Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Katmai National Park and Preserve is a huge national park in Alaska. Named after the stratovolcano Mount Katmai, the national park is on the Alaska Peninsula overlooking Kodiak Island. It covers 7,383 sq mi (19,120 sq km), about the same size as Wales. About 5,288 sq mi (13,700 sq km) of the park is designated a wilderness area.

Katmai National Park protects the largest population of brown bears in the world. Today it is estimated that the park has over two thousand such bears, especially at the Brooks Falls area, where a viewing platform allows to get a clear view of the bears that come out to fish for salmon. Other sites of brown bear concentration include Hallo Bay, Kukak Bay and Chiniak.

Brown bear, Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Bear,_Hallo_Bay,_Katmai_National_Park_3.jpg
Marshmallow


Katmai National Park also has a number of archaeological sites with artifacts from the Paleoarctic culture. There are a number of volcanoes including the Fourpeaked Volcano, which became active again on 17 September, 2006 after 10,000 years of dormancy. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a site of volcanic activities and pyroclastic flows within the park.

Katmai was initially proclaimed a national monument on 24 September, 1918. It was upgraded to national park status on 2 December, 1980.

Mount Griggs, Katmai National Park
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MountGriggs.jpg
R. McGimsey, US Geological Survey

Visiting Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

As with most nature sites in Alaska, Katmai National Park and Preserve cannot be reached by road. So the only options are by plane or boat. There are air taxi flights which you can charter from Anchorage and other towns in Alaska. Alternatively, you can go there by boat.

Although the park is open all year round, best time to view brown bears is from June through September. There are no entrance fees to Katmai National Park, however permits are required for camping, commercial filming and photography.

List of National Parks in the United States

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