9 Amazing Things to Do in Katmai National Park & Preserve

This national park is one of the best in the US for wildlife viewing. Every summer, brown bears head to the rivers, to feed on salmon. Brooks Falls is one of the best spots to watch as brown bear catch and feed on these salmon.

What you might not know is that Katmai National Park and Preserve is also home to Novarupta and the largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. The eruption left behind a valley of ash and wasteland, called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

In this guide, we cover the best things to do in Katmai National Park & Preserve, with tips to help you have the best experience.

About Our Experiences at Katmai National Park

We have visited Katmai National Park twice. The first time was on July 1, 2, and 3, 2021. We got a spot at Brooks Lodge after another group cancelled their reservation. The salmon were late to arrive this year, so we saw plenty of skinny bears on the falls and walking around camp, but missed out on watching them catch and feed on the salmon.

In December 2021, we put our name into the Brooks Lodge lottery. This time, we applied for dates in mid-July, which is typically prime time to see the bears feasting on salmon at Brooks Falls. We were #52 on the waiting list, but after a big series of cancellations, found out we got a spot by the end of January 2022. The lottery runs 18 months in advance, so we returned to Katmai on July 13, 14, and 15, 2023.

Well, 2023 was an unusually cool, wet year in Alaska. Once again, the salmon were delayed. They just started showing up around July 13, so we got to see the bears catching and eating salmon, but it just wasn’t the steady stream of salmon we were hoping to see. Even so, it was absolutely incredible! The number of bears we saw, to watch them jockeying for prime positions on the falls, and to see their individual personalities was an unforgettable experience.

In this guide, we share with you everything we learned from our two visits here, plus our favorite photos from Katmai.

Interesting Facts about Katmai National Park

Katmai National Park & Preserve is located on the Alaska Peninsula, near Kodiak Island. Nearby King Salmon is the main transportation hub for the park.

At 4 million acres, Katmai is the fourth largest US national park. It’s a bit larger than the state of Connecticut. The three larger national parks are also located in Alaska. Denali comes in third, Gates of the Arctic takes second place, and the behemoth Wrangell – St. Elias, at 8.3 million acres, is the largest US national park.

Over 2,000 brown bears call Katmai home. The prime time to see these bears are the months of July and September, when they feed on the salmon at Brooks Falls.

This national park also preserves the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. In 1912, Novarupta erupted. It was the largest eruption of the 20th century and one of the top five largest eruptions in recorded history. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is easily visited from Brooks Lodge.

Katmai officially became a national park on December 2, 1980. In 2023, it had 34,000 visitors, making the 6th least visited park in the USA.

Map of Katmai National Park

Below is a map of Katmai National Park and Preserve from the National Park Service. I highlighted the more popular areas to visit.

Best Things to Do in Katmai National Park & Preserve

1. Bear Watching

Katmai National Park is one of the best bear-viewing places in the world. Each July, as the salmon make their annual run, the brown bears flock to the rivers to feast on salmon.

Brooks Falls is the easiest and most popular place to see bear in Katmai. A short, easy-to-walk trail connects Brooks Camp with several viewing platforms that are perched next to Brooks Falls. From here, you are literally just a few feet away from the bears.

At Brooks Falls, there are two viewing platforms. The Brooks Falls Viewing Platform is the main platform. This is located right next to the falls and it gives you the best view of the bears catching the salmon.

Brooks Falls Viewing Platform

Brooks Falls

Just downriver is Riffles Platform. From here, you can look upriver to see Brooks Falls. It’s harder to see the bears catching the fish at the falls from here, but when there are a lot of bear in the river, this is still a great place to be. For a lot more photos and information about the Brooks Falls platforms, read our Guide to Brooks Falls.

From June 15th to August 15th, the platforms are closed from 10 pm to 7 am, to allow the bears to have full access to the falls. The bears don’t get on the viewing platforms, of course, but they do use the same trail as people. This gives them use of the trail without having to share it with us.

You can also see bear throughout Katmai National Park. The Pacific coast of the park holds one of the highest concentrations of bears ever documented. However, getting here and viewing the bears can be difficult, since the vegetation is so thick.

In general, the best time to see bear at Brooks Falls is in July and September, when the bear fish for salmon in Brooks River. During the other months, they find the food at other sources in the park.

From the Brooks Falls Viewing Platform, not only can you see bear at Brooks Falls, but it’s also possible to spot bear in the grass next to the platform.

2. Walk the Brooks Falls Trail

The Brooks Falls Trail is what connects Brooks Camp to the Brooks Falls Viewing Platform. It is a flat, easy-to-walk, 1.2 mile round trip trail.

This trail is used by both people and bear. The brown bears use this same trail to get to Brooks Falls.

On our first visit to Katmai, we actually had one of our most memorable bear sightings on this trail.

Tim, Kara, and I had been in the park for less than an hour. As we walked up this trail, not far from the viewing platforms, we rounded a bend and came upon a mom and her cub. They were munching on the plants along the trail, and heading our way. We slowly backed up and calmly kept talking to each other, and the two bears.

We quickly realized that they were heading down the trail towards us and had no plans to change their route. So, the three of us left the trail and hiked into the thick brush, to let the bears pass.

And this was our introduction to Katmai National Park.

In our three days in Katmai, this was our only bear sighting on the Brooks Falls Trail, but we frequently saw bear around camp and on Lake Brooks Road, the road that connects Brooks Camp to the Brooks Falls Trail.

As you walk along this trail, and anywhere else in Brooks Camp, travel in groups, do not approach the bears, and make noise. For more on bear safety, here are tips from the National Park Service. 

3. Go Fishing

Katmai National Park is a world-class sport fishing destination. In fact, many of the facilities, including Brooks Camp, were first built for fisherman. It wasn’t until later that people began flocking to Katmai to view the bear from the viewing platforms.

Rainbow trout, arctic char, lake trout, dolly varden, arctic grayling, and five species of Pacific Salmon can all be fished from the lakes and rivers in Katmai National Park.

During the month of July, it is not uncommon to see people fishing just a short distance away from bear near Brooks Falls.

If you plan to fish here, there are numerous regulations enforced by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Katmai National Park & Preserve. For more information, click here.

Brooks River is fly fishing only. You must have an Alaska state fishing license. You are not permitted to fish within 50 feet of a bear. And fishing at Brooks River is catch and release only.

If you want to go fishing, Brooks Lodge operates guided sport fishing experiences.

4. Take a Photography Tour

If you want to get a unique perspective of Brooks Falls and the bears, take a photography tour. For those who want to capture the bears on camera, this is one of the best things to do in Katmai National Park.

The same guides at Brooks Lodge that offer guided fishing tours can also take guests on a guided photography tour in the Brooks River. We did this on our second visit and it was amazing. In fact, it is one of our favorite national park experiences.

We donned waders and boots and our guide Jon led us to photography spots in and around Brooks River. To stand in the river, gazing upstream at Brooks Falls and the bears fishing for salmon was incredible.

We watched as sows and their cubs napped on the riverbank, bears belly flopped in the river to catch a salmon, and we watched numerous territorial displays among the bears.

It was such an incredible experience that I cover it in more detail (and a LOT more photos) in a separate post, Brooks Falls Photography Tour.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, contact Brooks Lodge in advance to make your reservation.

5. Naknek Lake

In the United States, Naknek Lake is the largest lake to be completely located within a park.

Brooks Lodge is located on the shore of this lake. From King Salmon, you will sail by boat on this lake to get to Brooks Camp and if you are arriving by plane, most of the time (weather permitting) your plane will land on the beach. There is another smaller beach on Lake Brooks which serves as an alternate landing spot. On our first visit, we landed on Lake Brooks when we arrived at Brooks Camp.

The view of Brooks Camp and Naknek Lake from the airplane.

Naknek Lake is a great place to go both fishing and kayaking. You can rent kayaks at Brooks Camp.

As you walk the boardwalk trail that connects Brooks Camp with Lake Brooks Road, the only road in the park, you have a nice view of Naknek Lake. We frequently saw bear from this boardwalk trail, as they walked along the lake shore and crossed the Brooks River.

On the beach next to Brooks Camp, it’s common to see bear here, either napping or moseying along the shore.

On the beach of Naknek Lake, next to Brooks Camp.

A bear and float plane on the Naknek Lake beach.

6. Dumpling Mountain

Dumpling Mountain is a 3-mile out-and-back hike that takes you up to a viewpoint over Brooks Camp and Naknek Lake. It’s moderately difficult and worth it on a clear day and if you want a view of the surrounding area.

The trail starts next to Brooks Lake Campground.

If you want to see the live view, you can do so with this webcam.

7. Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

On June 6, 1912, Novarupta began to erupt. Over three days, it sent 13 cubic kilometers of magma into the sky, making it the largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century, as well as one of the five largest in recorded history.

Ash filled the sky around Katmai National Park and then drifted east to Kodiak Island. Kodiak Island was in total darkness for three days. The ash spread across the planet, acid rain fell in Canada, and earthquakes rocked the ground for several months following the eruption.

Since this eruption occurred in such a remote area, and since earthquakes leading up the eruption prompted people to leave nearby villages, the death toll was zero.

In 1916, Robert Griggs and a team of explorers with the National Geographic Society were exploring the region that was devastated by the eruption. The smoking, steaming, ash covered landscape made an unforgettable impression on him, and he referred to it as The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

The land is no longer smoking or steaming but the name remains.

This is one of the most studied volcanic eruptions in the world. This region was also used by NASA to train the Apollo astronauts on how to recognize volcanic features.

To get to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, there is a 23-mile road that connects Brooks Lodge to the valley. With Brooks Lodge, you can day trip out to the valley with a National Park Service guide, visit some overlooks, and go on a short hike. It’s well worth it, to see another part of Katmai, but I do understand that it can be tough to pull yourself away from the bears at Brooks Falls.

We took the one day tour, on the tour organized by Brooks Lodge. We didn’t have the best weather…it was overcast and rained frequently…but it was still very interesting to see this unique, desolate landscape.

8. Take a Flightseeing Tour

One of the best ways to appreciate the size and grandeur of Katmai National Park is to see it from the sky. You will fly over the coast and river valleys and see the Aleutian Range, a string of mountain peaks and volcanoes, including massive Mount Katmai.

Katmai from the air. This photo was taken on our flight from King Salmon to Brooks Lodge.

There are many companies that offer flightseeing tours of Katmai National Park & Preserve, and this can be done from Anchorage, Homer, King Salmon, and Kodiak. If you are staying at Brooks Lodge or campground, Katmai Air runs one hour tours. 

9. Vote in the Fat Bear Contest

The Katmai bears pack on some serious pounds between July and September, all to fatten up for the upcoming colder months.

At the end of September, the National Park Service holds a Fat Bear Contest. Twelve of the fattest bears are selected and then people can vote on which one gained the most weight. Similar to March Madness in college basketball, the bears are organized on a bracket and the votes determine who continues to the next round. 

On the National Park Service website are photos of each bear, with photos comparing their early summer and late summer physiques. Some of these bears get seriously chunky.

Here are the results, the bracket, and photos from the 2023 season. And here is the link for National Park Service’s fat bear page. You can also follow along on Instagram with the hashtag #FatBearWeek.  

If you visited Katmai in the summer or have been watching them through the webcam, this is a fun online event to participate in. Plus, you can do this from the comfort of your own home. 

How Much Time Do You Need at Katmai National Park?

Ideally, plan on spending three days at Katmai National Park. This gives you plenty of bear viewing time and also gives you enough time to journey out to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, or go fishing, hiking, or kayaking.

Most people visit Katmai on a day trip. This gives you a few hours to hike the Brooks Falls Trail to the viewing platforms. There is a limit to how much time you can spend on the platforms, so you will be spending a lot of your time waiting for a spot.

If you can, plan on spending at least one night at Katmai. In the early morning and late evening, once the day trippers leave, there is usually no wait for the platforms and you can sit and watch the bears as long as you like. Plus, in July, the days are long, and you can hang out until 10 pm, filling your camera’s memory card with photos.

Day Trip to Katmai National Park

We have not done a day trip to Katmai, but we learned a lot about how to do it from our two visits here.

Most people day trip to Katmai from Anchorage, Homer, or Kodiak, booking a direct flight that gets them to Brooks Camp in the morning and then leaves around 4 pm.

You can also book a flight to King Salmon and then take a 20-minute flight or a one-hour ferry ride to Brooks Camp.

Traveling through King Salmon for a day trip has its advantages and disadvantages. Since you will have a connecting flight, you risk flight delays/cancellations to King Salmon and flight delays/cancellations to Brooks Camp. However, if you fly to King Salmon the day before your day trip, you could potentially have more time at Brooks Camp. Flights from King Salmon start arriving at Brooks Camp as early as 8 am. And if flights get disrupted, there’s a chance you could hop on the ferry, if spaces are still available.

If you have plans to visit other national parks in Alaska, the Farm Lodge (Lake Clark Resort) runs day trips to Katmai National Park.

On both of our visits to Katmai, day trips were cancelled on at least some of the days. In 2023, day trips were cancelled on July 14 and July 15. Cloudy, foggy, windy weather frequently occurs, disrupting the flights and the ferry.

We faced flight delays getting to Brooks Camp on our first visit and leaving Brooks Camp on our second visit.

So, if you plan to visit Katmai on a day trip, keep your fingers crossed for good weather.

Best Time to Visit Katmai National Park

July is the best month to visit Katmai, if you want to see the brown bears feeding on salmon at Brooks Falls.

We talked to a lot of people about when exactly is the best time to be here…park rangers, guides, pilots, other guests, and the staff at Brooks Lodge, both before and during our visit. Plus, we kept an eye on the bear cam after our visit, which shows exactly what bear viewing conditions are like at Brooks Falls.

We were told that the bear start arriving in at Brooks Falls at the end of June. The salmon start arriving sometime between the end of June and very early July. It’s possible to see bear and salmon at the end of June, but I think it’s best to wait until the first or second week of July, just to be certain that the salmon will be there.

On both of our visits, the salmon were late in arriving. A late spring snowstorm, lots of rain, and cooler then average temperatures in June delayed the arrival of the salmon.

2023 was very atypical, one of the latest arrivals of salmon in recent history. Talking to one of the Brooks Camp staff members who has been working here for over 10 years, she said that the latest arrival she’s seen was July 15. But she has also seen it where the salmon stopped running by July 15.

So, there’s never a guarantee, but the second and third weeks of July are usually the best time to see the bears and the salmon.

In August, the salmon have made it upriver, so the feeding ends.

After the salmon spawn, they die and then they float downriver. As they drift back over Brooks Falls, the brown bears feed on the dead salmon. It’s not quite as spectacular, since you don’t see the salmon jumping up the falls, but you will still be able to see a lot of bear.

Brooks Lodge is open from June 1 through September 18.

How to Get to Katmai National Park

Katmai is one of the most remote national parks in the USA. You cannot drive here. You can only get here by plane or by boat.

The quickest and easiest way to get to Katmai is by plane. There are numerous taxi flights that leave from Anchorage, King Salmon, Homer, Kodiak, and other towns.

You can either book a direct flight right into Brooks Camp or you can fly into King Salmon first, then take a quick, 20 minute float plane into Brooks Camp.

We flew from Anchorage to King Salmon (about 1 hour) on ACE Air Cargo. From King Salmon, we flew on a float plane (about 20 minutes) that was operated by Katmai Air to get to Brooks Lodge.

King Salmon

The line of planes used to bring day trippers to Brooks Camp. This is the shoreline of Naknek Lake, which is right next to Brooks Camp.

It’s also possible to land at Lake Brooks. This is where our plane landed. From here, a quick shuttle ride takes you into camp.

If you plan to visit Katmai as a day trip, and you can do so either on a direct flight to Brooks Camp from Anchorage, Kodiak, Homer, or another Alaskan town, or by traveling through King Salmon.

And just be aware that flights and the ferry can be cancelled in the event that there is bad weather.

You can also get from King Salmon to Brooks Camp by boat. The Katmai Water Taxi runs every hour between King Salmon and Brooks Camp, but this is frequently delayed in bad weather. This takes longer (it is about a 1 hour trip from King Salmon to Brooks Camp) but it is cheaper than going by plane.

Note: On the Katmai Water Taxi Service website, they state they still run in the fog. On the day we left Brooks Camp, it was very foggy. Katmai Air flights were running but the ferry was not.

Where to Stay in Katmai National Park

Brooks Lodge

Brooks Lodge is the main lodge in Katmai National Park. Located at Brooks Camp, there are cabins here, as well as a dining hall and gift shop. This is where we stayed on our visit to Katmai.

Brooks Lodge Dining Hall

The demand to stay at Brooks Lodge is so great that there is a lottery to book overnight accommodations. The 2025 lottery has already ended but you can enter the lottery for 2026. Applications are available online from December 1 through December 31, 2024. 

If you don’t get a space in the lottery, don’t despair. It’s still possible to get a reservation. As people cancel their trips, rooms open up. This is how we got our reservation. We called in the spring, as we were planning our trip to Alaska, and a two night reservation was available in early July. We booked our room right away and designed our entire Alaska itinerary around these three days in Katmai. So, I recommend calling frequently to check on cancellations. This is how we got our reservation on our first visit to Katmai National Park.

On our second visit, we put our name into the lottery. In January, we were informed that we were #52 on the waiting list, but it took just a few weeks for everyone in front of us to cancel, so three weeks later, we were notified we got a spot. So again, don’t despair if you aren’t immediately awarded a cabin in the lottery. A lot of people cancel their plans, so there’s a good chance you will still get a spot.

There is also a campground at Brooks Camp. Demand is high so make your reservations in advance. 

To get from Brooks Camp to Brooks Falls, you will cross this long boardwalk. This is another great place to spot bear and bald eagles.

The view from the boardwalk.

Other Lodging Options in Katmai

There are more lodges in other parts of Katmai. These include Kulik Lodge, Battle River Wilderness Retreat, Enchanted Lake Lodge, Royal Wolf Lodge, and Katmai Wilderness Lodge. Click here to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brooks Lodge is expensive. Is it worth staying here?

At $1125 per night, for a 4 person cabin, Brooks Lodge is expensive. But what you are getting is a lot more time at the viewing platforms. And not just more time, but more quality time.

From 10 am to 4 pm, the viewing platforms are swamped with day trippers. Most of this time is spent waiting for a spot on the Brooks Falls Viewing Platform.

But before 10 am and after 4 pm, the viewing platforms are delightfully uncrowded. Our favorite times to be on the platforms were around 7:30 am and 7 pm, when very few people were here.

If you can afford the $1125 per night, are able to get a reservation through the lottery, and really want the best experience at Katmai, it’s worth it. To save money, you could camp, rather that stay in the lodge.

What should I pack for Katmai National Park?

It can be very chilly here during the summer months. During our visit, daytime temperatures peaked in the low 60’s and in the evenings, it got down into the 40’s. We wore long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, and sometimes a rain jacket, depending on the time of day. Early and late in the day, it was cold enough that we needed gloves. I recommend bringing lots of layers and a rain jacket. It rained a lot of our second day in Katmai.

Bring mosquito repellent. We had an issue with mosquitoes on our second visit to Brooks Camp. You will be spending a lot of time next to a river and with that comes mosquitoes.

And of course, bring your camera gear. Make sure you have lots of space on your memory cards and your batteries are charged and ready to go.

What is it like staying at Brooks Lodge?

The rooms are four person rooms. Some are free standing cabins and others are cabin-like rooms that sit side-by-side. In each room are two bunk beds and a private bathroom. There is a heater in the room as well.

The rooms are basic, and if you are in the strip of rooms that sit side-by-side, the sound proofing isn’t great, so you could hear your neighbors next door. For the big price, the accommodations are very basic, but you aren’t coming here for a posh, luxurious experience. You are here for the bears, the views, and probably the fishing, and you won’t be spending much time in your room.

There is a dining hall where you will eat all of your meals. Near the entrance is a bar and a seating  area around a fireplace, which is a great place to hang out if it’s rainy or chilly. The meals are served buffet-style and all you can eat, and the food is decent.

Bear do wander into camp so you always need to be alert.

Is there cellular service or WiFi?

There is no cellular service or WiFi in Katmai National Park. You will not be able to call, text, or send photos to family and friends. You are out in the wilderness so this is a great place to digital detox.

Plan Your Visit

Hours of Operation: Katmai National Park & Preserve is open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Brooks Lodge is open from June 1 through September 17.

Park Entrance Fee: There is no entrance fee for Katmai National Park.

More Information about Katmai

For more information about how to see the bears at Brooks Falls, take a look at our Guide to the Brooks Falls Viewing Platforms.

In our Guide to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, learn how to day trip out to see site of one of the world’s largest volcanic eruptions.

If you are an avid photographer, consider taking a photography tour while at Brooks Falls.

If you have any questions about things to do in Katmai National Park & Preserve, or if you want to share your experience, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information about Alaska

ALASKA: To read all of our articles about Alaska, check out our Alaska Travel Guide.

ALASKA ITINERARY: Take the guesswork out of planning your trip to Alaska with our Alaska road trip itineraries.

LAKE CLARK NATIONAL PARK: Learn how to plan your visit in our Lake Clark National Park Travel Guide. We also have a article about the Best Things to Do in Lake Clark and photos from Lake Clark National Park.

BEST OF DENALI: Eielson is one of the most spectacular areas in Denali to visit since it offers some of the best views of Denali. Taking a Denali flight seeing trip is also a great thing to do, as are hiking one of the many trails in the park. Get the full list in our article Best Things to Do in Denali.

DRIVING IN ALASKA: The Seward Highway connects Anchorage and Seward is one of the most popular scenic drives in Alaska. We also have a detailed guide to driving from Anchorage to Valdez, yet another amazing road trip.

KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK: Check out our Kenai Fjords National Park Travel Guide for  important travel planning tips, sample itineraries, advice on when to go, where to stay, and more.

NATIONAL PARKS: In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries. You can also learn more about the national parks and get a FREE printable checklist in our US National Parks Checklist.

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