A Guide to Visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park
Brooks Falls may be one of the most recognized places in the world. Known for bears squatting on top of waterfalls, patiently waiting for an unlucky salmon to fly right into their mouths, Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park draws bear lovers and adventurers from all over.
I had the opportunity to visit for a day in August 2024 and experience what makes Brooks Falls an icon in the outdoor space. I learned a lot during my visit, and everything I experienced, including all my photos inside, will help you plan a future trip!
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My Reaction to Brooks Falls
Unbeknownst to us, when we booked this trip, mid-to-late August was not the best time for Brooks Falls, which is honestly okay. You can’t get everything, and we knew it wouldn’t be the astounding views you get in July simply because we were watching the webcam and saw there were only a few bears.
Getting the chance to visit Katmai and the area was still surreal, and while the physical bears were lackluster, I still really enjoyed the trip. Because the bears were fewer, the crowds were far thinner than their surge of ~500 per day. This created a more natural viewing experience and made me feel more like I was in Alaska and less like I was at Disneyland.
The best part was when a large bear walked down a side trail under us and entered the water. That was pretty incredible to be that close to one.
In addition to being at Brooks Falls, we flew around the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a volcano graveyard of sorts. In 1912, Novarupta became the largest volcanic eruption in the twentieth century. It ended up killing everything in this valley, and it is now a sea of brown dirt.
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Things to Know About Visiting Brooks Falls
Flying is the only way in
There’s only one realistic way to get to Brooks Falls: to fly in on a float plane and land on Naknek Lake. Most people will fly in from Anchorage or Homer, but others will get there via a lodge elsewhere in the area.
On my trip, we flew in from Lake Clark Resort, which was about a 70-minute flight from take-off to touch down.
Where is Brooks Falls
Brooks Falls is located in Katmai National Park southwest of Anchorage. It is the sixth least visited National Park in the US, with less than 40,000 visitors in 2023. The famous falls flow out of Lake Brooks to the west.
Tight and Bumpy
When you fly in, it’s not exactly luxury—but I hope you weren’t expecting that. You’ll fly on a small floatplane. Hopefully, it’ll be smooth, but with Alaska weather, anything can happen.
Thankfully, the views will be outstanding, so make sure to bring a camera to photograph them from above.
Two ways to stay: Brooks Lodge or Camping
If you are lucky, you’ll get to stay overnight at Brooks Lodge. And when I say lucky, I mean it.
Every December, you can enter a lottery to stay 1.5 years in the future. (For example, if you apply in December 2024, you are applying for summer 2026.)
- Cabins hold up to four people
- 16 cabins available
- Rooms are $1,125 and are four bunk beds with heat/electricity, a small bathroom, sink, and shower
2024 Meal Pricing
| Breakfast Buffet | Adult: $23.00 | Child: $12.00* |
| Lunch Buffet | Adult: $29.00 | Child: $16.00* |
| Dinner Buffet | Adult: $42.00 | Child: $24.00* |
You can also camp there. It can accommodate 60 people per day. The campground has an electric fence, but you’ll have to be okay with the possible risk of bears. I don’t think there have been many incidents, but there’s always the possibility.
I’ve not done this, but I would view it as going backpacking in terms of packing your bag. But you’ll also have the ability to bring more gear if you like. A dining hall at Brooks Lodge serves three meals a day and everyone has access to it.
July is usually the busiest, but it also depends
When the salmon run, the bears show up. It’s been a tale as old as time. But sadly, no one can ask the salmon when they are going to run, so you never know exactly when primetime is. Overall, July offers the best chances to see the most bears, and this probably stretches into late June and early August.
The Park Ranger on site told us that 10,000 people visited Katmai in July. In comparison, only 40,000 people visited the National Park in 2023 (and I assume most, if not all, visited Brooks Falls).
This is not a budget-friendly place to visit
There’s nothing cheap about visiting Alaska and Brooks Falls. To get here, you’ll need to take a flight to Anchorage first. After that, you’ll have to transfer to a smaller airport (Lake Hood) to get on a float plane for an hour-long flight to Brooks Falls.
These single-day bear-watching flights range from $1,000 per person to $1,500, depending on the company.
Another option is to leave out of Homer, Alaska, which will cut 30-45 minutes of your flight time. The prices are about the same as from Anchorage, but it allows you to visit while in the middle of your exploration of the Kenai Peninsula.
What you probably didn’t know about Brooks Falls in Katmai
10-Minute Bear Safety Class
You must take a 10-minute bear safety class when arriving at Brooks Camp. This class teaches you how to store your food and be bear-smart while enjoying the area.
It’s pretty standard (and as someone who stood 8 feet from a bear two days before, it was a bit boring), but it’s also incredibly important, as I assume most people who visit have never been around a bear in their lives.
Once you “pass the class,” you can head out to see the bears.
Mile-long walk to the Best Viewpoint
From the Katmai Visitor Center to Brooks Falls is a 1.2-mile flat walk. During our visit, it wasn’t exciting. But there could easily be bears walking on the trail at the same time as you. Use the skills you just learned in the video to stay calm, be aware, and move off the trail if a bear does approach.
Keep an eye on the sky, as you can see eagles and other birds as you walk.
30-minute limit at Brooks Falls Viewpoint
I can’t remember if I knew beforehand that we’d be limited at the viewing platform, but we quickly learned it when we arrived. There are two platforms at Brooks Falls. One is yards from the famous waterfall, and another downstream stream, maybe a football field.
Both have good viewpoints, but the close one is by far the best. And it’s where everyone wants to go. So, during high visitation hours (think middle of the day when tours arrive), you are only allowed to be there for 30 minutes at a time, and then you have to make room for others. When you leave, you can put your name back on the list. And while you wait, you can go out to the other viewpoint and spend as long as you want there. In July, you could have a dozen bears right in front of you.
In July, we heard that you might have to wait two hours for a 30-minute slot. For our August trip, we had to wait about 10 minutes the first time we arrived and then had 20 minutes to wait.
Side note: This is why staying here overnight is so great. Once all the tours leave, you may not have to wait at all, or if you do, it’ll be pretty quick.
August may not be a good month to visit
As I touched on above, August could be a hit-and-miss month. I’ve only been once, so my track record isn’t long, but from what our guide said, the salmon are elsewhere this month, and so are the bears.
Then, in September, the bears will return, and more dead salmon will wash ashore or come down from above, and they will pick them up there.
No Food Past the Visitor Center
To protect the bears and yourself, no food is allowed past the Brooks Lodge dining hall. The National Park has a gear storage area where you can put your food and drinks.
It’s a bit annoying because if you want to eat, you have to walk a mile down the path. Cumbersome, to say the least!
I suggest eating and drinking as much as possible before heading out and being okay with being hungry for a bit.
(There are exceptions for health reasons, and I did hear the staff has glucose tablets at the viewpoint.)
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
If you stay at Brooks Falls and want to skip the chaos during the middle of the day, you can take a bus tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Or, if you’re on a flight, they should fly you over it on the way back.
Gear I Brought to Photograph at Brooks Falls
Camera Gear
I brought out the heavy equipment (literally) for this as I didn’t want to miss a shot. The shots these cameras captured will live on forever, and they are constantly blowing me away as I slowly dive into everything.
(NOTE: You cannot extend tripod legs in the summertime. This ends August 15.)
- Canon r5
- Canon 100-500 4.5-7.1
- Sony A7r5
- Sony 400mm 2.8
- Sony 24-70 2.8
- Manfrotto 055 Tripod
- Manfrotto ProLight Bag
- Canon Batteries and Sony Batteries
- SD Cards – 256GB (2-pack), 128GB (2-pack)
Clothes we wore
This was only a day trip, so we didn’t bring too much. However, it rained as we walked to the overlook, so I was happy to have a rain jacket. Find your gear here.
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Hiking Pants
- Down Jacket
- Gloves
- Hat and Beanie
- Sunglasses
Final Thoughts on Visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park
I genuinely enjoyed visiting Brooks Falls in Alaska, but you have to know that going in is going to be a hectic experience and not a “wild” one like bear-watching in other parts of Alaska. But that’s okay! This is a great destination for a reason, and people want to see it -myself included!
If you have Katmai National Park on your bucket list, go for it. Try to win the lodge lottery; if not, plan a day trip here. Have a great time. You will not be disappointed, and you’ll see more bears than you’ve ever seen in your life!
Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.
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