Katmai National Park & Preserve

National Park & Preserve · AK · nps.gov page

salmon jumping at waterfall
Each year, 200,000 to 400,000 sockeye salmon jump Brooks Falls.Photo: NPS/David Jacob

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.

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News

  • A mother bear with two cubs walk along a gravel bar in a river surrounded by green grass
    Fat Bear Week 2026

    Fat Bear Week Voting Returns Sept. 22 as Katmai’s Bears Bulk Up for Winter

  • Floatplane accident, Maraine Creek 8-16-26
    Aircraft Removed Following Aug. 6 Accident in Katmai National Park and Preserve

    Cleanup following an Aug. 6 floatplane accident in Katmai National Park and Preserve has been completed. The aircraft was successfully removed from the site Aug. 11, and no injuries were reported in the accident.

  • bear pin on display with Brooks Camp visitor center in background
    Bear Pin Logo Design Winner

    A design by Fred Anderson of Naknek, Alaska, won the annual Brooks Camp bear pin logo contest in Katmai National Park. Park staff distribute the pins to over 20,000 visitors who complete mandatory bear safety training at Brooks Camp.

  • poetry in parks logo
    Park and Community Poetry Workshops

    Poet Jodie Hollander is leading three free poetry workshops and readings in Katmai National Park and Naknek from July 26 to 31, 2026. The two-hour workshops begin at 2 pm on July 26, 2026, at the Bristol Bay Historical Society Museum in Naknek, and at 7 pm on July 29, 2026, at the Brooks Camp auditorium in Katmai National Park.

Photos

Bear standing at the edge of a waterfall while a salmon is leaping towards it.
In July, brown bears often stand on the lip of Brooks Falls to try to catch leaping salmon.Photo: NPS/David Jacob
Three bears walk near a sleeping bear
Salmon streams in Katmai attract high numbers of brown bears.Photo: NPS/Bryanna Plog
lake inside of an ash and glacier covered volcano
Mount Katmai's summit collapsed during the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai eruption. Today, the caldera is filled with a deep lake.Photo: NPS/Roy Wood
meadow in foreground and snow capped volcanoes on the horizon
Glacially clad volcanoes loom over the sedge meadows of Hallo BayPhoto: NPS/Michael Fitz

Park information and photos come from the National Park Service. This is not an official NPS site.