Katmai

Overview

Katmai National Park is where the wild things are — specifically, the largest concentration of brown bears on Earth. Each summer, over 2,000 coastal brown bears converge on the park's rivers to feast on spawning sockeye salmon, creating one of nature's great wildlife spectacles. The iconic viewing spot at Brooks Falls, where bears stand in rushing whitewater snatching leaping salmon from midair, has become one of the most photographed scenes in the national park system. Beyond the bears, Katmai preserves the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile ash flow deposited by the cataclysmic 1912 eruption of Novarupta — the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. A bus tour from Brooks Camp takes visitors to the valley overlook, where the lunar landscape of hardened ash stretches to the horizon, carved by rivers into deep canyons. Fifteen active volcanoes line the park's spine along the Aleutian Range. Reaching Katmai requires a floatplane from King Salmon, adding to the adventure and keeping crowds manageable. The bear-viewing platforms at Brooks Falls operate from July through September, with peak salmon runs in July. September brings a second surge as bears fatten before hibernation.

Things to Do

• Watch brown bears catch salmon at Brooks Falls
• Tour the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
• Fish for world-class sockeye and rainbow trout
• Kayak the Naknek Lake shoreline
• Hike from Brooks Camp to the Brooks River oxbow
• Photograph bears from the elevated viewing platforms
• Fly over the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Cool and rainy summers with highs around 50-65°F. Fog and wind are common. The park is only accessible and operational from June through mid-September.