Katmai
Let me say it here first, Katmai (Brooks Lodge to be specific) is the single best experience I have had in an American National Park. No where else in the world can you so easily spot one of earth’s most iconic mammals– the grizzly bear. Between late June and early September, the most popular part of Katmai, Brooks Camp, becomes host to the annual salmon run. Just after breeding season, thousands of sockeye salmon spend the summer months migrating up the Brooks River from Naknek Lake to Lake Brooks. Along this journey, they face one daunting swim up the roughly 15 foot Brooks Falls. The grizzly bears of the Alaska Peninsula know this, and make Brooks Falls a summer feasting ground. Throughout the summer months, dozens of grizzly bears regularly perch themselves at the edge of the falls, waiting for one of the thousands of migrating salmon to swim (or jump) up. This near perfect set up leads to a one of a kind bear viewing opportunity, with nearly guaranteed up close bear sightings peaking in mid July and early September.
Any location that comes with a ‘one of a kind’ tag is sure to have its travel difficulties, and Brooks Lodge is no exception. With such a remote location, planning for Brooks Lodge oftentimes begins 2 years in advance. There 3 main ways to visit the falls: day trip, 2-3 nights in the rustic Brooks Camp cabins, or camping in the Brooks campground. For me, a day trip felt too short and camping was too much of a hassle, especially considering I had little camping experience and of course none in the Alaskan wilderness. A 3 day trip at the Brooks Lodge was the perfect way to visit this once in a lifetime location. Here’s the complicated part, reservations for the Brooks Lodge cannot simply be booked. Instead, a lottery for each summer determines when (or if) a party can book nights for the famed lodge. With the lottery happening about a year in advance of the season, advanced planning is required. To maximize my chances of peak season success, I entered the lottery for the entire range between late June and early August– I ultimately received the dates of July 28th, 29th, and 30th!
With dates set in stone, I could begin planning the rest of my Katmai journey. I ultimately settled on a flight arriving in Anchorage on the 27th, and then an early Alaskan Air flight to the remote village of King Salmon on the morning of the 28th. From here, a Katmai Air floatplane would take me on the 20 minute journey from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I regularly watched the Brooks falls bear 24 hour livestream, partly out of curiosity and partly to monitor the bears that may be at the falls for my journey.
After months of waiting, my visit to Katmai finally arrived. I arrived in King Salmon on the morning of the 28th and walked out of the airport to the nearby Katmai Air seaport. Poor weather delayed my flight for 3 hours (which ruined day-trippers’ journey) but at about 3pm, I loaded up onto my floatplane and took the front seat next to the pilot. The flight to Katmai was about as scenic as you would expect the Alaskan wilderness to be. A slightly nerve wracking yet perfectly smooth landing later, and I was at Brooks Camp.
All arrivals at Brooks Camp are immediately herded to the visitor center for a mandatory bear safety briefing. After that, you are off to explore the area on your own! I settled into my cabin, grabbed dinner at the lodge dining hall and then began my first journey to Brooks Falls. With sunset around 11pm, there was plenty of post-dinner daylight to illuminate my 1 mile hike to the falls (a bear encounter can happen anywhere along the walk). I was treated to my first bear encounter as I reached the viewing platform– about a half dozen bears were waiting along the falls rim for jumping salmon. Hitting almost 10pm, I had the platform nearly all to myself to photograph the falls at sunset. With low light I prioritized scenic bear photos– knowing that there would be plenty of bear portrait photo opportunities later in the trip. As the sky turned a faint Alaskan yellow and orange, I captured a handful of bears patiently waiting for their next meal. Once dusk hit, I made my way back to the lodge and socialized with other visitors in the common area.
The next day, I had a river bear wading trip with a lodge guide. On this personalized trip, I took waders and went into the Brooks river in search of up close grizzly encounters. Despite the $200 price tag, this was undoubtedly the highlight of my Katmai trip! Instead of watching over grizzly bears, being in the river puts you into their environment (this probably sounds terrifying but excellent guides reduce your heart rate just enough)! Not only could I watch bears fishing for salmon, I saw how bears maintained territory around each other, how mothers cared for their youth and how bears fought for dominance. On a few occasions, I even found myself a little too close to a bear (as close as about 10 feet in one instance). Being in the river with the bears gave me a new appreciation for nature and the majesticness of the grizzly bear. Although the trip is not highly advertised, anyone going to Brooks Camp must seriously consider partaking in this incredibly rare excursion.
I arrived back into camp, had lunch and cleaned up from the river before heading out for my main photography trip. With my full set of camera gear, I made the 1 mile trek back out to Brooks Falls. This time, I was welcomed by passing bears right on the trail (standard procedure is to walk backwards to maintain distance and wait until bears have cleared). Once I arrived at the platform, I set up a tripod and telephoto lens and began shooting. During midday hours, visitors on the platform are limited to 1 hour at a time as tracked by park rangers. But even with an hour, the experience feels straight out of a National Geographic video. With high shutter mode enabled, I rapidly filled up camera space and took hundreds of up-close photos of the bears. In my favorite photo, I captured a grizzly bear’s mouth wide open waiting for a salmon flying in mid-air. I also captured a bear looking in my direction while tearing apart a salmon. These two photos are among my all time favorite captures as a photographer!
In case Brooks Falls isn't enough, here are some other places I saw bears while in Katmai: running by my cabin, in the Naknek Lake, at the Brooks River mouth and on a National Park road. Even still, while bear watching is a main part of a visit to Brooks Lodge, there is much more to do. I also went on a 3 hour hike up Dumpling Mountain, explored exhibits at the visitor center and learned about the nature of remote Alaska. A day trip to the Valley of Ten-Thousand Smokes is another very popular way to spend time while at Brooks Camp. I sometimes am in disbelief when I see the photos I captured at Katmai. It feels like it should not even be possible to get so close to grizzly bears– yet you can. For anyone visiting Alaska, an opportunity to visit Katmai (even if for just a day) should be at the top of anyone's bucket list.
