Quick Facts | Top Experiences | Best time to Visit | Guides
Katmai National Park in southwestern Alaska was originally established to protect the volcanic Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Nowadays, this remote park is best known for its thriving brown bear population, particularly in the Brooks Camp area. Each July, during peak salmon season, visitors gather at Brooks Falls to witness the bears feast on leaping salmon making their way upriver.
Katmai Quick Facts
Native Lands: Sugpiaq/Alutiiq, Dena’ina Athabascan, and Yupik (Native Land Digital)
Founded: date
Annual Visitors: 36,230 visitors in 2024
Size: 4,093,077 acres
Location: Alaska
Entrance Fee: Free ($1,000 to $1,500 per person in transportation costs from Anchorage)
Notable Fact: Katmai is home to the world’s largest concentration of brown bears, with over 2,000 bears calling its territory home.
Top Experiences in Katmai
- Bear viewing at Brooks Falls
- Bus tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes
- Rent kayaks or canoes
- Go fishing in Brooks River
- Go hiking around Brooks Camp
Best Time to Visit Katmai
If you’re interested in seeing the bears feasting on salmon, the best time to visit Katmai is in July. If you want to see the bears all fattened up, you can also visit closer to September.
That being said, Brooks Camp facilities open as early as mid-May and run through mid-September, where you’ll be able to visit with fewer crowds, albeit fewer bears.
