Katmai’s Hungry Brown Bears

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As Katmai’s Hungry Brown Bears Gorge On Salmon, You Can Almost Get Down There Among Them

Imagine viewing 15 brown bears as they swat and snag sock-eye salmon trying to scale the pure Alaskan water of Brooks Falls.

Contributed by Derrick McElroy, manager of King Salmon Guides, Bristol Bay, Alaska; The Cultured Traveler prints original articles on specialty travel contributed by tour operators and travelers.

Every day during July, the sockeyes jump the falls by the thousands, creating a prolific food source that draws an annual migration of brown bears. Here human visitors, protected by viewing platforms that allow them to get close to the bears, but stay safely above them, can view sows with their cute cubs, and big boars (males can weigh up to 1,500 pounds!).

This unique location, off the beaten path, allows you to experience Alaska’s breathtaking wildlife without the crowds that you’d encounter along the state’s road system.

Brooks Falls lies within Katmai National Park on the Alaska Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage. The park, almost twice the size of Yellowstone, was created after the 1912 eruption of Mt. Katmai, the largest volcanic eruption ever recorded. Ash from that titanic outburst reached as far as South Africa, 12,000 miles away. Eruption.

To reach Katmai National Park, most guests fly into Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.

From Anchorage, they fly into the small fishing town of King Salmon at the west end of the park on Alaska or Peninsula.

Less-adventurous visitors (namely, most of the people who visit Katmai) opt to take the narrated tour provided by the National Park Service, reaching the valley via 4-wheel-drive bus.

No discussion of Katmai National Park would be complete without mentioning its exciting sport fishing. The Pacific salmon runs at nearby Bristol Bay are the largest in the world!

Starting in June, king salmon averaging 20-35 pounds pour into the rivers at the park’s western edge from Bristol Bay. July brings sockeye and chum salmon, along with the kings. During August, pink and silver salmon are running. The season ends in September, with the acrobatic silver salmon.

Throughout the entire salmon season, freshwater species like rainbow trout, arctic char, dolly varden, and arctic grayling share the rivers.

Many locations within Katmai National Park allow you to sightsee as you fish. Among the wildlife you’re likely to see Yukon moose, barren ground caribou, bald eagles and more. The local Mulchatna caribou herd numbers more than 300,000 animals.

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