Guessing Headlights https://guessingheadlights.com urn:publicid:guessingheadlights.com:feed Copyright 2026 Guessing Headlights 2026-09-04T05:45:49+00:00 urn:publicid:guessingheadlights.com:1496523 2026-09-01T14:51:29-04:00 2026-08-26T15:59:16-04:00 Alaska holds a special place in my heart. It's arguably America's most beautiful state and definitely the most untouched and wild. It shows us what happens when nature is left as it has been for thousands of years. A new corner of the state I visited recently was Brown Bear Bay Lodge in Lake Clark National Park in early August 2026. Part of the NorthWild brand, this exclusive wilderness lodge sits on the edge of Chinitna Bay, giving photographers and visitors unprecedented, crowd-free access to coastal brown bears. With only four suites, the lodge maxes out at eight guests (private groups may vary), creating an intimate environment for those visiting this remote slice of Alaskan wilderness. Our group had only five, including me, which gave us a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other more deeply. Over my six days at Brown Bear Bay, I made endless memories, took 10,000-plus photos, and learned so much about bears in the wild and how to coexist with them. This place is one of the best bear lodges in Alaska, and it will undoubtedly have you plotting a return trip after your first bear encounter. 6 Days With Bears: My Experience at Brown Bear Bay Lodge and Suites Why Brown Bear Bay is one of the Best Bear Lodges in Alaska Everything to know about Brown Bear Bay What is the cost to stay here? This is not cheap. Staying at a luxury wilderness lodge in remote Alaska means you'll spend money. Prices vary by trip length and party size. This is just the reality of a short bear-viewing season. Lodges need to make their yearly income in about three to four months. If you're interested in staying here, please fill out this form or reach out to Brown Bear Bay directly. What do you get for the price? You get your flights to and from Brown Bear Bay. (Not every lodge includes this in their price, so factor this in.) You also get one night (or two, depending on weather) at a hotel in Homer before your trip, as well as one more night after you come back. Additionally, the lodge provides three meals per day, plus any drinks you want. Then, you get unprecedented access to bears without the crowds, along with some of the most experienced bear guides in Alaska. What are the suites like? Delicious, home-cooked meals The meals are fantastic. They aren't some snooty, teeny-tiny portions either. You get filled up, and everything is home-cooked. Breakfasts are serve-yourself style, plus hot coffee, and lunches are a sandwich or something similar. Dinners are so so delicious and always come with a dessert. So don't worry about food here. You'll be full and happy. Beer and wine are available if you want them, but we had so many dinners at 5pm before going out to photograph bears that there's no reason to drink beforehand. (If you do want a beer, give them a heads up so they can chill it.) Lastly, before you arrive, you'll let the team know any dietary preferences and food wants. One now-friend is vegetarian, and all of his meals looked so good. And another asked about having Dr. Pepper, and Brown Bear Bay flew more in than you'd think was possible. Talk about being hospitable to guests! Droning is allowed when supervised. Cannot leave buildings without supervision This is one that I was most intrigued about, but it really wasn't much of an issue. Each unit has a bear fence around it, and we're explicitly told that we can not travel between buildings without a staff guide. Why, you might ask? Well, they get frequent bear visitors, and the last thing you want on your Alaska trip is to be attacked by a bear. It was never a nuisance, and I applaud them for prioritizing onsite safety. What happens if people are less mobile? That's totally okay! There's an ATV with a trailer that people are driven in to reach the spit. (Our group did this multiple days.) As I mentioned, the outings are tailored to how active the group wants to be. Chat with the team before/on arrival, and they will give you the rundown of where to go. What happens if there's a weather delay? Well, I'm a bit of an expert in this, so I can tell you. On our way out from Homer, we were delayed an entire day. Heavy fog prevented any flights in or out of Chinitna Bay. But the team at NorthWild prepared for this and booked an extra day at the hotel, just in case. Our group took it in stride and went to Anchor Point to photograph bald eagles. Then, on the way back, our flight was delayed, and instead of getting picked up at 9:00am, we got picked up around 6pm. This allowed us a final afternoon with the sleepy bears. I originally hoped to leave Homer in the early afternoon to catch a flight to Juneau. I'm happy I listened to the Brown Bear Bay staff and booked all of my travel for the following day. With Alaskan weather, it's better to err on the side of caution. Built for photographers, but not exclusively for photographers Bears Fishing Can Be Hit or Miss I always try to keep things balanced and objective; one thing I will note is that this is probably not the best place to watch bears feast on a huge number of fish up close. While we did see them fishing, the murky, silty waters in Chinitna Bay make fishing harder for these bears, and the large bay obviously lets fish swim all over. I did get some cool photos, but I don't want you to think you'll get the clear river shots with all the red salmon swimming around. If you are looking for bears fishing in a river with thousands of fish, you'll want to go to Katmai National Park and Preserve. But there, you won't find the accommodations and lack of crowds you'll find here. There are always trade-offs in life. While you may miss out on one aspect, Brown Bear Bay makes up for it a hundred times over. What I brought to photograph bears It's always hard to dial in what to bring on these trips. You want flexibility with wildlife photography, and you never want to miss a shot, but you also can't bring everything. Here's a rundown of what I brought, with some thoughts below. Sony A1ii Canon R5 iPhone 17 Pro Sony 400 f/2.8 Canon 24-105 f/4 (for flight in and any wide angle hopes) Canon 70-200 f/2.8 Canon 100-500 f/4.5-7.1 Manfrotto 055 tripod (great for a heavier lens) Siriui Carbon Fiber tripod (great for a lighter lens) Small Rig phone holder for iPhone videos Four Canon batteries, three Sony batteries Wandrd 31L Camera bag with rain cover DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone + 2 batteries 1TB external hard drive A LOT of memory cards. For the Sony camera: 480 GB CF-A + 256 GB SD card, and the Canon had a 512 GB CF-B + a 256 GB SD card. Those got me through most of the trip, but I had extras just in case. (See the memory cards I recommend here.) My thoughts: Because you do morning and evening sessions, you really shouldn't run out of batteries, as you can charge them before going back out. If I hadn't teamed up with Sony, I would have used my 100-500 every day. Instead, my go-to combo was the 400 and the 70-200 to get photos of bears and mountains. Don't forget to try new shots and get creative. Because you're not in a rush and usually sitting in the same place for at least an hour at a time, test things out after you've landed the shots you've wanted to get. Shots to test out: Silhouettes, soft light hitting the fur, low angle, blurred foreground, zoomed in on small details, slow shutter speed, fast shutter speed. LensRentals is a great place to rent from. See my picks for the best cameras and lenses for wildlife photos. Brown Bear Bay Review Final Thoughts Alec Sills-Trausch | Guessing Headlights 6 Unforgettable Days at Brown Bear Bay Lodge in Alaska urn:publicid:guessingheadlights.com:1496523 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:guessingheadlights.com:1496523:photo 2026-09-01T14:51:29-04:00

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

Alec Sills-Trausch | Guessing Headlights 6 Unforgettable Days at Brown Bear Bay Lodge in Alaska urn:publicid:guessingheadlights.com:1496523:photo Change 0 Usable