Katmai National Park and Preserve

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Located in the vast, remote southwest corner of Alaska, Katmai National Park and Preserve is famous for volcanoes and the bears which embody the wild heart of Katmai. Within the borders of the national park and preserve are 15 volcanoes, some of them still steaming, and North America’s largest population of protected brown bears—about 2,000 of them.

Up to 50 bears can be spotted at Brook Falls and alongside the river during peak salmon runs, and the Park Service estimates between 80 to 100 brown bears gather just in the square mile centered on the river! 

Grizzly Bears Fish At Brooks Falls In Katmai National Park, Alaska

Grizzly Bears Fish At Brooks Falls In Katmai National Park, Alaska – Buy Print

Getting There

Location: Alaska
Established: December 2, 1980
Size: 4,021,327 acres
Contact Information:
Katmai National Park
PO Box 7
King Salmon, Alaska 99613

More Information:
Phone: (907)246-3305This is a remote park, but getting to Katmai is easy, with jet flights, floatplane flights or about a 2 to 3 hour drive from Anchorage and Homer.  

From Anchorage, scheduled jets fly the 290 miles to King Salmon, park headquarters; from there, June to mid-September, daily floatplanes fly the last 33 miles to Brooks Camp, site of a summer visitor center and the center of activity. Air charters can be arranged into other areas.

You can drive the 9 miles from King Salmon to Lake Camp, at the western end of the park on the Naknek River, then go by boat to Brooks Camp, the Bay of Islands, and other areas of Naknek Lake.

During your flight, you’ll have great views of glaciated volcanic peaks, emerald lakes, rugged coastlines and the remote wilderness that supports the world’s largest salmon runs.

Things to Do:

Brooks River Falls is near Brooks Camp, centered on a private lodge within the park. There are trails to the river and the falls, with two viewing platforms on the falls and one closer to the lodge near a shallow stretch of river.

Plenty of companies offer bear viewing trips to Katmai—most are full-day trips with anywhere from 6 to 10 hours at the park.

All visitors must watch a Park Service video on bear safety before exploring the area. After that, you’re on your own, unless your pilot doubles as a guide.

Be forewarned, this place draws a crowd—from 75 to 200 visitors a day during the peak season. But you’re guaranteed to see bears, and they’re accustomed to humans, so they still go about their business of feeding, sleeping, playing and resting…and you get to watch it all.

Rainbow Trout In The Kulik River, Katmai National Park, Southwestern Alaska

Rainbow Trout In The Kulik River, Katmai National Park, Southwestern Alaska – Buy print

Fishing: Come in early June or August and you might have difficulty finding a bear in the area—that’s because there are no salmon runs at this time of year. But there’s great fishing here all summer, and the Brooks River is arguably one of the best rainbow trout streams in the world. You can fish here with a guide or come on your own. There’s also arctic char, grayling and lake trout in the surrounding areas and several guiding companies offer transportation to remote lakes and rivers if you want to fish a different area.

Volcanoes: A short bus ride from Brooks Camp will bring you to “The Valley of 10,000 Smokes.” Home to Novarupta, this valley was decimated 100 years ago when an unknown crack in the earth released the 20th century’s largest volcanic eruption. Ash covered a vast region, ranging from several inches to many feet. The valley is named for the vents of steam that blew up through the thick ash layer. 

Leading a 1916 expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society, botanist Robert Griggs ascended Katmai Pass from Shelikof Strait.

“The whole valley as far as the eye could reach was full of hundreds, no thousands—literally, tens of thousands—of smokes curling up from its fissured floor,” he wrote. The smokes were fumaroles steaming 500 to 1,000 feet into the air.

Griggs, who named the area the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, spearheaded the campaign to include Katmai in the National Park System.

These fumeroles lasted for decades, but very few are left today. You’ll still find a landscape covered in ash and completely changed by the eruption.  Steam vents still appear elsewhere in the park.

In 1912 a volcano here erupted with a force ten times that of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Suddenly news of Katmai, a place hardly anyone had heard of, was on front pages around the world. Ash filled the air, global temperatures cooled, acid rain burned clothing off lines in Vancouver, British Columbia, and on Kodiak Island, just across Shelikof Strait from Katmai, day became night.

You can hike, kayak, and canoe here. You can fish waist-deep in rivers as clear as glass. And you can watch the best fish catcher of all, the great Alaskan brown bear, sometimes diving completely under the water for its prey, sometimes catching fish in midair. At the end of the day you can relax in a rustic yet sumptuous lodge on the shore of a sapphire lake and recount the day’s enchantments.

WHEN TO GO

Naknek Lake, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Naknek Lake, Katmai National Park, Alaska – Buy this print

June to early September. Only then, with transportation from between Brooks Camp and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, are the lodges, cabins, and Brooks Camp Campground open.

Bear watching, an increasingly popular pastime, is best in July when the sockeye salmon spawn (bear watching suffers a brief lull in June and again in August).

Fishing and hiking are good throughout summer, but come prepared for rain. Heavy snowpack may remain in the upper elevations into July.

Summer daytime temperatures range from the mid-50s to mid-60s; the average low is 44°F.

If your time is short, get to Brooks Camp. People, fish, bears, boats, and planes concentrate here. Compared to the rest of the park, it’s crowded. But the lodge and campground are comfortable (reservations required) and the bear viewing unforgettable. You’ll find good hiking and fishing.

If at all possible, take the bus or van tour 23 miles out from Brooks Camp to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Return the same day or hike into the valley and camp. You can extend your stay by boating or flying to the many other lakes, streams, rivers, and lodges in the park. Pick your area, make a safe plan, and go.

When to Go:

June to early September. Only then, with transportation from between Brooks Camp and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, are the lodges, cabins, and Brooks Camp Campground open.

Bear watching, an increasingly popular pastime, is best in July when the sockeye salmon spawn (bear watching suffers a brief lull in June and again in August).

Fishing and hiking are good throughout summer, but come prepared for rain. Heavy snowpack may remain in the upper elevations into July. Summer daytime temperatures range from the mid-50s to mid-60s; the average low is 44°F.

What to Pack & Wear

You’ll want to bring everything that you will need with you, whether that is rain gear, boots, and binoculars for a day trip viewing the bears or hiking from a remote lodge, or ultra-light camping gear to head out into the backcountry.

Reservations for both Brooks Camp and Fures Cabin become available for reservations each year on January 5.

Brooks Camp Campground: 
With its wildlife viewing opportunities, access to Naknek Lake and stunning views of nearby mountains, the Brooks Camp Campground is considered by many to be one of the top campgrounds in North America. 

Camping at Brooks Camp is only permitted within the designated campground. Campers arriving without a reservation, especially in July when the campground is usually full, must be prepared to backcountry camp outside of the Brooks Camp Developed Area (see Backcountry/Wilderness Camping below). 

Backcountry/Wilderness Camping:
More than 4 million acres of Katmai are open to backcountry/wilderness camping. Backcountry camping is not permitted within the Brooks Camp Developed Area (the area within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of Brooks Falls) year-round or within the core Hallo Bay meadows from April 1 through October 31. No permits are required for backcountry camping. 

Fure’s Cabin:
Fure’s Cabin, a beautifully constructed one-room house, is a public use cabin. Now a refuge for kayakers, canoers and hikers, the cabin was once the home of trapper, miner and famed Naknek local Roy Fure. The cabin is located on the north side of the Bay of Islands in Naknek Lake. There is anchorage and limited beach access. Primary heat at the cabin is wood. This cabin is not a substitute for the Brooks Camp Campground. Fure’s Cabin is over 20 miles by water from Brooks Camp and no public transportation is available. 

Know Before You Go

    • Visitors are required to attend a 20-minute orientation on bear safety and regulations.
    • Maintain at least 50 yards distance from all bears.
    • Electric fencing is a bear deterrent, not bear-proof.
    • Dead/downed wood may be gathered for campfires.
    • Drinking water is available in summer only.
    • Bring all cooking and food supplies.
    • All food must be stored in the food storage bin provided.
    • No cooking in campfire rings.
    • Fuel for camp stoves must be stored in flammable storage locker provided.
    • No electricity available.
    • Biting insects common; bring insect repellant and head nets.
    • Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
    • Don’t Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site.