Visitors may also see harbor seals, moose, red fox, and a great diversity of birds, including cormorants, harlequin ducks, bald eagles, glaucous gulls, and songbirds. |
|
