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Brooks Falls

Brooks Falls is a waterfall in Alaska, at a modelled elevation of 17 m. Mount Katolinat stands 1,377 m to the east-southeast, 13 miles off. 9 named places lie within 25 miles, 6 of them named summits.

The story

Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Located on the Brooks River a mile and a half (2.4 km) from Brooks Lake and an equal distance from Naknek Lake, the falls are famous for watching salmon leap over the 6 foot (1.8 m) falls to get to their Brooks Lake spawning grounds. Consequently, large populations of brown bears are attracted to feed on the spawning salmon. Brown bears usually congregate at the falls in July through early September, and many well-known photos of bears have been taken there, particularly Thomas Mangelsen's Catch of the Day. July witnesses the greatest concentrations of bears of any month at the falls; up to 25 bears have been seen at one time at Brooks Falls in that month. In September, a smaller number of bears (maximum about 18 at one time) can be seen at the falls to feast on the later salmon runs.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q16985460, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What to expect

Official site

How to reach it

Coordinates58.55500, -155.79154

9 named places within 25 miles

Peaks: 6
  • Dumpling Mountain: 3.0 mi
  • Mount Kelez: 7.9 mi
  • Mount La Gorce: 11.1 mi
  • Mount Katolinat: 13.1 mi
  • Mount Ikagluik: 21.4 mi
Attractions: 2
  • Prehistoric Alutiiq Pit House: 0.3 mi
  • Brooks River Bridge: 0.5 mi
Cliffs: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Brooks Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mount KatolinatESE 119°1,377 m13.1 mi
Mount KelezSSE 166°991 m7.9 mi
Mount La GorceE 91°970 m11.1 mi
Dumpling MountainNW 307°744 m3.0 mi
Sugarloaf MountainNNW 345°636 m24.0 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox08:2519:4520:37
June solstice05:1522:2323:36
September equinox08:0919:3220:24
December solstice10:1314:5016:31

Local time (America/Anchorage).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: Jul–Aug.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F182223354350545347362520
Precip in1.72.11.01.41.52.53.74.45.12.93.62.1

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — King Salmon 42 SE, 25 mi away.

Inside the official boundary of Katmai National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Jan; busiest: Jul.

NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element node/653800087

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