The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary protects the world’s largest concentration of wild brown bears. The long history of fishing and the river landscapes also shape the themes you can explore in Bristol Bay. Nature and historic sites offer different focal points for planning your trip.

Nature and Rivers in Bristol Bay

The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary is 90 miles northeast of King Salmon. A permit program regulates visitor numbers and activities when observing and photographing bears. If this nature experience is central to your visit, this regulation is part of your planning: the program governs both the number of visitors and the types of activities they can take part in.

Access to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is available as part of a Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes tour. At the Alagnak Wild River, rafting is one way to experience the river. The Alagnak River, in turn, is an Alaska fishing destination. The two river activities therefore appeal to different interests: rafting is the focus of one, while fishing is the focus of the other.

There is also a specific option for exploring on foot: for day trips through the tundra, hikers can take an air taxi to one of the many small lakes and set up a base camp there. This is a different way to experience the landscape than a river activity. Which option you choose therefore depends on whether you would rather spend your time on the tundra and lakes or on water activities.

Across the wider Bristol Bay area, numerous lakes and rivers are suitable for rafting or kayaking; there are also five nationally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. Regional activities also include cross-country skiing in the wilderness and beachcombing along the shores of Bristol Bay. Driftwood and other beach finds can be collected there at any time. Small aircraft can land on sandy beaches at low tide.

Museum and Fishing History

The Bristol Bay Museum is located in the historic A.R. Davey General Merchandise Building in downtown Naknek and is open year-round. Opening hours vary by season, so it is worth checking the schedule before visiting. The collection includes the Libby 76, considered the only still-seaworthy Bristol Bay double-ended sailing boat from the last century. The museum thus combines a historic location with a special artifact from the region’s fishing history.

The Diamond NN Cannery Maritime Historic District in South Naknek is also a distinctive part of this heritage. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2021. The Diamond NN Cannery grew from a saltery consisting of four buildings in 1890 into an industrial complex with 51 buildings in 1982. It remains one of the best examples of an intact 20th-century salmon cannery in Bristol Bay. Commercial fishing continues to play a central economic role in the Naknek River region.

The Naknek River area also contains evidence of use by Eskimos, Aleuts and Athabaskans over the past 6,000 years. This long time span offers a different perspective on the region than the history of the canning industry: it draws attention to human use of the river area over many millennia.

Access and Trip Planning

King Salmon in the Bristol Bay Borough is a departure point for seaplane flights to Katmai National Park and the Alagnak Wild River. South Naknek, by contrast, is not connected by road to the other communities in the Bristol Bay Borough. For a few months, vehicle traffic is possible along a winter trail over the frozen Naknek River. If your trip includes South Naknek, check the conditions for this seasonal access in advance.

These differences can help you choose your trip priorities: bear viewing is regulated by a permit program, access to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is offered as part of a specified tour, and South Naknek has its own seasonal access arrangements. Historic stops such as the museum in Naknek and the Cannery District in South Naknek complement the nature experiences.

Discover more destinations: King Salmon, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Petersburg Census Area, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.

For the overview of the wider region: Alaska.