Katmai National Park & Preserve

Katmai National Park & Preserve

A landscape is alive underneath our feet, filled with creatures that remind us what it is to be wild. Katmai was established in 1918 to protect the volcanically devastated region surrounding Novarupta and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Today, Katmai National Park and Preserve also protects 9,000 years of human history and important habitat for salmon and thousands of brown bears.

Katmai National Park & Preserve is located on the northern Alaska Peninsula, northwest of Kodiak Island and southwest of Homer, Alaska. The park’s headquarters is in King Salmon, about 290 air miles southwest of Anchorage. Unlike most national parks in the United States, Katmai is almost exclusively accessed by plane or boat.

Boating
Camping
Backcountry Camping
Canoe or Kayak Camping
Fishing
Fly Fishing
Food
Dining
Picnicking
Flying
Guided Tours
Hiking
Backcountry Hiking
Hunting and Gathering
Hunting
Paddling
Canoe or Kayak Camping
Junior Ranger Program
Wildlife Watching
Park Film
Shopping
Bookstore and Park Store
Gift Shop and Souvenirs

Salmon jumping at Brooks Falls

salmon jumping at waterfall

Each year, 200,000 to 400,000 sockeye salmon jump Brooks Falls.

Bear catching jumping salmon

Bear standing at the edge of a waterfall while a salmon is leaping towards it.

In July, brown bears often stand on the lip of Brooks Falls to try to catch leaping salmon.

Bear family walks near sleeping bear

Three bears walk near a sleeping bear

Salmon streams in Katmai attract high numbers of brown bears.

Mount Katmai caldera

lake inside of an ash and glacier covered volcano

Mount Katmai's summit collapsed during the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai eruption. Today, the caldera is filled with a deep lake.

sedge meadows and volcanoes at Hallo

meadow in foreground and snow capped volcanoes on the horizon

Glacially clad volcanoes loom over the sedge meadows of Hallo Bay