Morning comes early to Alaska in a flush of golden light upon the land. A mother moose and her spindly legged calf step gingerly among new forest growth, stopping to munch on tender leaves and drink from a sparkling creek. Just steps from the moose family, a spawning salmon splashes out of the water, twisting and turning upstream with the inner drive to spawn. Upstream, a brown bear watches for fish with a practiced eye, waiting for exactly the right moment to scoop up breakfast. It’s barely 6 a.m., and Alaska’s wild creatures are already busy with another day in the Last Frontier.
Visitors are often surprised at the volume of urban wildlife taking up residence in local parks, trails and even backyards.
Moose, the largest members of the deer family, eat shrubbery and grasses and can be viewed from a safe distance at Potter Marsh Coastal Wildlife Refuge along the Seward Highway in south Anchorage. The Campbell Tract trail system and Campbell Creek Science Center in southeast Anchorage feature family friendly paths suitable for all ages and abilities, with a healthy dose of moose viewing, too.
Black and brown bears do frequent Anchorage’s trails and forested areas, including many popular visitor areas, even though bruins are typically wary of people. Summer months bring an inner drive to eat, and bears think of nothing else. Streams full of fish and berry patches are likely locations for bear-human encounters, and visitors are advised to either avoid these areas or use with extreme caution between May and September. Educate children by attending a “bear aware” program at Eagle River Nature Center or Campbell Creek Science Center and learn important safety tips for recreating in bear country.
If meeting a bear up close and personal is high on the “must-do” list, take a trip to the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, or the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, where both black and brown bears reside, and where staff provide young visitors with important stewardship information about these impressive animals.
Dall Sheep are best spotted by looking up along rocky reaches of the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. These sure-footed sheep with pure white coats do venture down closer to the highway on occasion, but most often are happiest navigating ledges of the cliffs, nibbling alpine shrubs and grasses.
For more information about Anchorage’s big, wild, animals, take the family to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center on Fourth Avenue, where kids can embark upon a “creature scavenger hunt” and parents can gather valuable insights from federal, state, and local outdoor recreation officials about Alaska’s animals and their behavior.
