Brooks Falls★5.0

Northwest > Alaska > Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands > Katmai National Park and Preserve > Brooks Falls

Brooks Falls

Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Waterfall located within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska famous for watching salmon leap over the 6 foot (1.8 m) falls to get to their Brooks Lake spawning grounds

General Information

Hours:
Open during Katmai's season; peak July for bears
Fees:
Katmai National Park entrance fee applies
Pet Policy:
No pets allowed at Brooks Falls viewing platforms
Closest cities with major hotel chains:
Anchorage, AK (~290 mi northeast)
Seasons:
July for peak salmon and bear activity; September for more bears
Location:
Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, AK
Website:
nps.gov/katm

How to Get There

From Anchorage, AK (~290 mi): Fly Alaska Airlines to King Salmon Airport (AKN) ~1 hour, then take a floatplane to Brooks Camp on Naknek Lake (~30 min), then walk the 1.5-mile Brooks Falls Trail to the bear viewing platforms.

Overview

Brooks Falls on the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, about a mile and a half from Brooks Lake, is the most famous place in the world to watch brown bears catching leaping sockeye salmon. Elevated platforms give a view of the bears at the falls in July, and again in September. There is a bear cam, and the viewing platform limits numbers.

Good to Know

  • Getting there: by floatplane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp
  • Best time: July for the salmon run (with the most bears at the falls) and September for fat bears
  • Safety: follow the Park Service bear rules, and keep at least 50 yards away from bears

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brooks Falls", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Katmai National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Katmai National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Katmai National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Attribution is to be given to Dmitry Azovtsev. When using on the Web, a link to http://www.daphoto.info is appreciated., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Katmai National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted