“USA 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦 ~Stewart 🇨🇦 and ~Hyder 🇺🇸 and at the Fish Creek Observation Site in the Tongass National Forest”

• August 19, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

After arriving at Stewart BC a few days ago, and setting up camp, we took a day of rest and to catch up on cleaning; the usual activities related to camping in, primarily rain. The weather was gloomy, but the forecast looked good for the next few days of our stay in Stewart!

On this day, we did get our sunshine and the weather could not have been more perfect.  No need for heat or a/c.

I had previously ordered, (online), and printed-out, our viewing permits that are seasonally required, to enter the Wildlife Viewing Site, so we hopped in Jonah to make our way; 21-minutes and 8-miles down the road, to reach the Fish Creek Observation Site in Hyder, Alaska.

Incidentally, Hyder is an Alaskan town that does operate on the Canadian Time Zone, which is different by one hour, from Alaska.

INFO: The entire drive, coming down from Haines, Alaska, on the Cassiar Highway in Canada, to Stewart BC, Alaska is not very far away; its essentially a border drive, on the Canadian side.

In this 21-minute, beautiful drive from our campground in Stewart, to Hyder, we would leave Canada and enter Alaska, so don’t forget your passports. 

Alaska does not have a manned border station, but on the way back to Stewart BC and our campground, we would have to do a border check, by Canada.

⬆️ The Town of Stewart British Columbia

As soon as we entered the tiny town of Hyder, Alaska, which is not any bigger than Stewart BC, we were soon at our destination.

Hyder, Alaska

Just before we arrived, though, a Black Bear came out of the brush and crossed the road in front of us. I’m sure, had we been able to smell his breath, it would be that of Salmon!

Hyder ~Fish Creek Observation Viewing Deck

We parked Jonah and showed our printed permits at the ranger station windows and were allowed to enter the Observation Viewing Site, which has a long wooden deck, and great for overlooking the Creek.  

We would spend a few hours watching for Bear; Grizzlies and Black Bear, who come to feed on the Salmon that are spawning in the creek.

While we did not see any Wildlife, fishing for the Salmon at the creek, the spawning Salmon are very interesting to watch. Some of those Salmon were huge and would have made a fine catch, when they lived their two or fours years in the ocean. At this time of the summer, it is not uncommon to see a lot of dead fish, since after the Salmon return to the rivers they were born at, the females lay their eggs and the males fertilize them, then the life cycle for both are complete and they die.

NOTE: When we were in Skagway, Alaska and took the White Pass Railroad trip, we were also in Tongass National Forest. Its HUGE!
The Tongass National Forest, at nearly 17 million acres, is twice the size of the state of Maryland.

Fish Creek Observation Site is a day-use recreation area in the Salmon River valley near Hyder, Alaska. Both Brown (Grizzly) and Black Bears can be observed and photographed at the site, as they fish for Chum and Pink Salmon in the clear shallow waters of Fish Creek and Marx Creek.
Visitors will see wild Bears in their natural habitat in this beautiful glacial river valley.

Other wildlife frequently seen, include: nesting Canada Geese, Harlequin Ducks, Common Mergansers, Mink, Beaver, Bald Eagles, and a wide variety of songbirds.

Visitors occasionally see Wolves, fishing for Salmon at this site.

Fees, Passes and Permits: ⬇️

Located 75 air miles northeast of Ketchikan and three miles north of Hyder, by road in the Salmon River Valley, the site is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily. From July 5 through September 15, an individual pass is required to visit the Wildlife Observatory. Visitation outside this time period does not require a reservation or pass.

$5 One-Day Permit 

$10 Three-Day

$20 Seven-Day 

Our Viewing Permit was good for 3-days, and does not have to be consecutive. We can go several times each day, if we wanted. We only saw about six other visitors, so it wasn’t crowded at all.
Have we seen a lot of Bears this spring and summer? Yes, but it never gets old!

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We learned of a really good Fish and Chip place in Hyder, so we drove by to find out their hours; noon to five, so we returned for dinner, and then continued on to the viewing deck to watch for Bears in the evening, too.

Very Yummy Fish n Chips, and later, still no Bear sightings from the observation deck.

⬆️ Fish n Chips place. Bring cash ⬇️

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We would learn there are seven total creeks in this valley, the Bears frequent, where the Salmon return from the ocean in droves, but this is the only viewing deck built for visitors. Wild berries are also ripening, so the Bears are busy in the mountains and meadows devouring those, too. Nobody knows when a Bear will make an appearance at the viewing creek.

We were told the Black Bears come out of the brush, grab a Salmon and return to the brush to eat it, so one has to sometimes be fast to get a picture.  The Grizzlies are king of the creeks over the Black Bears, so they take their time and can usually be observed for longer.

We heard there is a Mama Griz and two Cubs who frequent Fish Creek. We would have loved to have seen them!!

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⬆️ Heading back in to Stewart, British Columbia, from Hyder, Alaska

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We just love our campground at Bear River RV Park, in Stewart British Columbia. We have full-hookups with 30AMP and the hosts are super nice. It’s woodsy and very clean. It’s also not unusual to see Bears wandering around in campgrounds and towns in this area.

There are campgrounds in Hyder, Alaska, too, but not full hook-ups, there. Mama likes her full hookups! Plus, there is a bridge on the Canada side, which has a weight restriction of 1 ton. Since we weigh 45,000 lbs, there is no way.

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Note: If interested, there is a drive about 20 more miles past the Wildlife Observation Site in Hyder, Alaska, to get close to the Salmon Glacier, but for us; one: we have seen many glaciers, and have been on a glaciers this summer, so are pretty filled up on Glaciers, and two: its not a great road, and we are over driving any more bad roads.