If you like to hike, you will enjoy the hiking opportunities at Zachar Bay Lodge! One of our guides, Ian Jansma, will take you to the tops of the mountains to gain a spectacular view of Kodiak.

Mountain Hiking

If you choose to hike up the mountains, you will follow deer or bear trails to reach the 3000-foot summit. The hike begins with thick brush and high grass. The brown bear are keen of hearing and will have vacated this area as soon as human footsteps are heard. Once out of the thick brush you will arrive at a large stand of cottonwood trees on the side of the mountain, and above the cottonwood trees are several benches covered with low grass, brush and trees spaced far enough apart to let you view the bears. As you continue climbing from this point to the top of the mountains, vegetation diminishes until there are only lichens, rocks and snow patches. Bear may be seen on adjacent mountainsides, digging for roots, eating berries or traveling. Several more hours of hiking across the mountaintops, enjoying the breath-taking views and searching for bears, you'll return down the mountain

Zachar River Hiking

The best time to view bears is when the vast hordes of salmon ascend their parental river. Zachar River meanders 17 miles from the salt water through steep gorges and wide valleys and meadows filled with beaver ponds. You'll disembark the lodge boat about a mile and a half from the river or at the river mouth, depending upon the stage or tide. At low tide, you'll hike along a dry streambed. This hike takes you across numerous bear trails, which parallel the river, and you can follow a well-worn bear trail along the riverbank. Reaching the river in about 20 minutes, you may find the bears fishing in the first pool of the river. Guides will stop in the various open areas that appear--when your presence is perceived by the bears to be non-threatening, they will return to the river to continue fishing, and you can stay to watch their antics or continue following the river to the next pool.