Into Bear Country: My Journey to Katmai National Park
In January 2024, in the depths of winter, I won the lottery, not the kind with cash prizes, but something rarer: a spot at Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park, Alaska. With just one night secured in a cabin at Brooks Camp, I began planning what felt like the adventure of a lifetime: a pilgrimage to see the legendary bears of Brooks Falls.
The Long Journey North
The trip began with a long flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Anchorage, where the mountains seemed to rise straight from the sea. From there, I boarded a smaller plane bound for King Salmon, the gateway to Katmai.
It was raining when I landed, the kind of steady drizzle that soaks into everything. Float planes weren’t flying. I checked into my cabin in King Salmon, listening to rain drum against the window, and wondered if this whole trip might dissolve into fog and bad luck.
Morning came with a cautious break in the weather. I was about to step into something I’d never done before: my first float plane ride. The engine roared to life, we skimmed across the water, and suddenly the ground tilted away. My stomach lurched, but then came awe: endless lakes, winding rivers, and flashes of wilderness that felt infinite. This wasn’t just transport: it was an initiation.
Arrival at Brooks Camp
Landing at Brooks Camp felt like stepping into another world. Before anything else, all newcomers attend “Bear School.” A ranger, calm and serious, explained the rules of survival: don’t run if you see a bear, don’t get between a mother and her cub, and always, always stay alert. It wasn’t fear I felt, but a sense of humility. This was their home, and we were merely passing through as visitors. The rules were simple but unforgettable: Never run when you see a bear! Give them space and respect! Always be bear-aware, because here, humans are visitors in the bears’ domain.
Brooks Falls: Where Salmon Leap and Bears Feast
The boardwalk to Brooks Falls wound through trees alive with fungi: mushrooms everywhere, like little flags rising from the forest floor. When I finally stepped onto the viewing platform, the scene stopped me cold: salmon leaping frantically against the torrent, the water streaked red with sockeye. Above it all, bears stood at the top of the falls, poised and patient, waiting for dinner to launch itself into their jaws.
And then there was Bear 909, “Bella,” curled up under the platform like it was her private bedroom, snoozing in the shade while we peered down from above. The rawness of it all, the fish, the bears, the rhythm of survival, felt almost mythic.
That evening, the sun surprised us, breaking through the clouds to turn the whole place golden. I attended a ranger talk by Kestrel, who explained the complex social lives of the bears: allies, rivals, and frenemies. It felt like a soap opera, only played out with claws and teeth.
A Night in the Cabin, A Day in the Valley
Spending the night in a cozy cabin surrounded by wilderness felt both comforting and surreal. The next morning, I joined the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes tour with Ranger Kim.
The valley, born from the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century (the colossal 1912 Novarupta eruption), was stark and otherworldly. We hiked down into the canyon carved by the Ukak River, eating wild berries (cranberries, watermelon berries) straight from the trail. Mushrooms were everywhere, especially plump boletus, their earthy scent mingling with the alpine air. The weather blessed us again with sunshine, turning the valley’s ash and stone into a painter’s palette of grays, golds, and greens.
A Close Encounter
Back at Brooks Camp that evening, I had the kind of encounter you replay in your head for weeks. Leaving the visitor center, I stepped onto the path and, there he was. A bear, broad as a boulder, close enough that instinct screamed run. But Bear School’s mantra kicked in. I froze, heart pounding, and watched him amble past, utterly uninterested in me. My most intimate bear sighting ever!
Later, the float plane carried me back across the water to King Salmon. Beside my cabin stood the most enchanting mushroom of all: a perfect Amanita muscaria, its red cap flecked with white like something from a fairy tale. After days of bears and berries, it felt like the forest was winking at me.
Anchorage and Beyond
The next day, I flew back to Anchorage and took a tour through Chugach National Park, visiting the Wildlife Conservation Center and ending the trip with a cruise to Portage Glacier. Watching ice calve into the water was a stark reminder of the fragile balance between wilderness and climate.
Reflections
From the adrenaline of bear encounters to the quiet wonder of mushrooms and berries, my trip to Katmai was more than a park visit: it was a lesson in humility. Here, nature reigns supreme, and humans are merely guests. Winning the Brooks Lodge lottery may have been luck, but what I brought home was gratitude: for the bears, the salmon, the land, and the chance to glimpse a piece of Alaska’s untamed heart.
