Katmai National Park Day Trip: The Easy Way to See the Park

I’ve been on many grizzly bear searches on national park trips but came up without seeing a bear until I visited Katmai National Park. Honestly, Katmai wasn’t on my radar for a long time. That was a mistake! What was once an unknown park to me is now one of my favorite national parks. If you love seeing unique places or if you just love bears Katmai will be your place. This is how to take a day trip to Katmai National Park.

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Why Visit Katmai National Park?

Even though there is great backpacking and fishing in Katmai most people visit to see the bears. This national park is unique because many giant grizzlies call the park home each year. They don’t have to show up to the Brooks River or Brooks Falls but they do. So, this is one of the most reliable places to see grizzly bears in their habitat. And you can do it quite safely!

About Katmai National Park

Katmai (pronounced cat-my) was established in 1918 to preserve the volcanic area known as the Valley of the Ten Thousand Smokes. In the early 1900s, a volcano had a significant eruption, coating the area in ash and creating the vents that would lead to the valley’s name.

The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a backcountry hiking/camping destination. I am not a backpacker, so I learned about this while reading on the flight out to Katmai.

Katmai National Park is well-known as a habitat for bears and salmon. There is a regular running of salmon up the Brooks River and Brooks Falls. Many grizzlies call the area home.

There is even a Fat Bear Week competition in October where you can see the transformation of the bears throughout the year and vote for your favorite in a tournament-style competition.

Getting to Katmai National Park

Katmai isn’t accessible by car. The most popular way to get there is to fly into the park.

You can fly to Brooks Camp from Anchorage or Homer. It’s most popular for daytrippers to come from Anchorage and there are more opinions from there.

There are several different companies you can fly with but it will cost you about $1,000 per person to fly to Brooks Falls. This isn’t the budget option.

The flights are on little planes so the tickets will sell out early. If this is something you want to do make sure to book well in advance so you don’t miss out on the opportunity.

I went with Fly Katmai (also known as Anchorage Aero). Not an affiliate for them but we had a great experience. It was efficient and they were so easy to work with in booking; even last minute.

A Note About the Flights

There are several different tour companies that you can pick from. For a Katmai National Park day trip, you’re going to want to spend as much time in the park as you can. So, be sure to check that your day tip goes from Anchorage to Brooks Camp.

Some will stop over in King Salmon which would be fine if you want to make this portion of your trip a few days. It’s just not ideal for a day trip.

Flying directly to Brooks Camp means you’ll be on a float plane so it can land and take off from the water on the lake near the lodge.

Want a cheaper option?

If you want to make this cheaper and are okay with it being longer than a day trip, you can fly to King Salmon on a larger plane. From King Salmon, you can take a ferry or a float plane to get to Katmai.

Alaska Airlines has flights from Anchorage to King Salmon. You could make it even cheaper by booking with miles.

View of Lake Clark NP from the plane

Safety in Katmai

Since you’re going to see grizzly bears it’s important to be aware of how to stay safe in the park.

So, when you land in Katmai your very first stop will be Bear School with a ranger.

You’ll store your food and learn that the bears in Katmai are used to people but that there are specific ways to keep yourself safe.

The ranger will give you a bear school pin that you need to keep with you. The rangers can ask you to show it while you walk around the park.

Where to Spend Time on a Katmai National Park Day Trip

There are two main areas for bear viewing in Katmai National Park.

You’ll have no problem seeing them both on a day trip.

But, it’s easy to get caught up watching bears swim and play. So, pay attention to the time.

  • Bear looking for food in Katmai National Park
  • Bear looking for food in Katmai National Park
  • Bear at Katmai NP
  • Bear in Katmai NP

Brooks River Viewing

The Brooks River viewing platform and bridge are the first areas of the park you’ll come to. You’ll notice there are gates on either side of the viewing areas to keep the bears out.

Where to spend your time depends on where the bears are when you’re there. The bears get to go wherever they want to. But, you can walk back and forth as the bears move and try to find a spot you love. But, it’s also okay to sit and watch the bears from a distance.

I was lucky enough to spend an hour or more watching a momma bear and her two cubs wander around the far side of this area. I’m sure other things were happening too but it was nice to be able to watch this one little family for a while.

The Brooks River area has incredible panoramic views. Take advantage of the ability to get photos of the mountains and the lake.

The Trail to Brooks Falls

The falls are one of the biggest draws to the park. To get to Brooks Falls leave the bridge near the river and continue on the mile-long trail to the next boardwalk area.

The trail is not protected and the bears love to use it. You could easily encounter a bear on the trail when you’re on it. So, put your bear school training to use while you’re on the trail.

Also, note that the bears could decide to take a rest in the middle of the trail. If they do you’ll just have to wait on them to move. A ranger told me they move them if they’ve been there for several hours but they generally just try to leave them to their own devices.

Brooks Falls Viewing

Once at Brooks Falls, there are a couple of places you can go to watch the bears. The Riffles Platform puts you a bit downstream from the falls. This is a good viewing area for wide-angle photos. There are some pretty incredible views of the falls and surrounding scenery.

Then, the Brooks Falls viewing area is a bit further. This is probably the most popular viewing area in the park. The platform looks out over the small waterfall where the bears love to fish.

Where to Stay for A Katmai National Park Day Trip

For a day trip, you’ll want to stay in Anchorage. There are many hotels and AirBnBs in Anchorage. The city is small, so you’re only about 15 minutes from anything in Anchorage, no matter where you stay.

I love staying at Home2Suites because I like having the kitchen option when I travel.

If you’d like to spend more than a day in the area you can stay at Brooks Camp or Brooks Lodge. But, staying at Brooks Lodge requires you to enter a lottery the year before you want to go. You’ll find out in January or February if you won’t the lottery.

Is a day trip to Katmai National Park enough time?

Yes. You can spend longer and many people do. But, if you are trying to work Katmai in on a 2-week trip to Alaska (or shorter) then a day is plenty. Or, if you don’t want to stay at the lodge or camp in Brooks Camp this is the only option.

As a celiac, I was not interested in staying at the park. There were a few options and it may have been fine. But, there are really good gluten-free options in other parts of Alaska so it wasn’t worth it.

When to visit Katmai National Park?

There is a different season for the backpacking version of Katmai and the bear-viewing trip to Katmai. I’m not your girl for backpacking so this is specifically about bear-viewing in the park.

The flights from Anchorage to Katmai run in the summer from June- September. The most popular times to visit the park are July and September.

July in Katmai means you’ll see bears waking up from hibernation. There will be skinnier bears and tiny cubs. Plus, July is when the salmon are swimming upstream to spawn. So, July is the month for a chance to see the iconic photo of a bear catching a salmon as it swims up the waterfall.

But, July is very crowded at Katmai. There will likely be time limits on how long you can spend at each viewing area.

September is the close of the season and the other popular time to visit the park. In September the bears are typically closer to the Brooks River viewpoint. There are still some bears near the falls but not as many. In September the spawned salmon are floating back down the river.

The bears are trying to eat as much as possible before their upcoming hibernation. So, there are chubby bears and bigger cubs.

I think September is the best time to visit but it really depends on what your priorities are for your trip.

Camera Recommendations for Katmai Day Trip

I wasn’t thinking and didn’t plan ahead for what camera gear I wanted to bring.

So, even if you’re unprepared you can still get some pretty good photos. Some of my favorite photos were taken with a cell phone! We were lucky and the bears were close.

But, if I was going back I’d do it right.

I love my Nikon Z5 mirrorless camera. It’s light and waterproof which is what I needed for this trip.

The 24-70 lens did okay. But, if I was going again I’d also take my 70-200.

As silly as it sounds, take both lenses. There are good shots for both since the landscape is beautiful and sometimes the bears are very close!

What to Bring on A Katmai National Park Day Trip

For this day trip, you’ll spend a very long day away from Anchorage. So, in addition to gluten-free snacks and my camera setup, these are some of the things that went with me.

Note that you won’t have access to your things for a lot of the day. Any food has to be stored in bear-proof lockers when you arrive at the park.

My Essentials for National Park Trips

Great Hiking Shoes. I love Chacos sandals AND my Timberland boots. I really hate hiking boots so it’s high praise for these Timberlands! Chacos pro tip- don’t be tempted by the 3-string option. They are impossible to adjust.

Thick, comfortable socks to keep my boots from rubbing my feet. As a bonus, I can wear them with my Chacos like a total dork for that weird “not quite warm enough” weather.

My Osprey Day Pack. I’ve had it for years. I have no intention of ever getting another day pack.

Binoculars are a must. Every time I forget them I regret it.

My Nikon Z5 is my go-to camera. I love the 70-200mm lens for photographing wildlife.

My Eddie Bauer Rain Foil Jacket is the best rain jacket.

Take the Day Trip to Katmai National Park

Flying back to Anchorage from Katmai, I looked at the pictures in amazement. Walking around Brooks Falls sometimes felt like I was watching a wildlife documentary. It was so surreal to feel the wind and smell the outdoors while I watched a bear take a bite out of a salmon. I love surreal experiences; you feel like you’re watching a movie until you realize you’re actually living the incredible experience.

Katmai National Park is my favorite of the parks we’ve visited, and it will be hard to top. We visited on the last day of the season, or I would have done the same flight the next day. It was that incredible.

Let me know how your day trip goes!

What is Brooks Falls known for?

Brooks Falls is known for being a favorite fishing spot for grizzly bears. In July the bears wait at the falls to fish for salmon that are swimming upstream. It’s a place for iconic pictures and experiences.

How much does it cost to visit Katmai National Park?

There is no entrance fee to Katmai. But, visiting the park requires you to charter transportation to get there. A float plane flight from Anchorage is around $1,000 per person.

Is Katmai worth it?

Absolutely. Katmai is unlike any other park. It’s a special place to observe bears and you won’t regret a trip there.

How many days do you need in Katmai?

One day is sufficient. But, if you want to admire the bears more you can stay longer.

Can you drive to Katmai?

Yes. Katmai is known for its grizzly bears.