Katmai National Park & Preserve is famous for volcanoes, brown bears, fish and rugged wilderness and is also the site of the Brooks River National Historic Landmark with North America’s highest concentration of prehistoric human dwellings (about 900). The Katmai National Monument was initially created to preserve the famed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a spectacular forty square mile, 100 to 700 foot deep, pyroclastic ash flow deposited by Novarupta Volcano. There are at least fourteen volcanoes in Katmai considered “active”, none of which are currently erupting. Brown bear and salmon are very active in Katmai. The number of brown bears has grown to more than 2,000. During the peak of the world’s largest sockeye salmon run each July and during return of the “spawned out” salmon in September, forty to sixty bears congregate in Brooks Camp along the Brooks River and the Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake shorelines. Brown bears along the 480 mile Katmai Coast also enjoy clams, crabs and an occasional whale carcass. A rich variety of other wildlife is found in the Park as well.
There is plenty room for great diversity of wildlife in Katmai which encompasses millions of acres of pristine wilderness, with wild rivers and streams, rugged coastlines, broad green glacial hewn valleys, active glaciers and volcanoes and Naknek Lake.
Introduction
Katmai was declared a national monument in 1918 to preserve the living laboratory of its cataclysmic 1912 volcanic eruption, particularly the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The intervening years have seen most of the surface geothermal features cool. But the protection of brown bears has become an equally compelling charge for Katmai. To protect this magnificent animal and its varied habitat, the boundaries were extended over the years and in 1980 the area was designated a national park and preserve. Katmai looms so vast that the bulk of it must elude all but a very few persistent visitors. To boat its enormous lakes and their island-studded bays, to float its rushing waterways, to hike the wind-whipped passes of its imposing mountains, or to explore its Shelikof Strait coastline require great effort and logistical planning. This unseen Katmai lies beyond our usual experiences here of fishing from Brooks Camp, walking up to Brooks Falls and riding the bus out to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. We come to Katmai to sample but an edge of this enormity of raw natural forces, a sampling that itself constitutes a rare and endangered opportunity.
Katmai’s awe-inspiring natural powers confront us most visibly in its volcanics and its brown bears: in summer North America’s largest land predators gather along streams to feast on salmon runs, building weight from this wealth of protein and fat, preparing for the long winter ahead. Alaska‘s brown bears and grizzlies are now considered one species. People commonly consider grizzlies to be those that live 100 miles and more inland. Browns are bigger than grizzlies thanks to their rich diet of fish. Kodiak brown bears are a different subspecies that is geographically isolated on Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Mature male bears in Katmai may weigh up to 900 pounds.
Mating occurs from May to mid-July, with the cubs born in dens in mid-winter. Up to four cubs may be born, at a mere pound each. Cubs stay with the mother for two years, during which time she does not reproduce. The interval between litters is usually at least three years. Brown bears dig a new den each year, entering it in November and emerging in April. About half of their lifetimes is spent in their dens. Because each bear is an individual, no one can predict exactly how a given bear will act in a given situation. These awe-inspiring bears symbolize the wildness of Katmai today.
Recreation
The focus of visitor use is at the Brooks River, where brown bear congregate to feed on sockeye salmon, although increasing visitor use is occurring along the outer coast and elsewhere in the park interior. Three bear viewing platforms are located along the Brooks River. Safety and preparation for varying conditions are the most important considerations when visiting a wilderness area like Katmai National Park & Preserve. Although a bear may be encountered anywhere in Katmai from late May into December, the best times for bear viewing at Brooks Camp are late-June through July and September. There are few, if any, bears around Brooks in June and August, though they are seen occasionally during these times. July and September are crowded with both bears and people. Delays in getting to and from the bear viewing platforms are common and can occur at any time, although such delays offer opportunities for viewing other wildlife and the spectacular scenery all-around Brooks Camp.
Katmai is bear habitat and they always have the right-of-way. Weather and bears are always a factor at Katmai, so plan extra time to work around delays. There are occasions, especially in July, when visitors are unable to get to the Falls Platform due to time constraints and flight schedules.
Extenuating circumstances may necessitate closure of any portion of Brooks Camp, including trails and bear viewing platforms for safety reasons without advance notice.
Getting There
Katmai National Park & Preserve is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island. Park Headquarters is in King Salmon, about 290 air miles southwest of Anchorage. Several commercial airlines provide daily flights into King Salmon as there is no road access. Brooks Camp, along the Brooks River approximately 30 air miles from King Salmon, is a common destination for visitors to the Park. Brooks Camp can only be reached via small float plane or boat.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Katmai National Park & Preserve
P. O. Box 7, #1 King Salmon Mall
King Salmon, AK 99613
Phone: 907-246-3305
Fax: 907-246-2116
Operating Hours & Seasons
The park is open year-round. National Park Service and concessionaire services are offered at Brooks Camp from June 1 through September 17. Backcountry activities are also best during this time. Prime bear viewing months at Brooks Camp are July and September, although a few bears may be in the area at any time between late May and December.
Weather/Climate
Summers at Katmai National Park & Preserve are cool with frequent high winds and rain.
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