National Park & Preserve you'll probably meet some people from Elmendorf Afb; if you've had enough of Katmai National Park & Preserve, Fish Lake is nearby. If you want a fine time in the great outdoors, just come on down to Katmai National Park & Preserve. Dry warm beds await you
at Residence Inn By Marriott Anchorage Midtown; glide down the rapids of Campbell Creek in a kayak.
Fun things to do are bountiful; there's always something for everybody to love. A visit to Katmai National Park & Preserve is a wonderful choice when you have to spend some time
in nature. Dry warm beds await you at Merrill Field Inn, and a round of golf at nearby Anchorage Golf Course is a brilliant way to kill some time.
If you came for an overnight stay John's RV Park and Motel is a good spot to camp. Really delightful skiing awaits you at Hilltop,
and Middle Fork Chester Creek is one of the streams close by that might be worth going to. The loveliness of Katmai National Park & Preserve is there for you to love.
Katmai National Park & Preserve is regularly a rather waterless place; the month with most of the rain is September,
and April is when it's the driest.
Katmai is famous for volcanoes, brown bears, fish, and rugged wilderness and is also the site of the Brooks River National Historic Landmark with North America's highest concentration of prehistoric human dwellings (about 900). Katmai
National Monument was created to preserve the famed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a spectacular forty square mile, 100 to 700 foot deep, pyroclastic ash flow deposited by Novarupta Volcano. There are at least fourteen volcanoes in Katmai considered 'active', none of which are
currently erupting. Brown bear and salmon are very active in Katmai. The number of brown bears has grown to more than 2,000. During the peak of the world's largest sockeye salmon run each July, and during return of the 'spawned out' salmon in September, forty to sixty bears
congregate in Brooks Camp along the Brooks River and the Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake shorelines. Brown bears along the 480 mile Katmai Coast also enjoy clams, crabs, and an occasional whale carcass. A rich variety of other wildlife is found in the Park as well. There is plenty
room for great diversity of wildlife in Katmai which encompasses millions of acres of pristine wilderness, with wild rivers and streams, rugged coastlines, broad green glacial hewn valleys, active glaciers and volcanoes, and Naknek Lake. CONTACTS
Email - Kristi_Bergeron@nps.gov Fax- 907-246-4286 Write to
Katmai NP&P Field HeadQuarters
P.O. Box 7, #1 King Salmon Mall
King Salmon, AK 99613 - or -
Katmai-Lake Clark HeadQuarters
4230 University Drive, Suite
311
Anchorage, AK 99508-4626 Phone
Headquarters - (907) 271-3751
Visitor Information - 907-246-3305
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours, Seasons
The park is open year around. NPS and concessionaire services are offered
at Brooks Camp from June 1 through September 17. Backcountry activities are also best during this time. Prime bear viewing months at Brooks Camp are July and September, although a few bears may be in the area at any time between late May and December. Getting There
PLANE
- Katmai National Park Preserve is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island. Park Headquarters is in King Salmon, about 290 air miles southwest of Anchorage. Several commercial airlines provide daily flights into King Salmon as there is no road access. Brooks
Camp, along the Brooks River approximately 30 air miles from King Salmon, is a common destination for visitors to the Park. Brooks Camp can only be reached via small float plane or boat. Weather & Climate
Summers in Katmai are cool with frequent high winds and
rain. Insects can be intense and headnets are recommended. Accessibility
Most of the public buildings in Brooks Camp, including the restroom facilities, are accessible, via ramps, to those with limited mobility; however, the narrow dirt paths in Brooks Camp are
rough and can become very muddy and slippery during the frequent rainy days. The lower bear viewing platform, which is over 1/4 mile from the Visitor Center across a floating bridge, is also accessible, but we caution those with physical difficulties that inadvertent very close
encounters with brown bears are possible and may require visitors to move quickly. The trail to Brooks Falls and the Falls bear viewing platform are not accessible to those with physical disabilities. This area is also not appropriate for any visitor unable to move quickly off
the trail and into the woods, especially during high bear density in July. Getting Around
Viewing brown bears in their natural habitat and fishing are very popular activities in Katmai. Safety and preparation for varying conditions are the most important considerations
when visiting a wilderness area like Katmai National Park & Preserve. Although a bear may be encountered anywhere in Katmai from late May into December, the best times for bear viewing at Brooks Camp are late-June through July and September. There are few, if any, bears
around Brooks in June and August, though they are seen occasionally during these times. July and September are crowded with both bears and people. Delays in getting to and from the bear viewing platforms are common and can occur at any time, although such delays offer opportunities
for viewing other wildlife and the spectacular scenery all-around Brooks Camp. Katmai is bear habitat, and they always have the right-of-way. Weather and bears are always a factor at Katmai, so plan extra time to work around delays. There are occasions, especially in July, when
visitors are unable to get to the Falls Platform due to time constraints and flight schedules. Extenuating circumstances may necessitate closure of any portion of Brooks Camp, including trails and bear viewing platforms for safety reasons without advance notice. CAMPING
Brooks
Camp Campground (KAT#)
Make Reservations by Phone at 1-800-365-CAMP
Brooks Camp is the only Federal Fee Area within Katmai National Park & Preserve. There is a $10 per person/per day User Fee (not entrance fee) for all persons, plus an additional $5 per person/per
night fee for those camping at the Brooks Camp Campground. Advance campground reservations and fee payment are required for Brooks Camp. For those coming to Brooks Camp as part of a lodging, touring, or fishing package provided by the many commercial operators to Katmai, reservations
may have already been made through your provider. Please check with your provider at least three weeks prior to your arrival.
LODGING
Brooks Lodge
A private concessioner, Katmailand provides additional accommodations and food service at Brooks
Camp's Brooks Lodge and two other lodges within the Park. Reservations are necessary. Contact Katmailand for further information. Many other lodges and resorts offer tour packages for Katmai and the Alaska Peninsula area as well.
For More Information on this lodging please
call 1-800-544-0551
FACILITIES
Visitor Centers
BROOKS CAMP VISITOR CENTER
Location - On Naknek Lake near the mouth of Brooks River, 30 air miles from King Salmon.
Special Programs - All visitors to Brooks Camp are required
to attend the Brooks Camp School of Bear Etiquette offered at the Visitor Center. This fifteen to twenty minute orientation provides visitors with basic information to help keep themselves safe and bears out of trouble. A variety of interpretive programs are available at Brooks
Camp throughout the summer. Evening programs are presented nightly by Park staff. Each afternoon, a Ranger led cultural walk takes visitors to a re-created archeological site from the Visitor Center. Each day Rangers also join Brooks Lodge staff to offer a guided bus tour to the
Valley of 10,000 Smokes. Reservations for the bus tour must be made in advance at Brooks Lodge. Other special ranger guided hikes and activities occur on an unscheduled basis throughout the season.
Exhibits - Books, cards, posters, and videos are just some of the items
available at the Alaska Natural History Association (ANHA)Bookstore.
Available Facilities - Backcountry Planners and bear resistant food canisters (no charge) are also available for those challenging Katmai's trackless backcountry.
KING SALMON VISITOR CENTER
Open
All Year 8 am to 5 pm
Phone - 907-246-4250
Location - Next to the airport terminal in King Salmon
Special Programs - The King Salmon Visitor Center is an interagency facility. Partners include the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
Bristol Bay Borough, and Lake & Peninsula Borough.
Exhibits - The visitor center has exhibits of the local area as well as interpreters who will provide information on the entire Katmai region. The Visitor Center serves as an outlet for books, postcards, and other
interpretive material offered through the Alaska Natural History Association (ANHA).
Wilderness Information Centers
THREE FORKS VISITOR CONTACT STATION
Location - Located 23 miles from Brooks Camp on the only road within Katmai National Park & Preserve.
The Three Forks Station overlooks the famous Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and is the starting point of the Ukak Falls Trail.
Exhibits - New exhibits on the geology and history of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes will be installed for the summer 2001 season.
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