Each year, 200,000 to 400,000 sockeye salmon jump Brooks Falls.
Photo: NPS/David Jacob
About
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.
Activities
BoatingCampingBackcountry CampingCanoe or Kayak CampingFishingFly FishingFoodDiningPicnickingFlyingGuided ToursHikingBackcountry HikingHunting and GatheringHuntingPaddlingCanoe or Kayak CampingJunior Ranger ProgramWildlife WatchingPark FilmShoppingBookstore and Park StoreGift Shop and Souvenirs
Directions
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.
Get directions →Weather
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.
News
Aug 12, 2026
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.
Jul 23, 2026
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.
Jul 16, 2026
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.