Brown Bear Cub
Katmai National Park and Kodiak Island are the two areas where bears outnumber humans in Alaska. The primary reason for this being the fact that people very rarely make it out this far.
Katmai National Park is also known as ” The Valley of 10,000 Smokes”.
This is a remote wilderness park that is far beyond any road network in Alaska. But, there are accommodations to be found here, mostly wilderness lodges or you can just go for a day of bear watching. The park is located southwest of Anchorage in a remote area of the Alaska Peninsula.
Katmai is rugged and wild, but Brooks Camp is the hot spot with a large gathering of large grizzlies. This is a former fishing lodge and when the fish are running in Brooks River, particularly in July through September, the bears come to catch them and eat until their tummies are full. Visitors to the area are led by armed park rangers to elevated viewing platforms where you can quietly watch without disturbing the bears, yet still get close to them.
The park was set aside in 1918 after the 1914 eruption of Novarupta Volcano. This was the most destructive volcano eruption in 3,400 years and a 40 square mile area was buried in 700 feet of ash. The area continued steam for decades and was dubbed the “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.” It is accessible through Brooks Camp by bus and is now an unearthly wasteland.
It’s hard to find a room to stay overnight at Brooks Camp so you need to plan ahead of time. Even for those on a day trip, you will find the viewing platforms to be very crowded with people taking turns to see the bears.
The only way to get to Brooks Camp is via small plane. Most people fly from Anchorage by jet to the town of King Salmon, which is just west of the park. The area is serviced twice a day; you can then take a taxi to Brooks Camp. Flights are about $400 round trip and the cab fare is $160 round trip. Every visitor to the camp is required to take a 20 minute orientation named “The Brooks Camp School of Bear Etiquette.” This is designed to teach people how to stay out of trouble with the bears. The camp is easy to get around on foot if you don’t mind walking about a mile over rough ground. You can take the 23 mile bus tour by gravel road from the camp to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
The remoteness of the park means that there is only one place to stay and eat. That would be the Brooks Camp Lodge. It features 16 rooms. Other than the fact that you can see the bears up close and personal, this is a regular lodge with rooms and private bathrooms. The peak days are when the bears and the fish are around, so it’s not uncommon for this place to book up a year in advance. The reservation system allows you to make reservations 18 months in advance. Three nights is $1,306 based on double occupancy. Meals are served buffet style and are not included in your room price.
Other than watching bears, your other outdoor activity to take part in is fishing. Katmai is prime salmon and trout fishing with two fishing lodges in the park. Fishing is offered by Katmailand.
