United States
In the heart of Alaska's Tongass National Forest — the largest temperate rainforest on Earth — Chichagof Island rises from the channels of the Alexander Archipelago in a mass of moss-draped Sitka spruce, muskeg meadows, and salmon-choked streams that supports the highest density of brown bears per square mile of any location in the world. This 2,080-square-mile island, the fifth-largest in the United States, is home to more bears than people — roughly 1,600 bears compared to a human population of barely 1,300, scattered across a handful of small communities connected by water rather than road.
The tiny town of Tenakee Springs, population roughly 100, exemplifies Chichagof's character. Accessible only by float plane or ferry, this collection of houses strung along a single path (not a road — there are no cars) centres on a natural hot spring that has drawn bathers since the Tlingit people first discovered its therapeutic waters. The spring, housed in a modest bathhouse with separate hours for men and women, maintains a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and fills the surrounding air with the faint sulphuric scent of geothermal activity.
The food culture of Chichagof Island is defined by its wild harvest. Salmon — king, sockeye, pink, coho, and chum — return to the island's streams in successive waves from late May through September, providing both sustenance and spectacle. Halibut, pulled from the cold waters of Icy Strait and Chatham Strait, delivers a sweetness and firmness unmatched by any farmed alternative. Dungeness crab, sea cucumber, and various rockfish species round out the marine larder, while venison from the island's Sitka black-tailed deer population provides the terrestrial counterpart. Wild berries — huckleberries, salmonberries, and blueberries — ripen in summer profusion.
The brown bear viewing on Chichagof is the island's supreme wildlife experience. During salmon runs, bears congregate at stream mouths and waterfalls in numbers that can reach dozens at a single site. The bears' fishing techniques — some wade and pounce, others stand at waterfall lips catching leaping salmon in their jaws, still others simply sit in the stream waiting for fish to bump against their flanks — provide endless variation on a theme of predatory patience. Guided bear-viewing excursions, conducted with strict safety protocols, allow visitors to observe these animals at remarkably close range.
Chichagof Island is accessed by Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Juneau or by float plane. Expedition cruise ships on Southeast Alaska itineraries frequently include the island, either as a port of call at Hoonah (the island's largest community) or as a Zodiac excursion destination. The best season runs from May through September, with July-August offering peak salmon runs and bear-viewing opportunities. The island's wet climate — Chichagof receives over 2,000mm of annual rainfall — ensures that waterproof gear is not optional but essential.