Katmai National Park is the ultimate wildlife experience in Alaska, and really maybe the most incredible in the United States. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, maybe the image of tons of brown bears standing in a waterfall catching salmon in their mouths does. Or does “Fat Bear Week” sound familiar? This remote National Park can’t be driven to and you can’t just hop on a boat tour to visit. If you want to know how to visit Katmai National Park and just what the experience is like, we’ve got the full scoop and all the options for getting there.
Spending a few days at Katmai National Park is a bucket list item for so many people, including many Alaskans. From the Brooks Lodge lottery to day trips from Homer and Anchorage, get ready to take some notes and start planning your own visit. I’ve been all over the state and to six of Alaska’s eight National Parks and Katmai NP is really something else. If you have any questions about planning your trip to Katmai or need some additional recommendations for cool things to do in Alaska, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan an unforgettable adventure!
How to Visit Katmai National Park
Before we get too deep into how to visit Katmai National Park, I have to express how special of an experience it is, and also very sought after. Because of this, visiting Katmai NP is very expensive. For a day visit via seaplane from Anchorage, Homer or Kodiak you’re looking at around $1500 per person. For 2-4 nights at Brooks Lodge (the cabins in the Park) you’re looking at $1300 – $3000 per person plus additional transportation and food costs. Having said that, there are ways to make it work and budget for it. Visiting Katmai NP is something that is typically planned at least 18 months out, so you can save and figure out the finances before it’s finally your day. I planned a three week Alaska adventure that included Homer, Kodiak and Gustavus all around our dates for Katmai.
There is no road access to Katmai National Park, so getting to any part of it, whether it’s Brooks Falls or Hallo Bay or Geographic Harbor must be done by floatplane. Day trips you can do with little to no planning if you have the budget for it, but multi-day trips require putting in for a lottery nearly two years in advance. The remoteness of the park means that it doesn’t get crowded like you experience in Yellowstone NP or Yosemite, but there are times where specific bear viewing areas get busy. You have to decide how to visit Katmai National Park based on your timeline and budget. Getting here, the wildlife and the experiences are very different from Glacier Bay National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park or even Denali National Park, so you have to evaluate what you think the experience is worth.
Where Is Katmai National Park Located
When you look at a map of Alaska, you’ll find Anchorage in the middle on the coast, referred to as southcentral Alaska. From here, go along the northern shore of the Cook Inlet and down the Alaska Peninsula. You’ll see Lake Clark National Park and then just south is Katmai National Park and Preserve. You’ll notice that there are no ferry routes or roads leading to any part of the park, and that’s why there is such an amazing, healthy concentration of wildlife here.
You’ll see that Kodiak Island looks relatively close to Katmai, but even with that close proximity there still isn’t boat service between the two locations. The remoteness adds to the cost of visiting, both because it’s more expensive to operate the park and facilities and because you have complex transportation via seaplanes to get them.
Note: there is a single tour company that does a boat tour to Katmai NP from Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula, near Homer. This doesn’t go to Brooks Falls, but does the coastal part of the park.
What Is Katmai National Park Known For
It’s worth making a plan and figuring out how to visit Katmai National Park because the complete experience really is iconic and unlike anything else you can do in the USA. The park is most well known for the bears. Does “Fat Bear Week” ring a bell? Here’s what else makes Katmai National Park and Preserve famous:
- Brown bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls
- One of the largest protected brown bear populations in the world
- Brooks Camp and its world-famous bear viewing platforms (near Brooks Falls)
- Fat Bear Week and the park’s famous bears like 747, Chunk and Otis
- The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes volcanic landscape
- The 1912 Novarupta eruption, one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century
- Remarkable wildlife photography opportunities
- Salmon runs that attract bears and fishermen from across the region
- Remote Alaskan wilderness like you wouldn’t believe
- Hiking, fishing, rafting, and backcountry adventures in a largely untouched ecosystem
Seriously, until you’re here and surrounded by wildlife without any cell signal or wifi connection, you’ll understand the depth of how special and unique of an experience it is to be able to visit Katmai National Park.
When To Visit Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park is open all year if you can get yourself there. Having said that, Brooks Lodge and the main flightseeing tours and day trips only operate from May to September. Summer is the peak and both the easiest and most difficult time to visit. I say easy and hard because there are the most options for how to get to Katmai, but also there’s the greatest demand, making it the hardest time to secure a visit. Having said that, bear season, aka summer, is definitely the best time to visit the park.
Bear Season at Kamai
Just like the fish markets, Katmai National Park gets busy during salmon season. There are several rivers in the park, but the main one that you can visit is the Brooks River. The biggest salmon runs in the Brooks River happen in July and September. Brooks Camp is the busiest during these two runs. The July salmon run is when Brooks Falls itself gets the busiest with bears in the river. If you haven’t seen Disney’s Brother Bear you should watch it. There’s a part of the movie that happens at Brooks Falls with all the bears catching salmon and singing… and that’s what it’s really like in real life.
Although nature doesn’t have to stick to the human calendar, it does tend to follow the months for bear activity. The end of June is when the sockeye salmon start showing up along with the bears, and then at the peak of the run in Mid-July it’s off the hook, but then is basically finished by the end of July. August sees the brown bears disperse to find other food, so visiting during that month might mean not seeing ANY bears. But then they come back in September for the second sockeye run. Brooks Lodge and the park facilities close by the end of the second week of September. This is when Fat Bear Week usually starts.
Spring and Early Summer in Katmai National Park
One of the cool things about visiting Katmai National Park and Preserve in late spring or early summer (before June 21) is how the bears are differently active. They aren’t as concentrated or visibly populous during this time, but they’re around and the mamas have BRAND NEW CUBS! If that’s not motivation to get to Katmai in late spring, I don’t know what would be. The weather during the spring is warming up exponentially each day as the days get longer, so that can make for a fun, beautiful springtime adventure.
How To Get To Katmai National Park
How to get to Katmai National Park depends on the type of visit you’re planning. If you’re staying several nights at Brooks Lodge or camping at Brooks Camp you’ll need to lock in your spot months in advance, so your flight planning is a bit easier and you don’t have lots of options, but if you’re doing just a day trip, that’s when you have to understand the transportation to Katmai National Park a bit better.
Option 1: King Salmon and THEN Katmai
You can either set up your flights to Katmai National Park via Katmai Air from Anchorage or King Salmon. If you’re coming from Anchorage, it’s an easy flight and there are usually a few each day during the summer. The Anchorage to King Salmon flight is about an hour.
Most people who are staying at Brooks Lodge are arriving via the town of King Salmon. You can fly here on Alaska Airlines with daily service, usually with multiple flights from Anchorage to choose from. Once you’re in King Salmon, it’s then a seaplane flight with Katmai Air over to Brooks Camp. Because this is remote Alaska and the weather on the Alaska Peninsula can change quickly, it’s best to fly into King Salmon the day before your Brooks Lodge reservation and spend one night, then you fly into the park the next day. Coming in a day early allows you the cushion of flight delays or cancellations. And before you ask, no, there’s not much to do in King Salmon at all.
Option 2: Day Trip from Homer or Anchorage
This is how most people get to visit Katmai NP, on a day trip from Anchorage or Homer, or even from Kodiak. These are full day trips via floatplane where you’ll leave from the Lake Hood Floatplane Base in Anchorage, the Beluga Lake Floatplane Base in Homer, or the Near Island seaplane harbor in Kodiak. Guests will fly a little over an hour to Brooks Camp, spend the day on the boardwalks and trails watching the bears, and then you fly back to Anchorage or wherever you started from. Flights during Fat Bear Week are fewer, but sometimes possible if the weather is good and there’s availability.
Something cool about the day trip option is that it opens up the doors to visit two other parts of Katmai National Park that you CAN’T visit doing a Brooks Falls/Camp/Lodge trip. Some bear viewing flightseeing will actually visit Geographic Harbor or Hallo Bay, which gives you a very different bear experience, as it’s coastal. These bear viewing options can sometimes be a little less expensive, but not usually.
FROM ANCHORAGE – CHECK OUT RUST’S FLYING SERVICE – When booking online or over the phone, use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage!
Bonus Option 3: Katmai Water Taxi
If you’ve been able to secure a stay at Brooks Lodge, your seaplane flights to and from King Salmon are included, but if you’re camping, you need to arrange your transportation. Or if you’re visiting King Salmon and just want to do the day visit to Brooks Falls, you need to set up your transportation for that. The Katmai Water Taxi goes on the river and then Naknek Lake to Brooks Camp, so you can do the boat if you have camping gear to tote or if you just don’t want to fly.
How Much Does It Cost To Visit Katmai National Park
Unlike visiting Denali National Park or Wrangell-St Elias National Park that you can drive to and are relatively inexpensive to explore, Katmai carries a big cost. Here’s how each type of visit plays out for expenses. Of course, costs can change a bit year to year, but in general you should expect the following when you’re planning your Katmai National Park trip.
Brooks Lodge – 2 Nights / 3 Days
First of all, to stay at Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park you need to put in for the lottery on December 1 to secure a cabin for the next NEXT summer. EX: December 1, 2026 lottery winner will be visiting Katmai during the summer of 2028. You can put in for 1-4 nights, but two or three is perfect. The cost for winning the Brooks Lodge lottery (through Bristol Adventures, Alaska Native owned and operated) varies by number of days, but in general for the package per person it’s $1250 for TWO NIGHTS. This includes flights from King Salmon, your cabin for two nights, and a Valley of 10,000 Smokes Tour. This is the BEST DEAL for visiting Katmai National Park with an excellent amount of time in the park, a guided tour, unlimited bear watching, and staying in a rustic cabin.
NOTE: when you stay at Brooks Lodge or Brooks Camp, dining is NOT included. The lodge does breakfast, lunch and dinner, and at each meal service there is a different level of food options available. Meals run from $14 – $40 USD.
Total Cost for 2 Nights: about $1450 per person for Brooks Lodge plus the flight to King Salmon which can be from $250-$400 per person, add an overnight in King Salmon beforehand for buffer at $300 (split with others), GRAND TOTAL per person: about $1850 USD.
Day Trip from Anchorage or Homer
The cost for how to get to Katmai from Anchorage or Homer is fairly consistent. These trips are all day trips, and can last from 6 hours to 12 hours, depending on who you go with and what part of Katmai you’re visiting. In general, the cost of any day trip to visit Katmai costs at minimum $1300 per person, and can go up to $1800. You’re usually unable to do both Brooks Falls and the Valley of 10,000 Smokes in a day trip, so if this is what you choose, you’ll be focused on either Brooks Camp and the falls, or Hallo and Geographic Bays. You can either bring your own lunch or dine at the Brooks Lodge dining room for this sort of trip.
Total Cost for Day Trip: $1300-1800 USD. Remember that we have a discount code with Rust’s Flying Service!
Camping at Brooks Camp
The most cost effective option for experiencing Katmai National Park is to fly into King Salmon from Anchorage, camping gear in tow and then camp within the small campground. You can then take the Katmai Water Taxi to Brooks Camp (45 minutes) for $205, then pay $18 per person per night for a campsite. When you’re done, it’s another $205 water taxi fare back to King Salmon. If you bring your own food, you can cook at camp, otherwise you’ll need to use the dining room. Don’t forget to account for the cost of the flight to King Salmon from Anchorage. When you get here, you’ll see that there is an electric fence all around the campground to keep the bears out. It’s funny, but necessary.
Total Cost for 3 Nights Camping: $410 for water taxi, $54 for camping, $120 for Valley of 10,000 Smokes tour, $225 for lodge dining, flight to/from King Salmon $250-$400. GRAND TOTAL per person: about $1100 USD.
Things to Do in Katmai National Park
So do you need some reasons to visit Katmai National Park now? If you didn’t already know that you needed to commune with bears, let’s add more activities that you can enjoy once you get to Brooks Camp and are fully disconnected from the rest of the world. With 4.1 million acres, Katmai is incredible and you only get a taste of it with bear viewing.
Bear School – REQUIRED
Before anything else at all, whether you’re staying at Brooks Lodge, camping, or just visiting for the day, you MUST go through bear school. This is about 20 minutes of your time to watch a bear safety video and go through an orientation and safety discussion with a park ranger. There are literally bears walking around everywhere and there are rangers whose sole job is bear management, so yes, bear school is an extremely important part of visiting Katmai National Park and it’s the very first thing to do. I have to say, doing Bear School at Katmai National Park really does get you into the right mindset to be immersed in wildlife and it sets the tone for your visit.
Brooks Falls Bear Viewing
When we arrived at Brooks Camp, the very first thing we wanted to do was visit Brooks Falls. Even though we arrived at the change of the salmon run so there weren’t 30 bears in the falls at all times, we were thrilled with seeing bears EVERYWHERE. On the walk to Brooks Falls, below the falls, in the falls, on the river banks. It truly is amazing and the short hike (1.25 miles) is easy and each time we did it we were so happy to see bears. The activity of bears catching sockeye salmon is really the most incredible wildlife experience. This is THE SCENE for Fat Bear Week.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes Tour
When you think about visiting Katmai National Park, typically all you think of is just the Brooks Falls bear viewing experience but there’s much more. The tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is incredible and worth eating a day of your time at Brooks Camp. This is the Katmai equivalent of the Denali NP Tundra Wilderness Tour. It is done on a bus with a great driver and a Park Ranger to narrate. You stop for ALL wildlife, there are opportunities to do short walks to view points, and you get to do several river crossings on the bus as the water flows under you. It’s cool.
When you actually get to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes the views of the ash covered mountains and glaciers are epic. There’s a visitor center there which is opened just for people on the bus tour, and lunch is provided so you can eat at the visitor center or take it out on the trail. The hike to Ukak Falls and the beautiful confluence areas is great and makes for the perfect break in the tour. As far as wildlife goes, you may see bears, but you’re more likely to see moose, lynx and owls. We saw four lynx and six moose on our tour.
Cultural Site at Brooks Camp
While you’re at Brooks Camp, there are a few trails that guide you around the area, including to the lake and to the Alutiiq archaeological site. Here you can check out exhibits about the ancient dwellings they’ve found and see inside the interpretive center. It’s fascinating to think about the millennia of history and human existence here in Katmai National Park.
Hiking in Katmai National Park
When you visit Brooks Camp there are a few different trails you can enjoy for a hike in the immediate vicinity. The main trail that everyone will be doing when you’re in Katmai National Park is the Brooks Falls trail which is 1.2 miles and very flat. Much of the trail is on the boardwalks. Starting along the same route, but then following the road, the trail to Lake Brooks is also 1.2 miles. This is a beautiful lake with potential for paddling when it’s in season.
The main hike from Brooks Camp is up to the Dumpling Mountain Overlook. It’s a medium-hard hike climbing 800 feet over just a mile and a half, so it’s a little bit challenging, but it’s doable as an add-on to your time in Katmai. If you’ve had your fill of watching the bears fishing, do the hike and take in the views of Books and Naknek Lakes. If you opt for the Valley of 10,000 Smokes bus tour, be sure that you do the Ukak Falls Trail from the visitor center. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it and it’s beautiful!
Stargazing in Katmai NP
There is zero light pollution in Katmai National Park, so if you’re up for a little stargazing, this is a great place to do it. Keep in mind though that from May to early August, darkness is minimal so stargazing may not work out like you think, but if you’re here in late summer, you’ve got some amazing skies to see! Because there are so many bears roaming around, it’s best to set up your camera or stargazing gear on the first boardwalk on the river. It’s gated to prevent bears and it’s a wide open space with even surfaces. Perfect for enjoying the night sky.
Flightseeing to Katmai
Since not everyone is lucky enough to get to stay for multiple days at Brooks Camp or Brooks Lodge, day trips and flightseeing is how most visitors get to have the Katmai National Park experience. You can do a bear viewing day trip from Anchorage, Homer or Kodiak and have 8-10 hours in Katmai. Most flightseeing tours bring you directly into Brooks Camp and then you’ll have the day to visit the different platforms and see the bears, but some will fly you to Hallo Bay or Geographic Bay. Depending on the season and where the salmon are, the flightseeing and day trips will alter their destination.
While every sort of visit to Katmai National Park is a costly one, the day trip option is the most expensive. You can expect a price tag of $1100-$1500 per person for the trip. It truly is an amazing bear viewing experience, but for most visitors it’s cost-prohibitive.
FROM ANCHORAGE – CHECK OUT RUST’S FLYING SERVICE – When booking online or over the phone, use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage!
Visitor Centers at Katmai NP
Katmai National Park has three visitor centers, and each is very different serving a different purpose. None of the facilities are grand like the Wrangell-St Elias National Park or Yosemite National Park visitor centers, but they all have good exhibits that are very interesting and useful to your visit. Also, the King Salmon and Brooks Camp visitors centers both have small gift shops in case you need a Katmai t-shirt, mug or magnet. They even have merchandise for Fat Bear Week winners.
King Salmon Visitor Center
King Salmon, Alaska doesn’t have a lot going on for itself, but the Katmai National Park visitor center next to the airport is great. It’s full of exhibits about wildlife, geology, the Alutiiq people, and the protected areas all around Katmai NP. There is a small film room with a good sized library of documentaries about Katmai and Southwest Alaska, and the rangers are happy to start any viewing experience you want. This is also where you can pick up your Junior Ranger packets to earn your badges. You can start working on your Junior Ranger badges before you even get to the park, and you should, because these are the most complicated packets I’ve ever done for a badge.
Brooks Camp Visitor Center
The visitor center at Brooks Camp is smaller than the one in King Salmon, but then its function is much different. While you’re at the Brooks Lodge or Camp, bear safety is the paramount focus at all times. When you’re visiting the visitor center here, this is the best place for information about bear viewing, stories of past “fat bear week” winners, and to complete your Junior Ranger oath. Really, bears are 95% of the focus here, and it’s also the building where you complete bear school upon arrival.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes Visitor Center
This small visitor center is at the end of the road to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Known as the Robert F Griggs Visitor Center, you can only get here if you’re doing the bus tour to the valley, and it’s definitely something to put on your itinerary for your time at Brooks Camp. This visitor center focuses on the Novarupta blast of 1912 and the fascinating geology of the valley floor and surrounding mountains. I love it! There are also picnic tables and telescopes to enjoy the view from here.
Wildlife in Katmai National Park
Yes, the brown bears in Katmai NP are amazing, but there are lots of other animals to watch for in the park. Whether you’re at Brooks Camp, out in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, or visiting on a day trip to the coastal areas, you need to be alert and watch for wildlife wherever you go. Here’s a short list of animals to watch for while you’re at Katmai National Park:
- Brown Bear – watch for them everywhere, not just at Brooks Falls
- Moose – yes, there are moose all over the park
- Gray Wolf – not commonly seen, they’re all around
- Lynx – so amazing to see and I love them
- Red Fox – if you’re out early away from Brooks Falls, you’ll likely see one
- Snowshoe Hare – they’re everywhere, which is why there are so many lynx
- River Otters, porcupines, ermine and more!
There are also caribou in Katmai NP, but unless you’re doing a grand backcountry expedition, you’re very unlikely to see them. Denali National Park is a much more likely destination for caribou, even though the numbers down here on the Alaska Peninsula are really healthy.
I hope you’re inspired, excited and ready to experience what I would consider one of the most special and beautiful places in Alaska. Having lived in AK and now visiting every few months, no place has moved me the way that Katmai National Park and its wildlife have. It’s beyond remarkable. If you have any questions about planning a trip, the lottery or putting together a bigger Alaska adventure, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you explore the world!
