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A caribou on the tundra below Denali, Alaska
Photo: Denali National Park and Preserve, Public domain

Region · USA

Alaska Wildlife Checklist

Alaska is famous for brown bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls, moose in roadside willows, humpback whales in the Inside Passage and puffins on the cliffs of Kenai Fjords. This checklist covers 98 animals across the state, including the Alaska Big Five: bear, moose, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep. The main wildlife season runs from late May to mid September.

Alaska is huge, so no single trip covers it all. Cruise passengers see mostly coast (whales, otters, eagles), while a road trip or rail journey to Denali adds the big land mammals.

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See all 98 animals
The Alaska checklist in the Wilder app, started as a trip with the first animals ticked
Animals to find
98
Where
USA
Best time
Late May to mid Sept
Alaska Big Five
Bear, moose, caribou, wolf, Dall sheep

The Alaska Big Five and marine highlights

  • Grizzly Bear, one of the animals to look for in Alaska

    Grizzly Bear

    Coastal grizzlies (brown bears) gather at Brooks Falls in Katmai in July and again in September. Denali's inland grizzlies are smaller and often seen digging for roots from the park bus.

    Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Moose, one of the animals to look for in Alaska

    Moose

    Common across the southern half of the state, even in Anchorage. Look in willow flats and ponds along the Parks Highway and the Denali park road.

    Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Caribou, one of the animals to look for in Alaska

    Caribou

    Denali's herd wanders the open tundra of the park road in summer. The great migrating herds are in the remote Arctic, far from most itineraries.

    Photo: Paxson Woelber, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Grey Wolf

    The hardest of the Big Five. Denali's bus tours give most visitors their best chance, usually of a distant animal on a gravel bar.

  • Dall Sheep

    Look for white dots on the high slopes in Denali, and at Windy Point on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm, where they come down near the road.

  • Humpback Whale

    Summer visitors from Hawaii. Juneau's whale-watching boats find them almost daily from June to August, and groups sometimes bubble-net feed together.

  • Orca

    Seen on boat trips from Seward into Kenai Fjords and in the Inside Passage, though sightings are never guaranteed.

  • Sea Otter

    Rafts float on their backs in Resurrection Bay at Seward and in Kachemak Bay at Homer, often close to the harbours.

  • Tufted Puffin

    Nest on sea stacks along Kenai Fjords. Day cruises out of Seward from late May to early September pass the colonies.

  • Bald Eagle

    Common all along the coast. In November thousands gather on the Chilkat River near Haines for late salmon runs.

All 98 animals to spot in Alaska

Grouped the way you'll meet them. Tips show where to look.

Big mammals 10

Hunters 10

Small mammals 8

Whales and sea mammals 13

Birds of prey 11

Seabirds and water birds 15

Land birds 17

Fish 11

Amphibians 3

  • Last reviewed September 2026.
  • Sources are listed below the questions.
  • Wild animals only. Please give them space.

Best time to see wildlife in Alaska

Most wildlife trips run from late May to mid September, when roads, boats and park buses operate. June brings long days, moose calves and nesting seabirds, and whales arrive in the Inside Passage. July is peak for bears at Brooks Falls as sockeye salmon run, and for puffins on the Kenai coast. August has good whale watching and belugas in Turnagain Arm on the incoming tide. September sees bears return to the falls, caribou and moose in rut, autumn colour on the tundra and fewer people. Winter is for the northern lights, eagles at Haines through November and polar bears on the Arctic coast in autumn with specialist guides.

  • May-JunWhales arrive, moose calves, seabird colonies fill
  • JulPeak bears at Brooks Falls, puffins, salmon runs
  • AugHumpbacks, belugas in Turnagain Arm, coastal bears
  • Sep-OctBears back at the falls, moose and caribou rut, polar bears at Kaktovik
  • Nov-MarEagles at Haines in November, winter wildlife is sparse

Tips for spotting wildlife in Alaska

  1. Take the Denali bus, not your car

    Private cars stop at Savage River, mile 15. In 2026 buses run to East Fork (mile 43), with the full road to the west end expected to reopen in 2027 after the Pretty Rocks bridge was completed.

  2. Book Brooks Falls early

    Katmai is reached by floatplane from King Salmon, Anchorage or Homer. Lodge rooms and July flights sell out a year or more ahead; the park's bear cams are a free taste.

  3. On a cruise, watch from the bow

    Scan the water ahead for blows in Icy Strait and around Juneau. Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm give harbour seals on the ice and mountain goats on the cliffs.

  4. Respect distance rules

    Federal law requires boats to stay 100 yards from humpbacks in Alaskan waters. Denali asks for 300 yards from bears and 25 yards from other animals; Katmai rules differ, so follow the rangers.

  5. Walk the Seward Highway pullouts

    The drive from Anchorage to Seward passes Dall sheep at Windy Point, belugas in Turnagain Arm in late summer and moose in the ponds near Moose Pass.

The Wilder app

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The Alaska checklist in the Wilder app, started as a trip with the first animals ticked

Alaska wildlife FAQ

What animals can you see in Alaska?

Alaska has brown and black bears, moose, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep, mountain goats and muskoxen on land, and humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, sea lions and seals along the coast. Birds include Bald Eagles, puffins, loons and ptarmigan. Polar bears and walruses live in the far north and west, well away from standard tourist routes.

What wildlife will I see on an Alaska cruise?

On an Inside Passage cruise you will very likely see Bald Eagles, harbour seals, sea otters and humpback whales, and you may see orcas, Dall's porpoises and Steller sea lions. Bears and mountain goats are sometimes spotted on shore with binoculars. Shore excursions such as whale watching from Juneau or a floatplane bear trip add far more than the ship alone.

What are the Alaska Big Five?

The Alaska Big Five are the bear, moose, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep, a local frame used by guides and Denali tour operators. Many visitors see all five on a Denali bus trip, although wolves are the hardest. Some lists swap in the muskox or the bald eagle, but the land-mammal version is the most widely used.

When is the best time to see bears in Alaska?

July is the best time to see bears fishing, when sockeye salmon run up Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. September is also good at Brooks as bears return for spawned-out salmon. In June, coastal brown bears graze on sedge meadows at places like Hallo Bay and Lake Clark. Denali's grizzlies are visible from the park bus all summer.

Where can you see whales in Alaska?

Juneau is the most reliable place to see humpback whales in Alaska, with daily boat trips from May to September. Kenai Fjords tours from Seward, Glacier Bay and Icy Strait near Hoonah are also excellent. Belugas can be seen from the shore of Turnagain Arm near Anchorage in late summer, and grey whales pass Kodiak and Seward in spring.

Sources

Last reviewed September 2026

Photo credits

All photo credits. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, resized.

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