Katmai National Park
Official park boundary · National Park Service
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 and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve in southwest Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park and preserve encompass 4,093,077 acres, which is between the land areas of Connecticut and New Jersey. Most of the national park is a designated wilderness area. The park is named after Mount Katmai, its centerpiece stratovolcano. The park is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about 290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage. The area was first designated a national monument in 1918 to protect the area around the major 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta, which formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile (100 km2), 100-to-700-foot-deep pyroclastic flow. The park includes as many as 18 individual volcanoes, seven of which have been active since 1900.
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.
Located between the stormy north Pacific Ocean and the even stormier Bering Sea, the Katmai region is often a battleground between weather systems. When you visit, be prepared to encounter all types of weather. On average, wet and cool conditions predominate in spring, summer, and fall. Winters are drier and colder.
Source: National Park Service
- Float the Savonoski Loop
The Savonoski Loop is an 80 mile paddle through the scenic backcountry of Katmai National Park. Paddlers need intermediate canoeing or kayaking skills, and experience traveling in wilderness and in bear country.
- Become A Katmai Jr. Ranger
Take your stewardship to the next level by earning your Junior Ranger Badge.
- Become a Not-So-Junior Ranger at Katmai
Become a Not-So-Junior Ranger Journeys at Katmai: An Activity Book for Not-So-Junior Rangers is geared toward young adults and adults. This book delves deeper into Katmai's history and resources on an exploratory journey fit for any National Park fan.
- Explore Katmai by Air
Katmai National Park and Preserve spans over four million acres of remote, wild, and spectacular country and there's no better way to see it than from the window of a small airplane.
- Boating in Katmai National Park and Preserve
Katmai contains hundreds of miles of rivers and streams, many large lakes, and countless small ponds. These waterways were used by Native Alaskans long before contact with Russian and European explorers.
- Watch Bears at Brooks Camp
Brooks Camp is renowned for its remarkable bear viewing opportunities.
- Take a Guided Tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
Join a ranger-guided tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Experience the raw power of nature and learn about the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
- Hike to Dumpling Overlook
Dumpling Overlook offers expansive panoramic views of Naknek Lake, Brooks River, and Lake Brooks. Visitors also have the option to continue beyond the maintained trail to the summit.
Source: National Park Service
- Brooks Camp Campground
- Brooks Camp Visitor Center
- King Salmon Visitor Center
- Robert F. Griggs Visitor Center
Drive Katmai with Byway
Byway plans the scenic day around Katmai — real places, real weather, every stop verified. Zero hallucinations. Google Maps for turns. Byway for soul.