Grizzly Bears Galore at Katmai National Park

Katmai National Park is a true hot spot for grizzly bears or brown bears as they are called in this section of the state of Alaska. My flight took me around 284 miles southwest of Anchorage into the small town of King Salmon. In King Salmon I boarded a Blue Otter floatplane along with around nine other thirsting-to-see-bears-in-the-wild-adventurers for approximately a 30 minute flight to Katmai National Park where we landed on Lake Naknek.

I considered it a thrill that I got to ride in the co-pilot’s seat. My airworthy credentials at that time were limited to one of those balsa wood rubber band propelled planes purchased at the Five and Dime. I’m not sure what I was going to do if the pilot began to have a seizure except maybe panic and pray frantically.

The flight was uneventful and we landed on the lake near the park visitor’s center. We were escorted into the visitor’s center where we got a brief lesson in bear etiquette and safety instructions. Don’t worry there is no exam following the lesson. One of the prime criteria was to maintain a distance of at least 50 yards from bears and 100 yards from momma(sow) bears with cubs.

If you should have a closer approach whether it is your fault or accidental the incident will be documented by a park ranger. No fine is incurred, but it is a record of human and bear encounters for their study.

I stayed in Brooks Lodge while in the park where I had a cozy heated cabin shared by other fellow photo buffs. The lodge also provided three meals a day as part of the lodging cost. The lodge was just a short walk from the park visitor center. I didn’t even have to carry my bag to the room. A staff member picked up my bag and said “I’ll get that you’re on vacation.”

There are bear viewing platforms in the park. The Falls platform at the Brooks River falls is a 1.2 mile easy yet sometimes muddy walk. The platform at the falls is elevated and secure from bears. It may be crowded on the platform at times. They do have time limits if the viewing conditions are crowded. The Falls platform can accommodate up to 40 people. Don’t expect that much room though since a lot of the folks will be using tripods.

I visited in late July to the first part of August. The best time to go is during the salmon run in July and again in September during salmon spawning. Your chances of seeing more bears are improved then. The year I went I caught the tail end of the run and bears were not as plentiful at the falls. Incidentally during this time of year there is still some fair daylight as late as 11 PM.

When I first arrived on the platform there were no bears in sight which was worrisome at first. That worry was short lived when a grizzly came out of the woods from the opposite side of the falls less than a minute later. It seemed like some zoo handler hidden in the woods opened the cage to let the bear out when he saw me arrive at the platform. Show time!!!

I remember it was quite a thrill actually seeing grizzly that close in the wild. In my younger days that emotion was coined as having quite a rush. It was the first grizzly I had ever seen in the wild. I had seen them on TV close-up filmed by the likes of National Geographic, but that didn’t compare to this in the flesh practically looking Yogi in the eyeball experience. The falls and the bear were just a few feet away.

The falls is a very short drop of about six feet, but it extends from one end of the bank to the other. I saw maybe a maximum of 4-6 bears in or around the falls at one time, not counting a couple of cubs in a tree near the platform. I have heard testimony and seen pictures where more bears than that congregate on the falls at one time at the peak of salmon runs.

I think I should have been there at least a week earlier that year. The bears have personal preferences for fishing. Some wait at the top of the falls for the salmon to jump to them while others roam the waters below the falls to seek out and chase the salmon in the shallows.

Other wildlife that may be viewed in the park includes wolf, lynx, caribou, red fox, wolverine, mink, marten, weasel, porcupine, snowshoe hare, beaver, and red squirrel.

I recommend a trip to Katmai during the salmon run where you are sure to see grizzly bears and up close. A little more preparation required than your average trip, but well worth it.

authored by Lon Britton