United States, Alaska – Salmon Glacier in Hyder: The Most Beautiful Glacier?

Hyder and Its Fishing Bears! Hyder and Its Incredible Wildlife! And Hyder and Its Impressive Glacier! Everything led us to Hyder, Alaska. But we were about to discover that Mother Nature had different plans this time. So, bears or no bears, what awaits us in Hyder?

Sunday, July 28^th, 2024

Two years ago, almost to the day, we first visited Hyder, Alaska, with the goal of seeing the bears fishing for salmon at Fish Creek. And we were incredibly lucky! During our three days of observation, we witnessed incredible scenes. Indeed, several grizzlies appeared, running in the river, fishing, devouring, wandering, sniffing. We even had the amazing fortune to see two bears fighting and playing together, a scene etched in our memory.

No surprise, then, that we find ourselves two years later in the same place, eager to witness similar scenes. With hearts full of hope, we present ourselves at the Fish Creek observation deck. The first surprising observation: there are almost no salmon in the river! This is quite astonishing, and we quickly find a ranger to ask for explanations. How is it that there are no salmon, when last time, at the same period, the river was full of them? She explains that upstream, part of the glacier collapsed, creating a small tidal wave in the river. This has driven the salmon, who bravely made it here after a long and grueling migration, further downstream! Poor things, it’s terrible!

Our hope of seeing bears fishing has greatly diminished. Indeed, how can we see bears fishing for salmon if there are no salmon... 🤔 All of this doesn’t bode well. Still, we settle on the observation deck, ready for long hours of waiting. The hours pass. We kill time by observing the processionary caterpillars, parasites imported from Europe, which are abundant here. They can be irritating and climb onto us as soon as our guard is down!

In the late afternoon, a much more entertaining show unfolds before us: beavers! One, then two beavers appear in the pond, busy munching on branches they’ve collected from the woods. They are huge! They then settle by the river and meticulously nibble on leaves one by one. The ranger’s radio crackles: “baby beavers out!” And indeed, a few minutes later, we spot two large baby beavers joining their parents. We spend over an hour watching this lovely beaver family go about their activities.

At 8 PM, our patience wanes. No bears in sight. We leave the observation platform, a bit disappointed by the outcome but determined to try our luck again the next day. We drive the 3 kilometers back to the small village of Hyder, with its 50 residents and just as many abandoned buildings, houses, and vehicles. And in one street: a bear! It immediately runs behind a house when it sees us, but we have proof that bears are indeed here in Hyder! We set up camp facing the estuary. The bald eagles are numerous. Does this mean that the salmon are on their way back to Fish Creek? We hope so! We spend a calm evening by the water, under the mist, a bit stressed nonetheless knowing that the large grizzlies of Hyder are so close, likely prowling nearby.

Monday, July 29^th

7 AM. We’re back on the Fish Creek observation platform. A black bear was briefly spotted earlier this morning, but not in the river. After 3 hours, nothing exciting has happened. We hesitate, we dither: our stomachs are growling, but we suffer from FOMO, the "Fear Of Missing Out" 😂. Oh well, at 11 AM, we leave the platform. We head down the dusty trail winding into the valley between the mountains. It’s well-maintained, as many mines are operated in the area. And around a bend: a bear! Apparently, they are everywhere except in the river. This one is calmly eating berries. It makes sense! Given the number of salmon in the river, it’s quicker for him to pick berries than to fish 😆.

We drive up to Salmon Glacier. This impressive glacier features a curving ice tongue. From the trail, we have a full view of the glacier’s tongue, and it is simply breathtaking. The Salmon Glacier had greatly impressed us two years ago. Since then, we have admired the incredible glaciers of Chilean Patagonia and the Argentine Patagonia. And the conclusion is clear: Salmon Glacier is one of the most beautiful glaciers we have seen during our journey across the Americas!

We eat facing the glacier, then continue along the track until the end. Another glacier reveals itself, with buildings, pickup trucks, shelters, and constructions at its base. In short, a mine. We set up away from the action and close our eyes for 10 minutes. These quickly turn into a 45-minute nap 😅. Afterward, we head back down to Hyder and set up again on the Fish Creek viewing platform. It’s 3 PM. 

We stay there, moving from one spot to another, for 5 hours! Needless to say, we made significant progress in our books! At 8 PM, we start to get seriously hungry. In the afternoon, Rémi was scolded by a ranger for daring to snack on a cookie outside the vehicle. We had to sneak in some cakes for a snack, deluding ourselves into thinking we were smuggling goods. So, we leave the platform and lock ourselves in the Jeep to munch on some chips. Should we go back to the platform? Leave the place? In the end, we go back. And it turns out to be a good decision! Don’t get too excited, though. A grizzly didn’t suddenly appear to give us a memorable fishing session. Instead, a black bear graces us with its presence.

Il est en train de… manger des baies dans les fourrés, de l’autre côté de la route ! Il est très affairé et ne relève la tête que de temps en temps pour humer l’air. Parfois, un saumon esseulé s’agite dans la rivière et on espère que cela l’incite à venir pêcher, mais non ! Il mange, mange, puis finit par disparaître dans les arbres. Bon, au moins, on n’a pas fait chou blanc aujourd’hui ! On quitte la plateforme et on part camper au même endroit que la veille.

Tuesday, July 30^th

6 heures. Le réveil sonne et… on ne se lève pas ! Notre espoir de voir un ours pêcher s’est éteint. Ce n’est qu’à 8 heures que l’on émerge doucement. On se rend tout de même à Fish Creek. Sur place, on rencontre un équatorien, qui a voyagé en van depuis l’Équateur. On se raconte nos voyages, le temps file. Pas d’ours. Tant pis. À 10 heures, on quitte définitivement la plateforme d’observation d’Hyder et on retourne à Stewart, côté Canada, pour une douche chaude dans un camping suivie d’un copieux brunch dans un parc de jeux.

It’s funny how our experience in Hyder was so different from the one we had two years ago. It’s just another reminder that wildlife observation can be very unpredictable. In the wild, animals come and go as they please. And that’s probably what makes those encounters (when they happen) so magical! After a long afternoon of driving, we settle in for the evening at a new free campground in British Columbia, where we enjoy a peaceful night, though it’s quite chilly!

Wednesday, July 31^st

New day of driving through the beautiful landscapes of Northern British Columbia!

At noon, we stop at Boya Lake for lunch. Two years ago, this lake had dazzled us with its turquoise color. Rémi had even taken a swim! Today, the weather is overcast, and the magic is less present, although the place is still just as pleasant for a break.

In the afternoon, we enter the Yukon. This northern Canadian territory remains one of our fondest memories of the trip. We didn’t think we’d return so soon, and it’s with great joy and excitement that we prepare to rediscover it. The Yukon and its vast wilderness! The Yukon and its empty expanses! And the Yukon and its wildlife! We also reconnect with the legendary Alaska Highway, the route to Alaska and its service stations… from another era!

Thursday, August 1^st

The Yukon and its mosquitoes! After an evening filled with mosquitoes that forced us to seek refuge in the tent before the sun even set, we continue along the Alaska Highway. We briefly stop to buy an excellent cinnamon roll at a small roadside café.

Then we head to Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon! In this large northern city, we hope to find a garage. Indeed, Jeepy is leaking! Is it a surprise? Not really! Jeepy and leaks have a loooong history. We suspect a faulty seal on the front bearing... However, all the garages are booked for several weeks, so we have to settle for buying the seal, hoping to make the repair in Anchorage. We do our shopping, which costs a fortune: 4 tomatoes for 10 Canadian dollars! Then we spend the afternoon at the library. After that, we hit the road. We'll come back to enjoy Whitehorse on our return from Alaska!

In the meantime, we head towards Skagway in Alaska!