Katmai National Park and Preserve Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Katmai National Park and Preserve. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Brooks Falls Katmai Bear Viewing in a Float Plane

• Brooks Falls Bear Viewing

• 2 Park Bear Viewing Adventure to Katmai and Lake Clark NP

While visiting Katmai National Park and Preserve is free, getting there can be expensive. Bear-viewing tours range in cost from around US$1,285 per person and include round-trip transportation from Homer to the park and back again on a float plane.

Katmai National Park and Preserve is known for its large populations of brown bears, which can be seen fishing for salmon at the park's most famous destination: Brooks Camp. It's considered one of the easiest ways to see the creatures up close and can be done on a day trip from Homer.

While brown bears are the stars at Katmai National Park, it’s home to lots of species, including moose, caribou, wolves, lynxes, and red foxes. You can also spot plenty of birds, especially in spring and summer—just a few species seen in the park include great-horned owls, black-capped chickadees, and ravens.

The best time to visit Katamai National Park is during the summer, when bear activity peaks. The National Park Service (NPS) operates a temporary visitor center at Brooks Camp from June 1 until mid-September to accommodate the increase in visitors. The NPS also offers mandatory bear safety talks and other ranger-led programs.

Yes, camping is allowed at Katamai, but snagging a reservation can be extremely difficult, even if you are ready to reserve right at 8am on January 5 (Alaska time) when reservations open. The Brooks Camp Campground does not have designated sites, and space is limited to 60 people.