Katmai National Park

(© Quest! Global Angling Adventures)

A variety of interpretive programs is available at Brooks Camp throughout the summer. Each evening, in the Auditorium located near the Visitor Center, one of a variety of 45-minute to one-hour slide-enhanced programs is presented by Park staff. Each afternoon, starting across from the Visitor Center, Park staff takes visitors on an hour-long, half-mile round-trip cultural walk to a recently excavated and recreated archaeological site. Each day Park staff also joins Brooks Lodge staff to offer an all-day guided bus tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Reservations for the bus tour must be made in advance at Brooks Lodge. Other special Park staff guided hikes, nature walks, programs, and activities occur on an unscheduled basis throughout the season. Check out the Brooks Camp Visitor Center for dates and times.

Flightseeing tours of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and of the Katmai Coast are available from commercial tour providers, including Brooks Lodge.

Hiking
Katmai has more than four million acres of wilderness on which to hike, but only two maintained hiking trails. Dumpling Mountain Trail starts at the Brooks Camp Campground and climbs 1.5 miles to an overlook, then continues another 2.5 miles to the summit. The 1.5-mile Ukak Falls Trail begins at Three Forks Visitor Contact Station and drops 700 feet down to the edge of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Hikers then can go to Ukak Falls and/or the Three Forks Convergence Overlook. The trail is fairly steep and strenuous.

Backcountry hiking at Katmai is very strenuous and should be undertaken only with lots of planning and extreme care. Backcountry permits are required and are obtained at the King Salmon Visitor Center.

Paddling
Naknek Lake and its beautiful Bay of Islands and the Alagnak and King Salmon Rivers make for wonderful canoe, kayak, or rafting adventures. Visitors can ply the waters of the coast in sea kayaks with professional outfitters.

Fishing
Fishing is fantastic at Katmai, where anglers enjoy trophy sportfishing for salmon and trout. The Alagnak and Naknek Rivers offer excellent fishing for rainbow trout, char, grayling, pike, and five species of Pacific Salmon in season. Bristol Bay is recognized as a premier Alaska freshwater sportfishing destination.

A valid Alaska State Fishing License is required for all persons age 16 and older who fish the waters of Katmai National Park and Preserve. Fishing licenses are available at many locations including the Brooks Lodge Trading Post at Brooks Camp. All persons fishing in Katmai must be aware of catch and release requirements as well as bag limit regulations for the specific site where they are fishing. Any fish kept at Brooks Camp must immediately be placed in a special bag purchased at the Brooks Camp Visitor Center and taken to the Fish Freezing Building near the Lodge. Fish cleaning and outdoor cooking of fish is not permitted at Brooks Camp.