TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick

Hello from Anchorage, Alaska! (How much longer can I say this?) This is our last week of our Alaska assignment, and we have had an awesome week so far. We visited Lake Clark National Park last week. We went with Regal Air, and had an incredible experience. Check out our Lake Clark National Park Blog here!

As you probably know, Nick and I have a goal of visiting every national park. His sister gifted us a National Park pass every year for Christmas, and honestly it’s one of our favorite gifts. There are 63 national parks, with 8 being in Alaska! If you want to hit up all the national parks, you’ll be spending a lot of time in Alaska. We’ve been meeting a lot of people this week with a similar goal. They are here visiting Alaska, and trying to visit all the national parks. This past weekend we drove to Homer and flew to Katmai National Park. Katmai National Park is not frequently visited. This year in 2024, it’s the sixth least visited park. Again like we said with Lake Clark National Park, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth visiting. When I said Lake Clark was my favorite national park… I lied. My favorite national park was absolutely Katmai National Park. Nick actually agrees! If you are going to Alaska, definitely put this on your itinerary.  By the end of all my Alaska blogs, you may have to stay in Alaska for a year to do all these fun activities. I’m suggesting too many good things for your itinerary. Unfortunately, we’ve been here for six months, and still didn’t get everything  done that we wanted! 

A little information about Katmai National Park & How do you get there?

Katmai National Park is one of the most loved national parks, mostly for …its salmon stream, and what eats salmon? Bears. That’s right, Katmai National Park is known for their bear population. It has one of the largest bear populations, approximately 2,200 bears.  It’s unbelievable to be able to watch bears in their natural habitat, walking around, catching salmon upstream, and cubs playing in the river. It is such a unique experience, making it bucket list worthy. This bucket list adventure is not the easiest to get too. Katmai National Park is located on the peninsula on the southern part of Alaska. You’ll hear me talk a lot about brooks falls. If you have ever seen a magazine of Alaska, you’ve seen pictures of Brooks Falls. 

Do you recognize it? Brooks falls is located in Brooks Camp, it’s, the main destination in Katmai National Park. It is home to the salmon catching stream, lodging, and the visitor center. It’s the most frequently visited place in the national park. Its in a very remote area (isn’t a lot of Alaska!), making it a time and money consuming trip. There are three ways to get to Katmai National Park. 

1. Take a float plane from Anchorage ($1200+)  or Homer ($1000+) to brooks camp.
   1. This is the option we decided to do. This option is typically a day trip, and doesn’t require lodging at the national park.
   2. We drove to Homer, which is a approximately 4 ½ hours from Anchorage. From Homer, we took a float plane that took an 1 ½ flight to Katmai.
   3. This is typically the cheapest option. 
2. Fly to King Salmon ($400+ round trip) and take the Katmai water taxi ($400 round trip) to the park via Naknek Lake.
   1. Ravn or Alaska Air run the flights to King Salmon. Note: lodging in King Salmon is incredibly expensive. 
   2. There is only one Katmai Water taxi.
   3. This option is typically done if you want to spend more than a day trip.
3. Fly to King Salmon ($400+ round trip), and take a float plane to Brooks Camp ($450+ round trip)
   1. Ravn or Alaska Air run the flights to King Salmon. Note: These flights are typically very expensive. 
   2. You’d have to pay for a float plane to Brooks camp, this is typically not cheap either. 
   3. This option is typically done if you want to spend more than a day trip.

Note: the prices are per person, not including lodging or food. The prices include transportation. 

When Should you Visit?

The best time to visit Katmai National park is during the salmon run. The best months are typically July and September. Let’s talk about the bear viewing months, and when you should start planning your trip.

June: I would avoid going in June because the salmon run may or may not have started. This is why we are doing so many things crammed in one week. We were nervous to go in June, and not see much!

July: July is definitely the best month and the busiest month to visit Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park. The salmon run typically starts at the beginning of July, and is in full swing by the end of July. 

August: In August, the salmon run is over. There will be less bears at the falls, and they will be hunting for fish elsewhere. The weather will be great, but possibly less wildlife.

September: If you have looked into the salmon cycle at all, you know in September they are spawning and dying off. The bears will start eating downstream, where the dead salmon are. Obviously, the salmon won’t be jumping. The bears will be a little on the heavier side, as they are trying to get as much salmon before hibernation.

The Jumping Salmon and bear viewing at the falls is an incredible experience. I would try to go in July for the best experience. July is the busiest month at Katmai National park. The viewing platforms will be extremely busy. They have two platforms at Katmai national Park. The platforms are not large, and can get quite crowded. If they become crowded, they start a wait list to go on the platform. In a way, this is a good thing. It makes it so everyone gets a turn on the platform, and gets the best views. Per the company we went with,  if there are no bears at the falls, you’ll see them somewhere else in the park. Not all bears hang out in brook falls. You can find them near the visitor center and on the trails. The salmon run is very unpredictable. It can earlier some years than others.

What Company did we use?

Again, we chose the option of going from Homer to Katmai National Park on a day trip on a float plane. There are a lot of companies that charter planes to Katmai National Park from Homer. We decided to go with Bald Mountain Air Service. We had an excellent experience with them, and would recommend them to anyone for a day trip. We chose this itinerary and this company for multiple reasons. 

1. It was highly rated and recommended on multiple websites. This trip is costly… you want to make sure to get a great experience for the amount of money you spend.
2. The price was one of the cheapest. When I say cheapest, it wasn’t cheap. This trip is definitely a pretty penny. I am getting to be better about noticing what you pay for. This trip is to a remote area in Alaska by small local companies. There is a reason it’s not cheap.  After we booked this adventure, my husband turned to me and said, “you should pick up a few overtime shifts”. Let me tell you, the overtime shifts were worth it.  
3. We decided to go out of Homer for multiple reasons. This made it an easy day trip to Katmai National Park. This allowed us to utilize Nicks PTO, and not take a day off.  
4. We also wanted to go out of Homer, because we hadn’t visited Homer yet. I can’t wait to talk a little bit more about Homer. It’s such a cute town. 
5. Weight limit. All my plus size friends, make sure to check out the weight limit requirements. This may limit your choice of companies. This company we went with, asked your weight on signing up, but no other discussion. 

Bald Mountain Air Service was definitely a great option. First off, we received all the information by text about the experience the day before. This was very organized. We received a call late Friday night, informing us of potential weather issues. We were originally meeting at 8: 30 am, but it was changed to 10: 30 am. This was nice because they valued our time. When we arrived at the company that morning, you watched a safety video, and did a safety debriefing. This alone makes you feel comfortable before heading on a tiny plane to see grizzlies. After the safety briefing, everyone headed outside. At this point, the pilots looked at the weather again. They delayed us 20 minutes due to fog. I was a little worried that I’d be canceled, but we lucked out.  The company had bathrooms (by bathroom, I mean outhouse). Afterwards, you start loading on this plane. When I say this plane was small, it was small… bigger than Wednesday’s plane though! 

The plane fits eight passengers including the pilot, and co-pilot. The pilot was informative, and we felt safe throughout our journey to the park. 

The flight was approximately an hour and fifteen minutes. In terms of being different from Lake Clark, the pilot was not a tour guide. They flew the plane, and assisted people getting in and out of the plane. Let me tell you, it wasn’t the easiest thing.  They walked you to the visitor center, and you were on your own the rest of the time. 

Layout of the Park

The park had a great layout. You landed on the beach and walked through the woods for about five minutes. 

The Visitor Center 

The first building you reach is the visitor center. The visitor center is home of the national park stamp (Who collects national park stamps?), along with a cute gift shop and bear school. Bear school is required by the park. They talk about safety, and how you should act around bear encounters. We actually learned a lot and it’s super important information. 

Restrooms/Food storage/gear storage

You can only consume food in two areas in the park, therefore, if you bring food and aren’t consuming it, you have to place your stuff in this locked building. This deters bears from associating food with humans. The only thing allowed past these areas is plain drinking water. No flavored water, food, gum, mints, etc. The other locked door is an area to place your gear you don’t want to carry. I suggest placing stuff in there, and only carrying what’s necessary. The other side of the building is bathrooms, again outhouses, but I guess they at least offer them?

Area to consume food

They offer picnic tables surrounded by an electric fence to consume food. You are to pick up after yourself (obviously), but trash is to go away in the food storage. You can only consume food here or in an indoor area. 

Lodging

Lodging comes after the visitor center area. Check out different lodging options further in this blog. 

Katmai Trading Post

The Katmai trading post is located near the main lodge. This trading post carries commonly forgotten things, along with souvenirs and equipment rentals (fishing supplies and kayaks). You can also obtain your fishing license in this building.

Two platforms

From the visitor center, you approximately walk 1.2 miles to the two visitor platforms. This is a really easy flat walk. At the two platforms is where we do most of the bear viewing. 

The park ranger will be at this intersection of the two platforms. They will take your name and the number of people in the party. To go to Brooks Falls platform, you wait for your name to be called. The rangers were saying that some days it’ll take 2 hours to get up to the platform. You have 30 minutes before having to leave. You are allowed to put your name on the list again. We waited no longer than 10 minutes. It was a really rainy day! One positive to the rain.

Things to Do in the Park

Bear viewing

People typically go to Katmai National Park to see bears, and visit brook falls. We got to see at least 40 grizzly bears during this experience! A lot of people are just enjoying wildlife and capturing the best photos. Make sure to read rules on wildlife photography before going!  If anyone’s curious, Moose count: 34 and bear count: 69. 

Go hiking

We went to the bear viewing platforms, therefore, we didn’t do any hiking. We did the short 1.2 mile walk each way to the platforms. During this walk, you can encounter wildlife. Unfortunately we did not, but had some great views. There are a lot of trails in the park, but I’d make sure to be prepared with bear spray and bear bells. If you go to Brooks falls, you aren’t allowed to bring these things. 

Go fishing or kayaking 

There are a few tour groups that offer fishing or kayaking adventures. If you stay in the lodging available at the park, you can go fishing or kayaking on your own. 

Where to Stay in Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park

As I said earlier, we chose a day trip option to the park. I can’t give suggestions of where to stay based on experience, but during my research, these are some of the places to stay in Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park (I will talk more about the Airbnb we stayed in Homer in the Homer review). If you decided to spend the weekend at Brooks camp, these are your two options. 

Camping at Brooks Lodge

The booking for camping opens in January. It books extremely fast. Personally, camping doesn’t sound like a great experience. I am honestly not a huge camper. Nick isn’t either. It’s approximately $18.00 a night to camp at Brooks Lodge. This sounds cheap, but people say there is a lot of hidden fees. I would figure out all the fees before deciding this option. You can only pack a certain amount of gear on planes, therefore, you are having to rent a lot of camping gear. FYI, REI does camping rentals in Anchorage. 

The Lodge at Camp Brooks

The cabins work on a lottery system two years out. The lottery occurs in December. The lodge is not cheap… the last time I looked, it was $955 a night to stay in the lodge. It’s also not a glamorous place. There is a main lodge that has a bar,  kitchen and a fire pit. There were a lot of people having drinks and laughing surrounding the fire pit. The main lodge offers three meals a day, breakfast for $23, lunch for $28 and dinner for $42. It’s probably nothing to write home about. Nick and I didn’t eat here… we decided to go the route of an apple and protein bar. We saw a lot of people going this route. Surrounding the main lodge is 16 seperate cabins. Each cabin has two sets of bunkbeds and a bathroom. If you are interested in this type of experience, make sure to plan early!

Things to Keep in Mind

1. There will not be cell service at the national park.
2. Be 🐻 smart. Wildlife safety is a priority. Listen to bear school and keep alert.  They provide a lot of good information on the wildlife and how to act around them. 
3. There is no fee to get into the National Park, but it’s pricey to get there!
4. Weather is unpredictable… especially in Alaska! Bring rain gear. You don’t want a little rain to ruin your trip. Luckily, we packed appropriately for our rain! 
5. If you are hiking or exploring outside of bear falls, bring bear spray and bells. If you are going to Brooks Falls, you can leave them at home. 
6. The bathroom situation is definitely less than ideal.  
7. Always bring enough food and water. Be careful with eating food in the designated areas. They don’t want bears to associate food with humans.
8. Weather can change your itinerary.
9. Running into wildlife is always possible. It can slow down your time of walking to the next location. Keep this in mind, if you need to be back to the beach for a certain time. 
10. Always remember, leave no trace 🌿

Things to bring

Here is a suggested list of items to bring with you for a day trip to Katmai National Park. This list changes a lot when you are doing more than one day. 

1. Fully charged camera with lense, memory card, and extra battery. I unfortunately had one battery that was fully charged and it still died! It lasted 3 hours, but I wish I had an extra battery. Tip: If you are going out of Anchorage, you can rent a camera at a local store in town. They are extremely affordable and helpful! We rented our camera from Stewart’s Photo for the week. If you are curious what camera I ended up using, send me a message!
2. Binoculars- We unfortunately did not bring ours to Alaska. Our friend Tricia gave us a great pair for Christmas. This didn’t make the cut for our suitcases. We found a cheap pair that works well for the time being. 
3. Water
4. Sunglasses
5. Snacks/lunch- You can buy a packed lunch from the tour company.
6. Extra battery pack for phone
7. Insect repellent and sunscreen
8. Extra socks- Have you ever walked around with wet socks?
9. Rain jacket
10. Hiking boots 
11. Rain cover for backpack
12. Rain cover for camera
13. Umbrella (according to my husband, that’s just extra)
14. Bear spray and bear bell. (Only if you aren’t going to Brooks Falls)

I have to know, what’s your favorite national park? Have you made it to Katmai National Park? If you have, where’s it rank on your list? Also, am I tempting you to take a trip to Alaska? Homer was such a cute town. I decided it deserved its own blog! If you are looking for more pictures of our bear adventure, give us a follow on instagram and check them out! We got some great shots. Stay up to date with all things travel, nursing, and of course Flicks_withNick’s movie reviews. Give us a follow on instagram or subscribe to this blog.

This is our last week in Alaska.The true question is…