Brown Bears of Katmai National Park, Alaska

from the Ray I. Doan Photographic Collection

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I photographed this bear with his next meal.
After they caught a fish the bears always walked over to the shore to eat.

I wanted to photograph Brown Bears and I decided Brooks Falls in Alaska was the right place. To get there I flew in to Anchorage, Alaska and then on to King Salomon, Alaska. From there I got on a float plane for the short flight into Katmai National Park. Katmai National Park is famous for it's Brown Bears fishing at Brooks Falls.

Grizzly Bears that live near the water are called Brown Bears. Brown Bears are bigger than Grizzly Bears, probably because of their better diet of Salmon.

Every July the big daddy Brown Bears come to fish for spawning Salmon at 'Brooks Falls' on the Brooks River in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Brooks Falls is a wildlife photographer's dream come true because the biggest Brown Bears spend all day in a perfect setting with non stop action.

Katmai National Park can only be reached by float plane from King Salomon, Alaska. If you want to stay at the Lodge during the short peak July season you have to make reservations a year in advance.

Your first order of business upon reaching the Lodge is your 'Bear Lecture' on how to conduct yourself around the bears. Mainly never surprise a Bear, make lots of noise, and Bears definitely have the right of way.

It's about a mile walk, on a trail through the woods, to a permanent viewing platform at Brooks Falls. It seems safe enough on the platform but the trail to the platform differently puts you in Bear Country. It's undoubtedly prudent to follow the Park Ranger's advise about safety on the trail.

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This page was last updated: March 15, 2008