Katmai National Park is one of the least visited National Parks because of its remote location. The trip to Katmai, however, is well worth it. There are a few ways to get there, by float plane or by water taxi out of King Salmon, Alaska. If you are only there for a day, it is probably best to take a float plane from Anchorage. Trail Ridge Air is a great small business with good customer service that flies to Katmai.

For our trip, we booked a stay at Alaska Gold Creek Lodge, in King Salmon, Alaska. To get to King Salmon, we flew Aleutian Airways out of Anchorage Airport. The flight was quick, less than an hour. Aleutian Airways arrives into King Salmon earlier than Alaska Airlines, so you can make better use of your day. Just be aware of the limits with your luggage. You are allowed one small hand bag and one checked bag.

Once we arrived in King Salmon, we were greeted by staff from Gold Creek Lodge. One staff member took our luggage and headed back to the lodge. We were escorted to another van to be transferred to the Katmai water taxi. The water taxi is owned by the same people who run Gold Creek Lodge. The water taxi takes you to Brooks Camp, about a 40 – 50 minute boat ride. You can book the water taxi even if you are not staying at the lodge. Some people do this if they are staying at Brooks Lodge or the campground in Katmai National Park.

Brooks Camp – The first thing you do when you arrive at Brooks Camp is attend Bear School, led by one of the National Park Rangers. Bear School only takes about 15 minutes and reviews all of the safety expectations and how to act if you encounter a bear on the trails, beach, or at camp. The bears at Brooks are everywhere. There was a family of three right on the beach the first time that we arrived.

An important thing to note is food and drink, other than water, are not allowed anywhere in the park outside of Brooks Camp. A public food storage locker is available by the visitor center. A gear storage is also available. Also by the visitor center is the dining hut. The huts are the only place you are allowed to eat as they are surrounded by electric fences to keep the bears out.

Brooks Falls – The hike to Brooks Falls is about 1.4 miles from the visitor center. As you learn in Bear School, it is best to walk in a group and talk while are hiking in order to minimize encounters with bears on the trail. Bears always have the right of way on the trail. Humans have to wait for them. Even if they decide to take a nap in the middle of the trail. Keep this in mind as you are planning your day.

Right past Brooks Lodge, you will come to the North and South Platforms. This will give you the first views of the Brooks River and out into Naknek Lake. Even though these platforms aren’t the main attraction, take time to watch the bears from here. You will often encounter some of the younger bears here and they can be quite entertaining.

Near the end of the hike you will come to another boardwalk. This boardwalk leads to Brooks Falls, the main attraction. There are two platforms here, the Falls Platform and Rifles Platform. Access to the Falls Platform is limited. Only 40 visitors are allowed on the platform at a time. A ranger or a volunteer will be there to keep the wait list and know when it is your turn. When you do get to go to the Falls Platform you will be allowed to stay for 30 minutes. Here you will get great photos and be able to see the salmon jumping and the active bears. When your 30 minutes is up, you can put your name back in the waiting list if you want to be close to the falls again.

The Rifles platform also offers great views, both up and down the river. There is no limit to how many people can be on the Rifles Platform so it can get crowded at times. However, you will still get to see the bears and see how they interact with each other and all the different ways that they fish.

Tips for a great trip

1. Take time to plan your trip. Really consider how long you are going to be there and where you want to stay. Katmai is not a place that you can visit at the last minute. We loved staying at Alaska’s Gold Creek Lodge because it was close enough to Brooks, however it provided other amenities and comforts. We got the best of both worlds, the wilderness and comfort.
2. Take a good camera. You are going to want to take a lot of pictures of both the scenery and the bears. We rented a good lens from lensrentals.com so that we could get great pictures, but not have to invest in another piece of equipment.
3. Check out the bears in advance on Explore.org. You can watch the bears at the falls and get to know their personalities. This makes seeing them in person even more exciting.
4. If you have a guide, take a river walk. We were able to get down into the river and walk with the bears. There are plenty of other people fishing in the river, so you will not be the only one. This is an experience to remember.
5. Rainy days are actually good days. The rain keeps some of the bugs away. Be sure to bring a good rain coat and have a cover for your camera. Dress warm and layer up.
6. Pack your lunch for your visit. There is only one restaurant at Brooks Camp to serve all the daily visitors. Packing a lunch allows you more flexibility in your day.

Don’t Forget to Pack

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1. For this trip I used Osprey Stratos 34L Daypack. This pack was big enough to pack all our of our needed supplies, but also small enough to use as a carry-on. I have smaller pack too, but found this was the perfect size to carry our camera, lens, binoculars, and some layers.
2. You can’t visit Katmai without having a good camera. We use the Sony Alpha Mirrorless Camera.
3. Bring a good rain coat. I love my Marmot GoreTex Rain Jacket.