Katmai National Park & Preserve guides
11 in-depth guides to Katmai National Park & Preserve, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Katmai National Park & Preserve overview.
Flying In: Reaching Katmai via Brooks Camp
No roads reach Katmai, so the park is entered only by air or water. Most travelers arrive on small aircraft out of Anchorage, Dillingham, Homer, Kodiak, or King Salmon.
Weather Between the Pacific and Bering Sea
The Katmai region sits between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, which makes it a frequent battleground for competing weather systems.
Bear Platforms of Brooks Falls and Riffles
Brooks Falls is one of the best places in Katmai National Park and Preserve to watch brown bears fish for salmon.
Bus Tour to Ten Thousand Smokes
The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes was shaped by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
Sockeye Salmon and World-Class Brooks Fishing
Sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, make their run through Katmai's waters and draw anglers and brown bears to the same stretch of river.
Paddling the Savonoski Loop
Covering 80 miles of Katmai's backcountry, the Savonoski Loop draws canoeists and kayakers, and Naknek Lake is the way in.
Novarupta 1912: The Century's Biggest Eruption
On June 6, 1912, a volcano later named Novarupta burst open on the Alaska Peninsula. Over the next 60 hours, ash climbed as high as 20 miles into the air.
9,000 Years of People at Brooks River
People have lived in the Katmai area for more than 9,000 years, and the Brooks River area holds significant evidence of that history.
Robert Griggs and Katmai's 1918 Founding
Botanist Robert F. Griggs was fascinated by the 1912 Novarupta eruption, which the twentieth century never topped in size.
Staying at Brooks Camp Campground and Lodge
Brooks Camp Campground is the only developed campground in Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Climbing Dumpling Mountain Above Brooks Camp
The Dumpling Mountain Trail is a moderately strenuous climb that begins in the Brooks Camp Campground.
