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
How to reach it
9 named places within 25 miles
- 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
- Prehistoric Alutiiq Pit House: 0.3 mi
- Brooks River Bridge: 0.5 mi
- Brooks Falls: 0.0 mi
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.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Katolinat | ESE 119° | 1,377 m | 13.1 mi |
| Mount Kelez | SSE 166° | 991 m | 7.9 mi |
| Mount La Gorce | E 91° | 970 m | 11.1 mi |
| Dumpling Mountain | NW 307° | 744 m | 3.0 mi |
| Sugarloaf Mountain | NNW 345° | 636 m | 24.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 08:25 | 19:45 | 20:37 |
| June solstice | 05:15 | 22:23 | 23:36 |
| September equinox | 08:09 | 19:32 | 20:24 |
| December solstice | 10:13 | 14:50 | 16:31 |
Local time (America/Anchorage).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 18 | 22 | 23 | 35 | 43 | 50 | 54 | 53 | 47 | 36 | 25 | 20 |
| Precip in | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 2.1 |
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 siteOpenStreetMap element node/653800087
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