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
Jan 30, 2026
Sugpiaq Qayak Model Workshop
Katmai National Park is hosting a free traditional Sugpiaq qayak model building workshop for the communities of King Salmon and Naknek. The workshop takes place from 5 to 8 pm February 23 to 27, 2026, and from 1 to 4 pm February 28 to March 1, 2026.
Jan 29, 2026
2026 Brooks Camp Bear Pin Logo Contest
The park invites Southwest Alaskan residents of all ages to submit a design for the bear pin. The winning design becomes the official Katmai bear pin that tens of thousands of visitors wear this summer
Dec 3, 2025
Meeting Notice for 2026 Subsistence Caribou Hunt for Igiugig and Kokhanok Residents
A public meeting will be held regarding a proposed limited subsistence caribou hunt for residents of Igiugig and Kokhanok, Alaska. The caribou hunt is tentatively scheduled from January 1 to March 31, 2026.