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Katmai is famous for volcanoes, brown bears, fish, and rugged wilderness and is also the site of the Brooks River National Historic Landmark with North America's highest concentration of prehistoric human dwellings (about 900).
There are at least fourteen volcanoes in Katmai considered "active", none of which are currently erupting.
Brown bear and salmon are very active in Katmai. The number of brown bears has grown to more than 2,000. During the peak of the world's largest sockeye salmon run each July, and during return of the "spawned out" salmon in September, forty to sixty bears congregate in Brooks Camp along the Brooks River and the Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake shorelines. Brown bears along the 480 mile Katmai Coast also enjoy clams, crabs, and an occasional whale carcass.
There are a number of thinks to do while enjoying Katmai National Park and Preserve. These activities include but are not limited to; backpacking, bear watching, boating, boat tours, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, photography, star gazing, and wildlife watching.
Bear viewing at Brooks Camp is best in July and September. There are few bears in August, though they still are seen occasionally. July and September are crowded, expect waits and time limits when going to the Brooks Falls Platform in July. Weather and bears are always a factor at Katmai so plan extra time to work around delays.
The focus of visitor use is at the Brooks River, where brown bear congregate to feed on sockeye salmon as they pass upstream, although increasing visitor use is occurring along the outer coast and elsewhere in the park interior. Two bear viewing platforms are located along the Brooks River. The park also offers world-class sportfishing for salmon and trout. The Katmai National Park and Preserve coast attracts visitors for sportfishing, coastal tours, and bear viewing. Access to the coast is mainly available by boat tours and charter air taxis from Kodiak, Homer and Anchorage.
On 31 July 1916, Dr. Griggs led the forth National Geographic expedition through the Katmai Pass and saw, for the first time, the unexplored valley. Griggs wrote, "I can never forget my sensations at the sight which met my eyes...and looked down the valley, for there, stretching as far as the eye can reach... were hundreds - no thousands - of little volcanoes. It was though all the steam engines in the world, assembled together, had popped their safety valves at once and were letting off surplus steam in concert." Dr. Griggs was so impressed with "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes," he initiated an effort to establish Katmai as a national park.
Today, most of the "smokes" are gone, but the Valley remains a natural wonder. The boundaries of Katmai have been expanded to protect important coastlines and brown bear population, and Katmai has been redesignated as a national park. The valley though, remains one of the big attractions to this immense wilderness park.
Daily flights from King Salmon to Brooks Camp are scheduled from 01 Jun to mid-Sep. Bus tours along the road to The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes are also scheduled during this period. For those wishing to hike or camp in the Valley, arrangements can be made with the park concessioner to take the bus out one day and be picked up later to return to Brooks Camp. A fee is charged for this service.
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