Katmai National Park & Preserve guide · 1 min read
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.
The park's headquarters is in King Salmon, roughly 290 air miles southwest of Anchorage, which makes that town a frequent starting point for the trip.
A direct flight can carry you to Brooks Camp in one leg. Otherwise, you can fly from Anchorage to King Salmon in about an hour, then transfer to a float plane for a ride of roughly 20 minutes. Float-equipped aircraft are the usual way to reach the camp, and some pilots land on Lake Brooks, where a short shuttle ride covers the last stretch.
Brooks Camp sits right beside the shoreline of Naknek Lake and provides public services and accessible options not available elsewhere in the park. Before a stay begins, everyone must attend a short bear safety session that covers park regulations. Weather here can bring wind, rain, and cold, so pack for conditions that change quickly.
The park's principal lodge, Brooks Lodge, offers cabins, a dining room, and a gift shop. Because demand runs high, overnight rooms are often assigned by lottery, but canceled trips release space, so calling back often can help. Tent campers can use the Brooks Camp Campground, the park's only developed campground, which has 18 sites on Naknek Lake about 0.3 miles from the visitor center. Reservations need to be made in advance.
