Famous for Brooks Falls, where brown bears gather each summer to catch salmon leaping upstream — accessible only by floatplane.
Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.
Sorry, unable to load the Maps API.
- Summer
Katmai is famous worldwide for Brooks Falls, where brown bears gather each summer to catch salmon leaping upstream — one of the most recognizable wildlife spectacles in the entire National Park System, and genuinely as impressive in person as it looks in photos and documentaries. Access is by floatplane only, which keeps the experience remote and uncrowded despite its fame.
Beyond the bears, Katmai's volcanic landscape (including the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes) adds a genuinely different dimension most visitors never get to since bear season understandably dominates the park's reputation.
Viewing brown bears fish for salmon from the platforms at Brooks Falls is the reason most people come to Katmai, and it's worth every bit of the planning it takes — July is peak season for the salmon run and the most reliable bear activity. Mandatory orientation at Brooks Camp covers bear safety before you're allowed near the platforms.
If you have extra time, a flightseeing trip or hike into the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes shows off Katmai's volcanic side, a stark contrast to the lush, salmon-filled rivers most visitors associate with the park.
Lake Clark National Park, also fly-in only, is a common pairing for visitors building a broader Alaska bear-viewing trip.
