Thanks so much for this kind review. You made my day!

Thanks for this positive review. Bruce is a great guide and this tour is always fun, especially when you see brown bears.

Thanks for this review. I really appreciate that you said this tour was worth your time and money. Since we only offer small-group tours, our prices tend to be higher than other large group tours. But we believe in quality over quantity, and appreciate it when that commitment is recognized.

I'm so happy to see this positive review. Jen is one of our senior guides and she really knows how to find the wildlife.

Thanks for acknowledging that we make no guarantee of wildlife. Chilkoot Lake is 11.9 miles from Haines. We go there because of the natural beauty and the chance to see wildlife. The reason the wildlife gathers there is that there is a salmon-filled river that runs right next to the road. The road is narrow, and there are limited places to stop and get out. The pink salmon run, which begins in August, bring in the brown bear to feed. We have to be extra careful with where we stop and how far from the vehicle we get. Safety is our number one priority. When the bear are there, our guests are always thrilled. When the bear are not there, the area is still beautiful and our guides have lots of natural history information to offer.

Thanks for this positive review. The views are amazing and Chilkoot Lake is truly a sight to behold.

Kathy has been guiding here for many years and she has much to share. She is mostly working in our office these days so it is nice for her to get out and guide now and again. I will be sure to share this review with her.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this tour. There is a saying in business that “the customer is always right. “ So I have to agree with you that this was a terrible tour for you. It was terrible because the tour did not meet your expectations. But your expectations were not reasonable. There is another saying in business known as “caveat emptor” which is defined as “ the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.” Part of traveling responsibility is reading the tour description of any tour that you purchase. The tour description for this tour clearly states that ““Depending on the time of year that you visit, you are more likely to see different animals. In May, June and July, eagles care for their young in the nest and wildflower blooms peak. Migrating salmon arrive towards the end of July, filling the river and enticing brown bears to the water to feed. From early August through late September, bears are frequently spotted.” Your statement that our guide, who grew in Haines, has never seen a bear on this tour is simply untrue. Bear are frequently seen when the pink salmon are running, and any local person in Haines knows this. All you have to do is read the numerous 5 star reviews of this tour on TripAdvisor and you can see that our guests often see bears beginning in August. If you want to bear sightings guaranteed, there are other tours where the bears are in enclosures and you will definitely see them. In Haines, Steve Kroschel’s Wildlife Center has a bear in an enclosure. In Sitka there is the Fortress of the Bears tour where bear are guaranteed. Perhaps these tours would have been a better choice for you. You state that you were “unable to venture on your own.” This is true. Safety is our primary concern on all Rainbow Glacier Adventures tours. In an area like Chilkoot lake that is frequented by brown bear, we would be irresponsible to let you venture on your own. If you had wanted to go on your own, you could have made your way to Haines and rented a car. Then you would have been free to venture in bear country on your own. But on our tours, we require guests to stay by the vehicle, so that they can gather together and retreat to the vehicle if a bear approaches the group.