Camping in Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park, located in southwest Alaska about 1 hour flight from Anchorage, is one of the hardest national parks to visit. With only 35,000 visitors per year (compared to ~12M+ visitors in the Great Smokey Mountains), Katmai is one of the least visited national parks. Because of how remote the park is, visiting Katmai is very expensive. This guide outlines my experience camping for 2 nights in Katmai National Park.
How to get there
There are 3 ways to get to Katmai from Anchorage:
Small plane from Anchorage to Brooks Camp: $1,370 round trip
Fly Anchorage to King Salmon via Alaska Airlines, and boat King Salmon to Brooks Camp: $900 round trip
Fly Anchorage to King Salmon via Alaska Airlines, and small plane to Brooks Camp: $900 round trip (My Recommendation!)
Katmai can also be accessed through smaller towns like Homer, with the only option of travel being small plane and typically same day trip options. More remote areas could charge you the full cost of a charter plane if you just go one-way, depending on demand.
Needless to say… it is expensive to get to Katmai. Unless you own your own plane or know someone who does, this cost is inevitable to visit Katmai.
Which one should you pick?
On a cost constraint? Pick #2 or #3
On a time constraint? Pick #1
Do you have weight limitations? Pick #2
If you are backpacking in the park or bringing lots of gear for fishing (i.e. you are bringing over 50 lbs), note that Katmai Air and other small aircrafts have a weight limitation of 50 lbs with a $2 fee for every extra lb. Make sure you pack carefully!
Note that the Katmai water taxi is cancelled frequently due to high winds! I met multiple people that had to re-book on Katmai Air because of cancellations. I highly recommend just flying to reduce any uncertainty of cancellations.
Details on the modes of transport:
1. Katmai Air offers flights from Anchorage directly to Brooks Camp, and from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. Timing is subject to availability, so check the website or call them for more information. Remember that this is the most expensive option ($1,370 round trip), you can only bring 50 lbs of items, and you cannot bring compressed gases or bear spray with you.
2. Alaska Airlines standard flight from Anchorage to King Salmon operates 2 times a day (updated Summer 2025). If you book early enough, round trip flights are $455.
| Starting Location | Ending Location | Flight Time |
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage | King Salmon | 11:02am - 12:11pm |
| Anchorage | King Salmon | 3:40pm - 4:51pm |
| King Salmon | Anchorage | 12:53pm - 2:00pm |
| King Salmon | Anchorage | 5:46pm - 6:58pm |
Katmai Air offers flights every ~2 hours from King Salmon to Brooks Camp, typically aligned with commercial Alaska Airlines flights. When I booked, they had a $50 discount for very early (7AM) and late (6PM) flights, but those guarantee that you will either have to stay the night before or after in King Salmon. From a cost perspective, you aren’t saving much, and from my experience, there’s not a lot to do in King Salmon!
Their full guide outlines rules for flying. The most notable being:
You cannot fly with bear spray or fuel for camp stoves. They are available for purchase at camp or at the Brooks lodge
There is a 50lb weight limit for all of your items, including carry-on
You will take a free shuttle from the airport to where the bush planes take off
Katmai Air Cancellation Policy:
Flight reservations are refundable, less a $100 per person fee if cancelled at least 30 days prior to the start of the reservation. • Cancellations made within 30 days from the start of travel are not refundable. • Flights will be refunded if we cannot fly due to inclement weather. • If weather warrants that travel is possible for part of a trip (such as Anchorage to King Salmon) but is questionable to reach the final destination (such as Brooks), passengers may be given the option to cancel the entire trip for a refund OR travel the initial leg of the trip in hopes that weather improves in time to reach the final destination. However, if a passenger opts to fly, any flight leg that is fulfilled is not refundable. • Same-day cancellations due to inclement weather is only available if offered by our Katmai Air office staff.
3. Katmai Water Taxi operates daily from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. The trip takes 45 minutes, costs $238.50 each way ($477 round trip), and operates 6 times throughout the day:
King Salmon to Katmai: Every 2 hours from 7AM to 5PM
Katmai to King Salmon: Every 2 hours from 8AM to 6PM
I read a number of reviews on Reddit that the cancellation policy is not ideal. That being said, it is under new management this year so maybe those reviews will change!
Cancellation Policy (Katmai Water Taxi)
If you are unable to travel on your originally booked voyage, you may reschedule your trip, request a credit to be used at a future date, or request a refund. Full refunds are given only if you cancel twenty-four hours in advance or if Katmai Water Taxi cancels due to inclement weather, wind, or unforeseen circumstances. Katmai Water Taxi makes the effort to notify you of cancellation due to weather within 72 hours of your scheduled trip, but be aware that weather changes often up here. We will do our best to keep you updated on your trip. If you miss your scheduled departure, you will not be issued a refund.
By booking with Katmai Water Taxi, you understand that we reserve the right to modify or change any trip due to inclement weather, wind, or unforeseen circumstances. If you are asked to return at a different time from your original booking due to any of these reasons and you refuse transport from Brooks Camp, a refund will not be offered. In this circumstance, any cost that you incur due to refusal will be solely your responsibility. Safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority.
Where to stay
Brooks Campground: Rustic and authentic experience with the bears! In 2025, reservations through recreation.gov opened on January 7th, and all spots were taken within 15 minutes. There are typically cancellations (usually 1-2 person slots throughout the summer), but if you have a larger group, make sure you check the lottery timeline and get in early!
May 1 - 31: $10/person/night
June 1 - Sept 15: $18/person/night
Sept 16 - Oct 31: $10/person/night
Brooks Lodge: If you’re looking for a more luxury experience, Brooks Lodge has beds, meals, and experiences covered! They sell full packages to get you there so you don’t need to organize your own planes. Note that it is extremely expensive and hard to get. The lottery to get a room runs the month of December. When I checked their website at the time of this post, the cost for a 4-person room was $1219 (1150/night + 6% room tax). For us mere mortals, I would bank on the campground option and bring your gear!
Backcountry Camping: No permits are required to backcountry camp in Katmai. That being said, I only recommend this if you are an experienced hiker and have all the safety equipment required. Notable areas that you can visit include Valley of 10,000 smokes and Naknek Lake, among other spots. This is definitely the “off the beaten path” option, and typically is chosen by those who do not want to go to Brooks Camp specifically. These people will charter a flight to the middle of nowhere, and may not be reading this blog ;)
What to do in Katmai
See the bears! That’s what we’re here to see, right? There are multiple viewing platforms, but the best thing about camping is you can see the bears at dawn and dusk when (1) they are more active, and (2) when the day trippers are gone and it’s less crowded.
Day-long bus tours to the “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes”: This can be booked in advance through Bristol Adventures or the Brooks Lodge. Note that it is extremely hard to do this by yourself… there is a 20 mile road between the campground and the valley, and the company has the only bus that goes both ways. The cost for the trip was $100. You can also backpack in this area and book the bus to take you back to Brooks at a later date! The biggest challenge here is the weight limit when arriving at Brooks campground
The trip goes from 9am to 4:30pm. The road to the Valley crosses three streams before arriving at the Robert F. Griggs Visitor Center. After a break for lunch (an extra $10-$15 fee - not worth it if you ask me! It was a small sandwich, and you can request to bring your own lunch), a ranger leads an optional hike down to the Valley floor. The hike covers 3.4 miles (5.4 km) round trip with 1000 feet (305 m) of elevation change. Note that the valley bus seats are refundable only if resold. Seats that are not resold are nonrefundable and not eligible for a credit.
Flightseeing tours: $400/person for 1 hour from Brooks Lodge
Canoe and kayak rentals: Rentals from Brooks Lodge are $15/hour for single kayaks and $20/hour for double kayaks. Although this is on their website, I never saw anyone kayaking and bears are everywhere in the water.
Sport fishing on the Brooks River and surrounding lakes and creeks (rods and waders may be rented at the “Brooks Lodge Trading Post,” and fishing guides are available by hourly, half-day, and full-day rates). Costs are approximately $100/hour, $315/half day, and $525/full day.
Hang out at the Brooks lodge for food and drinks: Food and drinks can be purchased with cash or visa at the lodge for any traveler!
Ranger talks at Katmai campground: 2 sessions are offered daily, a cultural tour at 2PM and a classic ranger talk at 8PM
My Itinerary when I visited in 2025
Day 1:
11AM - 12:10AM: Alaska Airlines flight Anchorage to King Salmon
12:30PM: Grab bags and hop on shuttle bus from airport to water plane
1-1:30PM: Float plane to Brooks Campground
1:30-2PM: Bear school (the mandatory bear safety class)
3-4PM: Dumpling mountain overlook
5-8PM: Bear viewing platforms & explore the campsite
Day 2:
7-8AM: Bear viewing from the campsite and beach
9AM-5PM: Valley of 10,000 Smokes Day tour
7PM: Ranger evening program. Ours was about porcupines and was really awesome - I highly recommend!
8-10PM: Bear viewing
Day 3:
8-12AM: Bear viewing, explore, hang out!
1PM: Cultural Walk to a native reconstructed home
3-4PM: Float plane to King Salmon and bus to airport
5:45-7PM: Alaska airlines flight King Salmon to Anchorage
Best time to visit
Summer is the best time to visit, specifically June 1 to September 15. The flight operators offer daily offerings during this time. Additionally, the peak salmon run where the bears come out in full force is typically in mid- to end- of July.
Brooks campground is open from May to October, with the flank seasons costing less than the peak time (outlined in “where to stay”).
I visited from August 25 - 27, and there were a ton of fat bears and salmon all around. This year, the peak salmon time was towards the end of July.
Cost to Camp at Katmai National Park (on a budget)
My cost (on a budget):
Alaska airlines round trip flight: $455
Katmai air round trip flight: $480
Campground reservation: $38 ($18/night for 2 nights + $2 reservation fee)
Valley of 10,000 smokes day tour: $100 (not including lunch)
Food: ~$30 (brought it all in from Anchorage, including dried meals & snacks)
Total cost: $1,103 for 2 days in Katmai National Park
Worth it? Absolutely.
Can I combine visiting Katmai with Lake Clark?
While it may make logical sense to try to combine visiting Katmai National Park with another park like Lake Clark (since they are close together), it is more expensive to try to lump these together than returning to Anchorage. A few reasons why:
To get from Port Alsworth to Brooks Camp directly, you will need to charter a full plane for $3000.
There are limited flights that operate between Ports Alsworth and King Salmon. They do exist, but from my research in summer 2025, they cost ~$800 one-way. A flight from Port Alsworth to Anchorage is $280, and a flight Anchorage to King Salmon is $240. Therefore it would be nearly $300 more to go direct instead of back through Anchorage. Plus, you will still need to get from King Salmon to Katmai!
Most private plane charters operate on a round-trip basis, so if you are going one-way, you will need to pay for the full flight (and all the seats on the plane).
If you are traveling in a group of 4+, it could make sense to charter a plane to make use of your time. But most of us will need to visit each park separately if cost is a concern.
My Packing List
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping mat
Stove (note you can buy gas cans at the campsite and you are not allowed to fly with them!)
Fleece
Puffy
Rain Gear
Camelback
Backpacking food
Hiking pants
Hiking boots
Headlamp (although it doesn’t get dark until 11PM!)
