Alaska’s Katmai National Park Is Where The Bears Roam
The Park in Southwestern Alaska is known for its Active volcanoes and our large salmon-eating friends.
STEPPING OFF THE RUBBER zodiac raft and onto the shores of Alaska’s Katmai National Park for the first time, every hair on my body stood at attention. Walking inland, our group made sure to stir up enough noise to warn any creatures snoozing in the overgrowth of our presence. When we crested the small hill, I witnessed a scene I could never have imagined: dozens of brown bears happily grazing in a massive sedge field. A few of the bears nearest to us briefly glanced up, then immediately returned to eating, the unbothered kings of the landscape, indifferent to our presence.
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Over the course of that first day, multiple bears ambled past me and my fellow travelers. A couple of mother bears even seemed to use us as babysitters for their cubs as they searched for food nearby. The temptation to go for literal bear-hugs with these impossibly cute creatures was strong, but I resisted. And thus I am here to tell the tale.
OTHER NATIONAL PARK ANIMAL HOTSPOTS
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Besides grizzly bears, spy on wolves, bighorn sheep, bison and more. A word of caution: bison may look chill and docile, but they can be surly buggers. Keep your distance.
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
Bar Harbor, base for Maine’s only national park, is known for whale-watching. Spy humpbacks, massive finbacks, and even the occasional orca or beluga.
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Most folks aren’t too keen on getting close to an alligator (or 50), but manatees remain a perennially popular attraction. Rent a kayak at the Flamingo Marina to paddle amongst the magnetic mammals.
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
In Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cades Cove, it’s a rare day when black bears aren’t taking a leisurely stroll or grazing in the meadows.
Katmai National Park and Preserve, more than four million acres of coast, mountain and pristine waterways at the north end of the Alaska Peninsula, features volcano-sculpted backcountry, infinite hiking and an anglers’ paradise. But I was there for bears, and so were many other humans. More than 2,000 brown bears live in this wilderness expanse, where food is so plentiful, there’s virtually no competition among them (except during mating season). This makes Katmai perhaps the world’s greatest bear-watching hotspot. Dozens of bears might congregate here at any one place and time. And because so many people want to see this spectacle, from the bears’ point of view, we’re practically part of the scenery at this point.
You can’t reach Katmai by land, only by water or air. Most visitors opt for Brooks Falls, famous for scenes of bears standing atop a small waterfall as migrating salmon inadvertently jump into their mouths. Walking from the park lodge to the two-story viewing platform, you may even share the trail with a bear or three. (This scenario is covered by park staff during visitors’ mandatory Bear 101 talk upon arrival.) Most Brooks Falls visitors try to sync with the salmon runs in June, July, and September. Spaces at the lodge and campground fill up fast for these peaks—word to the wise.
Visiting Katmai’s bays and meadows provides an even better insight into day-to-day bear life. (Katmai bears technically are considered brown bears, while brown bears living further inland are also called grizzlies. Most guides I’ve met use the term “coastal grizzlies” interchangeably.) You’ll likely see more cubs in the surrounding bays and meadows than at Brooks Falls itself.
You can do a fly-in day trip (tour operators can be found in several surrounding cities) or stay multiple days in the Brooks Falls lodge or campground (surrounded by a bear-proof electric fence). A few tour operators do multiday trips to Hallo Bay and elsewhere in Katmai, with travelers staying aboard a boat anchored offshore at night. If you’re thinking about camping out in the park’s wilds, I highly recommend the services of a professional bear guide. Not to sound alarmist, but there are lots of them here!
WHERE TO CAMP
There are no roads in Katmai. But here are a few bases for ursine adventure:
ANCHORAGE SHIP CREEK RV PARK
Several day-trip operators fly out of Anchorage (about a 70-minute flight to Katmai), and this park near the city center affords quick and easy access to the nearby airport.
KING SALMON RV PARK
A half-hour float plane ride is all that separates this popular RV park from Katmai. Bring your fly-fishing gear; when you’re not bear-watching, you can toss a line in the nearby Kenai and Kasilof rivers, home to two of the world’s best salmon runs.
OCEAN SHORES RV PARK & RESORT
Multiple operators do Katmai day trips out of Homer (75-minute flight). This RV park offers beach access and gorgeous views of the Chugach Mountains.
