Katmai
National Park and Preserve

Katmai became a National Park & Preserve, and received Wilderness designation, by an act of Congress on December 2, 1980. The area is famous for volcanoes, brown bears, fish, and rugged wilderness. Katmai is also the site of the Brooks River National Historic Landmark, recognized as having North America's highest concentration of prehistoric human dwellings (about 900).

Katmai National Monument was created by President Woodrow Wilson on September 24, 1918 to preserve the famed Valley of 10,000 Smokes. This spectacular forty square mile, 100 to 700 foot deep, pyroclastic ash flow was deposited during the June 6-9, 1912 eruption of Novarupta, the most explosive and volumnous volcanic event of the Twentieth Century.

There are at least fourteen volcanoes in Katmai considered “active,” more than in any other National Park. None of these are currently in eruption, but a few peaks do show an occasional steam plume.

Brown bear and salmon are more active in Katmai. The number of brown bears has grown to more than 2,000, making them the world's largest protected population of these bigger cousins of the grizzly. Calorie rich seafood is the reason brown bears get so big. 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 study is under way to assess and improve human/bear relations along the Coast.

A rich variety of other wildlife is found in the Park as well. There are such furry Alaska favorites as beaver, moose, caribou, wolves, wolverine, lynx, red squirrel, snowshoe rabbit, mice, and voles. Katmai's feathered friends include tundra swans, several types of ducks, geese, gulls, and migratory shore birds, plus warblers, ravens, magpies, and a large population of bald eagles. Katmai is also swimming in world class rainbow and lake trout, char, grayling, and all five varieties of salmon.

There is plenty room for such wildlife in this great Park. Katmai encompasses more than four million acres of pristine wilderness, with wild rivers and streams, rugged coastlines, broad green glacial hewn valleys, active glaciers and volcanoes, and Naknek Lake, the largest lake within a National Park. Except for two short trails and the 23-mile Valley of 10,000 Smokes dirt road (accessible from Brooks Camp) and a short distance of dirt road at the western edge of the Park at Lake Camp, there are no maintained roads or trails within Katmai. Yet, many visitors challenge the wilderness by canoe, kayak, and/or backpack each year (filing a Backcountry planner is recommended).

The area we now know as Katmai National Park & Preserve has been a very popular place for millennia. Archeologists discovered remains of nomadic hunter's camps dating back 9,000 years in the interior lake region of the Park. Impressive coastal sites show that marine sea mammal hunters were established along the Katmai Coast by 7,000 years ago. Large Native villages persisted along the Coast until Russian contact in the late 1700s, and were not completely abandoned until after Novarupta's cataclysmic eruption.

VISITATION:   

The entire Park receives more than 45,000 human visitations annually. Between 14,000 and 16,000 of these are at Brooks Camp. The majority of visitors come from early June through mid September, with July being the most crowded month.

 

LOCATION, TRANSPORTATION: 

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 and is the only Federal Fee Area within Katmai. Brooks Camp can only be reached via small float plane or boat.

 

ADDRESS: 

Katmai National Park and Preserve
P.O. Box 7
#1 King Salmon Mall
King Salmon, Alaska 99613  

 

TELEPHONE:  

  King Salmon Office: (907) 246-3305  

 

OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:  

The park is open year around. NPS 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.  

 

CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING: 

Summer daytime temperatures are usually in the low to mid 60s (F). Cool, overcast days, with strong winds are common. Be prepared for fluctuations from warm and sunny to cold and rainy, sometimes in the same day. Spring and fall temperatures are cool, with cold nights. Winters are cold with about six hours of sunlight.

 

FEES AND RESERVATIONS: 

Brooks Camp is the only Federal Fee Area within Katmai National Park & Preserve. There is a $10 per person/per day User Fee (not entrance fee) for all persons, plus an additional $5 per person/per night fee for those camping at the Brooks Camp Campground.

 

Advance reservations and fee payment are required for anyone accessing Brooks Camp. Reservations can be made for any available date(s) during the 1999 season, which runs from June 1 through September 17. Please contact the National Park Reservation Service (800) 365-2267 or (International) 1-301-722-1257 at least three weeks in advance of your arrival. Be sure to enter KAT# when instructed during the automated answer.

   

For those coming to Brooks Camp as part of a lodging, touring, or fishing package provided by the many commercial operators to Katmai, reservations may have already been made through your provider. Please check with your provider at least three weeks prior to your arrival. 

   

A private concessionaire, Katmailand, provides additional accommodations and food service at Brooks Camp's Brooks Lodge and two other lodges within the Park. The lodges are open from early June to mid-September. Reservations are necessary. Contact Katmailand at (800) 544-0551 or (International) 1-907-243-5448 for further information. Many other lodges and resorts offer tour packages for Katmai and the Alaska Peninsula area as well.  

 

FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

    

Visitor Centers:

 

King Salmon Visitor Center is located next to the airport terminal in King Salmon and is open year around. The King Salmon Visitor Center is jointly supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bristol Bay Borough, and the Lake and Peninsula Borough. The visitor center has exhibits of the local area as well as interpreters who will provide information on the entire Katmai region. The Visitor Center serves as an outlet for books, postcards, and other interpretive material offered through the Alaska Natural History Association (ANHA). Bear resistant food canisters can be loaned out, and Backcountry Planners filed at no charge for those planning to visit Katmai's pristine Wilderness. 

 

Brooks Camp Visitor Centeris located on Naknek Lake near the mouth of Brooks River, 30 air miles from King Salmon and is open June 1 to September 17. All visitors to Brooks Camp are required to attend the Brooks Camp School of Bear Etiquette offered at the Visitor Center. This fifteen to twenty minute orientation provides visitors with basic information to help keep themselves safe and bears out of trouble. Books, cards, posters, and videos are just some of the items available at the Alaska Natural History Association (ANHA) Bookstore. Backcountry Planners and bear resistant food canisters (no charge) are also available for those challenging Katmai's trackless backcountry. 

 

Three Forks Visitor Contact Station is located 23 miles from Brooks Camp on the only road within Katmai National Park & Preserve and is open early June to mid-September, weather and river crossing conditions permitting. The Three Forks Station overlooks the famous Valley of 10,000 Smokes and is the starting point of the Ukak Falls Trail.

 

Programs, Activities:  

 

A variety of interpretive programs are available at Brooks Camp throughout the summer. Evening programs are presented nightly by Park staff. Each afternoon, a Ranger led cultural walk takes visitors to a re-created archeological site ¼ from the Visitor Center. Each day Rangers also join Brooks Lodge staff to offer a guided bus tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. Reservations for the bus tour must be made in advance at Brooks Lodge. Other special ranger guided hikes and activities occur on an unscheduled basis throughout the season. Check at the Brooks Camp Visitor Center for dates and times.  

 

Katmai has more than four million acres of wilderness in which to hike, but only two maintained hiking trails. Dumpling Mountain trail starts at the Brooks Camp Campground and climbs 1½ miles to an overlook, then continues another 2½ miles to the summit. The Ukak Falls Trail begins at Three Forks Visitor Contact Station and drops 700 feet down to the edge of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. Hikers can then go to Ukak Falls and/or the Three Forks Convergence Overlook. Portions of these trails are steep and strenuous.&

 

Canon U.S.A. Sponsored Brown Bear Study:

 

During the summer of 1998, a study began along the Katmai Coast to determine what levels of human use in these areas are acceptable for sustaining natural and healthy populations of brown bears. Park personnel will observe the behavior of foraging bears at various sites, both in the presence and the absence of humans. The study will be used to assess the effects of human access, including floatplane, boat, helicopter and foot traffic. Katmai National Park & Preserve will adjust commercial permit specifications to mitigate potentially negative impacts upon bears and to ensure visitor safety.

  

This project is made possible by a generous grant from Canon U.S.A., Inc., through the National Park Foundation (NPF). The NPF is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, and has been raising private sector support for parks for 30 years. The Brown Bear Study is a part of the NPF and Canon's “Expedition Into The Parks,” which funds priority conservation projects in national parks. Since 1995, Canon U.S.A. has donated $3,500,000 for 49 parks to help preserve our nation's natural treasures.

 

Camping Facilities:

 

The Brooks Camp Campground is located ¼ mile north of the Brooks Camp Visitor Center. It is the only established campsite in Katmai. Campers can either make reservations for meals at Brooks Lodge, or provide their own portable white gas fueled camp stove for food preparation in the designated Campground cooking shelters. Space at Brooks Campground is limited to 60 people and advanced reservations and fee payments are required through the National Park Reservation Service (800) 365-2267 or (International) 1-301-722-1257.  

 

Food, Supplies:    

 

Meals are served at Brooks Lodge and are available for all visitors to Brooks Camp. Brooks Lodge Trading Post sells white gas (no propane), fishing gear, T-shirts and sweats, some snack foods, souvenirs, and other limited supplies.  

 

Other Concession, NPS Managed Visitor Facilities:

  

Brooks Lodge offers a daily bus tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. The trip starts at Brooks Camp, and includes a day hike to Ukak Falls, formed by the convergence of three rivers flowing through the Valley. Reservations are required through Brooks Lodge at (800) 544-0551 or (International) 1-907-243-5448. Arrangements can be made for the tour bus to both drop off and pick up wilderness hikers and backpackers visiting the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

 

 

This photo of Ukak Falls shows the 100 foot tall ash wall which flowed from Novarupta Volcano.Ukak Falls is near the end of the ash flow, 11 miles from Novarupta. Scientists estimate the pyroclastic flow of foamy, incandescent material reached temperatures in excess of 1,500 degrees (F) and reached speeds of 100 m.p.h. as it covered the once fertile 40 square mile Ukak Valley.

  

 

 

Friends of Katmai is a citizens group formed to assist the National Park Service with projects related to visitor education and outreach, protection of critical habitat for the Alaskan Brown Bear and world class rainbow trout and salmon, as well as protection of prehistoric cultural resources. For more information about the group, including how to join, please contact Friends of Katmai, P.O. Box 573, King Salmon, Alaska (AK) 99613, or call (907) 246-3305 and leave a message for the Friends of Katmai coordinator. 

Accessibility: 

Most of the public buildings in Brooks Camp, including the restroom facilities, are accessible, via ramps, to those with limited mobility; however, the narrow dirt paths in Brooks Camp are rough and can become very muddy and slippery during the frequent rainy days. The lower bear viewing platform, which is over ¼ mile from the Visitor Center across a floating bridge, is also accessible, but we caution those with physical difficulties that inadvertent very close encounters with brown bears are possible and may require visitors to move quickly. The trail to Brooks Falls and the Falls bear viewing platform are not accessible to those with physical disabilities. This area is also not appropriate for any visitor unable to move quickly off the trail and into the woods, especially during high bear density in July.  

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES, PARK USE:

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. Two bear viewing platforms are located along the Brooks River. The park also offers world-class sportfishing. The Katmai coast also attracts visitors for sportfishing as well as coastal tours and bear viewing. Access to the coast is available by boat tours and charter air taxis from Kodiak, Homer, and Anchorage, or from many of Katmai's commercial operators and lodges.

 

RESERVATIONS, PERMITS: 

Reservations are taken for Brooks Camp Day Use and Campground. Advance reservations are required for all visitors to Brooks Camp. Backcountry permits are not required; however, we recommend filing a Backcountry Planner. The Planner provides necessary visitor use information and is helpful in case of emergencies. Backcountry planners are available at the King Salmon Visitor Center and Brooks Camp Visitor Center. Bear resistant food canisters are also loaned out at no charge from both locations.

 

BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Viewing brown bears in their natural habitat and fishing are very popular activities in Katmai. 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 is in 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. The Brooks Falls bear viewing platform has a maximum capacity of 40 persons at a time. During times of high usage, visitors must check in at the lower bear viewing platform before going to the Falls platform. Visitors are also limited in how long they may remain at the Falls during these times.

 

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.

 

People may not intentionally approach or remain within 50 yards of a single bear, or 100 yards of a sow (female) with cubs, except when on the bear viewing platforms. Inadvertent encounters do happen. Clapping hands and repeatedly saying “Hey Bear” while walking anywhere in Brooks Camp prevents most of these encounters. If a too close situation does happen, do not run from a bear, nor make direct eye contact. Wave your arms and speak firmly to the bear while slowly backing away, letting the bear know you are neither a threat nor possible prey.

 

Capsicum bear spray is not allowed on commercial airlines and has not proven very effective. Bear spray should not be taken within the cabins of air taxis. Let your pilot know if you are carrying bear spray so it can be placed in the floats of the plane. No firearms of any kind are allowed within the National Park, except when carried by authorized National Park Service designated personnel as part of their official duty.

 

A valid Alaska State Fishing License is required for all persons age fifteen and older who fish the waters of Katmai National Park & Preserve. Fishing licenses are available at many locations including the Brooks Lodge Trading Post at Brooks Camp. All persons fishing in Katmai must be aware of catch and release as well as bag limit regulations for the specific site where they are fishing. Any fish kept at Brooks Camp must immediately be placed in a special bag purchased at the Brooks Camp Visitor Center and taken to the Fish Freezing Building near the Lodge. Visitors may not “clean” fish at Brooks Camp.

 

ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

Flightseeing tours of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes and of the Katmai Coast are available from commercial tour providers, including Brooks Lodge. Several commercial fishing lodges are in or near Katmai National Park & Preserve.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Katmai National Park & Preserve also administers Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve and the Alagnak Wild River .

Last Updated: Wednesday July 7, 1999 4:20 P.M.
http://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm