This is a beautiful time to be in the high Sierras.  In late spring and summer the black bears work the meadows for tender grasses.  The sows produce a rich milk which helps their cubs grow quickly.  Once the meadows dry out in late July and August, the bears move from the meadows into the forest searching for sugar pine cones and ripening berries.  While we don't find sows and cubs on every safari day, we do seem to find them regularly - photographing them as they play, climb trees, and interact with their mother.  They are our main subject.  We do some walking on this safari, usually about 3 miles in the morning, and walk less in the afternoons.  There are a lot of mosquitoes, so citrus based repellants are a must. Why citrus based? Because insect repellent with DEET can damage camera parts and dissolve plastic.  We are very safe around the bears.  While they are habituated to vehicles and hikers on trails, they are unpredictable so we are very in our approach to them.

Reservations    We can meet at my home in Tulare, at a hotel in Visalia, or in Three Rivers on Highway 198 at 6am in the Pizza Factory parking lot.  From there we travel up to the Giant Grove and photograph throughout the grove and close by meadows.  We will stop for lunch, then shoot again in the afternoon.  We will photograph everything that looks good: bears, deer, wildflowers, birds, landscapes, etc.

Black Bear Image Albums           Gallery #1    Gallery #2    Gallery #3