Fortress of the Bear is a nonprofit educational rescue center for brown and black bears, located about five miles from downtown Sitka, at 4639 Sawmill Creek Road.
The fortress, founded by Les and Evy Kinnear in 2003, consists of two large concrete enclosures formerly used by the long-defunct Alaska Pulp Co. A large covered viewing platform and windows in the center allow visitors to observe the bears from a safe distance, and interpreters on site are available to offer insight into the history, management, and behavior of bears in the wild.
Tours last about 30 minutes, followed by time to view on your own and visit the gift shop. A beverage area and restrooms also are available.
The fortress’s first coastal brown bears, brothers Chaik and Killisnoo, arrived on scene in 2007, and were joined by three orphaned brown bears – Toby, Lucky, and Balloo – in 2010. Late in 2013, three orphaned black bears named Smokey, Bandit, and Tuliaan were taken in, and in August 2018, Nuka and Nikiski, “The Seward Sisters,” arrived at age 8 months, after their mother was shot and killed breaking into a chicken coop.
Balloo died in 2017 and Kilisnoo in 2020.
From May through September, Fortress of the Bear is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For admission prices contact the fortress. Its phone numbers are (907) 747-0524 for the office and (907) 747-3550 for the center. Additional information can be found at www,fortressofthebear.org.
