Location, Access, Facilities
& Services
Hallo Bay is an eco-friendly camp located 120 air miles southwest of
Homer, Alaska
on the wild and remote Pacific Coast of the Alaska Peninsula. The Alaska Peninsula
is
a part of an area called "The Ring of Fire" a volcanically active chain of volcanoes located on the leading edge of the Pacific Tectonic Plate.
There are no access roads within 300 miles walking
distance of Hallo Bay. On the
Alaska Peninsula, Hallo Bay is approximately 25 miles south of Cape Douglas
and
6 miles east of Kaguyak Volcano. Hallo Bay Camp is located a stones throw
from
the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by the 6400 square mile Katmai
National Park
on the remaining three sides which also has no roads leading to it.
Hallo Bay has one of the most beautiful beaches
and wildlife viewing areas in
Alaska. The variety of bear viewing areas offer many different opportunities
to
observe Alaska's coastal brown bears in their natural habitats. Big River
and
Clint's Creek, which are located to the north and south of the Camp respectively,
produce an excellent variety of seasonal salmon runs. The coastal tidal
flats offer
good clam digging and sweet sedge grass meadows for the feeding brown
bears.
Hallo Bay is the only Eco-sensitive facility of
its kind designed exclusively for bear
and wildlife viewing on the 485-mile long Pacific coastline of Katmai
National Park.
There are no public services, marked trails or airports available in Katmai
National
Park within 70 miles of Hallo Bay. The Mc Neil
River Wildlife Sanctuary located 30
miles north of Hallo Bay is the only other facility equal to Hallo Bay
offering eco-responsible, sustainable and unspoiled wildlife viewing in
the entire Southwest
Alaska coastal brown bear habitat areas.
Flight Access
Access from Homer
is the most weather reliable and cost effective method of
accessing Hallo Bay. The bush plane flight from Homer offers one of the
most
scenic views of glaciers, volcanics and fabulous coastline. Activities
and Lodging
in the Homer area are many with prices very reasonable by Alaska standards
and the people are very friendly and helpful. New for Homer and a
must see is
the USF&W Islands
& Ocean Visitor Center.
Facilities
Camp Design
The design intent at Hallo Bay Bear Camp is to
create an acute awareness of
the surrounding natural pristine beauty by being a part of the environment
rather
than focusing attention on luxurious accommodations which leads to isolation
from
the environment.
Comfortable Heated Cabins
There are five Hansen Weatherport design guest
cabins. Four cabins are quite
large (12' x 20') and the fifth cabin is designed for the single travelers,
being of
somewhat smaller in size. All the cabins are heated, have wooden floors,
typical
walk in doors, windows with screens, a small sink and vanity, table/chairs,
gas
lighting and beds/bedding.
Clean Hot Showers
There are two separate and private Paloma design
showers located in separate buildings. Guests will find the showers refreshingly
clean and sanitary, providing
unlimited amounts of hot water for a relaxing shower after the day's adventures.
Personal products such as towels for the showers, shampoos and soaps are not
supplied by Hallo Bay and are the responsibility of the guests to bring. We operate
an environmentally friendly eco camp. Products that we use and that the guests use should have the environmentally friendly label on the products. You can purchase environmentally friendly shampoos, conditioners and bath soap products at local
health food stores or sporting goods stores in your area or in Homer before you
fly out to our camp.
Composting Bathroom Facility
There are two separate bathrooms serving the camp.
This bathroom unit is of the
environmentally friendly Clivus Multrum composting design. Guests will
find the
sanitary facilities clean and odorless as typical of all Hallo Bay facilities.
Relaxing Galley
Our galley is quite large and has many common kitchen
conveniences such as
range and refrigerator. In addition a large fireplace adds a nice touch
to the
evenings or rainy day chill.
Refreshing Drinking Water
Water for drinking and cooking purposes is further
purified at Hallo Bay with the
use of special Doulton passive filtering and purification systems. No
chemicals are
used in our water systems. Guests will need to provide their own personal
water
bottles or containers for trail use.
Delicious Family Style Meals
The cook provides a nice variety of hearty, family style
meals and can consist of grilled pork chops, roast beef, pork ribs, roast chicken, hamburgers, pasta dishes, etc and prepares the packed lunches if the guests are going to be out all day. A variety of refreshments, snacks, baked goods and cookies are always available in the galley.
We can accommodate vegetarian requirements in addition to our regular menus with advance
notice.
Electricity
Solar and wind power furnishes the majority of electrical
power for recharging electrical
devices such as camera and camcorder batteries. The very quiet gasoline generator is only operated during periods which the solar system may not produce enough power,
i.e. rainy days, etc. The electricity to recharge camera or laptop batteries is available
from 7am until 10pm each day. International guests should remember to bring
proper adapters for the electrical outlets.
Special Equipment
A small area in the galley is equipped with a sterio
microscope and projection
screen for observing a variety of specimens, from large to very small.
A small
television monitor is available to playback camcorder recordings taken
during
the day and for educational use.
Trash & Garbage
Trash and garbage is collected in specially designed odor containing poly bags
and stored in a bear proof container area until the next aircraft flight, which
transports this material back to Homer for proper landfill disposal. The camp
personnel and guides are very strict regarding the handling of any food or trash,
both in the camp and in the field. In 12 years of operation we have never had a
bear damage the camp or cause a bear to be displaced in anyway and we fully
intend to maintain this perfect record.
Guides & Staff Quarters
The guides quarters are three smaller cabins strategically
placed throughout
the camp location. In this manner Hallo Bay personnel are always nearby
and
available for any need that may arise.
Facility Orientation
On arrival, guests are given a Hallo Bay facilities
and use orientation by the camp assistant and the cook will define the
use of the galley area.
Communication
The camp utilizes an Iridium satellite telephone
for communications. Guests
requiring the use of the satellite phone should be aware that use charges
can
run upwards of $4-$7 per minute. Single Side Band (SSB) and Very High
Frequency
(VHF) radio communication equipment is utilized at the camp by the guides
for communication between guides, camp, marine vessels, aircraft and for
emergency
USCG communications.
Services
Field Activities
Your chosen Trip Itinerary will provide you with
more in depth information as to the
day to day activities. However, all activities, outward from the camp
location will be accompanied by a Hallo Bay guide due to the sheer number
of bears and natural
dangers in this remote wilderness area. One will not find this rule restrictive,
but
rather you will find the measure of safety and education it affords, priceless.
Knowledgeable Guides
We feel that the naturalist guides of Hallo Bay
are some of the finest wilderness
guides in Alaska, their concern for their guests, the wildlife and the
land is without reproach. Hallo Bay will only accommodate 8-12 guests per
day, these guests are
divided into two groups based on their particular interests and abilities
with each
group having their own guide. In this manner guests will have a quality
learning experience to complement their wildlife adventure.
Bear Safety Orientation
A bear safety orientation will be conducted by
our guides after the guests have
checked into their cabins and prior to the first outing into bear country.
The safety
of our guests is always foremost in the operation of Hallo Bay. In our
12 years of
operation we have never encountered a problem with bears in the field
or bears
in the camp.
Education & Research
Education plays an important role at Hallo Bay
as our involvement will indicate.
Anyone can show you bears, but at Hallo Bay, not only will we safely guide
you
to the bears, we will expand your knowledge of these magnificent animals
and
their habitat as well as other local wildlife, marine life and plant life.
Hallo Bay Goals
Hallo Bay, while offering a splendid opportunity
for our guests to observe the
Alaska brown bear, will also learn and appreciate the higher value of
reasonable
and sustainable use practices. Hallo Bay is a direct challenge to all
wilderness
businesses and visitors to attempt or better their endeavors in utilizing
these
sustainable methods to preserve our natural resources. Hallo Bay has just
begun
to find its place in the nature of the environment it operates in. We
still have much
to study and learn to better coexist with nature.
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