Anan Wildlife Observatory is one of the only places in Alaska where both brown (grizzly) and black bears congregate in large numbers at the exact same feeding grounds. Anan Creek supports one of the largest pink salmon runs in Southeast Alaska, forcing thousands of fish through a churning rock cataract.

The Forest Service maintains an elevated observation platform and an enclosed photo blind directly at the water's edge, giving visitors an intimate, safe view of bears snorkeling for salmon, chasing fish across rapids, and nursing cubs on surrounding boulders.

The cultural history of Anan is equally rich; for thousands of years, the Tlingit utilized Anan as a summer fish camp, harvesting and smoking salmon along the creek mouth. Today, strict management by US Forest Service rangers ensures that bears and humans coexist safely without negative conditioning.

The sheer density of predators—including dozens of bald eagles lining the branches above and harbor seals chasing fish at the mouth—makes Anan one of the most exhilarating and authentic wildlife spectacles on the North American continent.