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National park in Alaska, United States
Photo: Marshmallow, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Katmai National Park is a national park that is at the base of the Alaskan Peninsula in Southwestern Alaska, near Kodiak Island.
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The Vallye of Ten Thousand Smokes is a 40 sqmi area that was formed after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta filled the valley with ash and formed thousands of steam-venting fumaroles. During the operating season, daily tours are offered to this volcanic valley. Each day from June 1st to September 17th, you can take the bus tour from Brooks Camp out the 23 mi park road to explore a tiny piece of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes with a Park Service Interpreter. The road to the valley travels through the boreal forest, crossing three streams, and into the alpine tundra before arriving at Griggs Visitor Center. After a brief break for lunch, there is time for an optional trip down to the valley floor to see the ash layer close up. The trail is three miles long and drops 800 vertical feet. However, keep in mind that once down on the valley floor to save enough energy for the arduous climb back to the top. Be sure to bring water, rain gear, warm clothing, and sturdy hiking boots for the trip. A fee is charged for the bus tour and reservations can be made from Katmailand, the park concessioner.
Open from June 1 until September 17. This lodge overlooks the Brooks River and has been in operation since 1950. The lodge has sixteen rooms accommodating 2-4 people in each room. Meals are served buffet style three times each day, and cocktails are available for purchase in the afternoon and evening. Reservations are required and should be made as far in advance as possible.
This lodge is popular with fisherman since two rivers adjacent to the lodge host over 100,000 chinook salmon annually. There are three guest cabins with heat and electricity, and a separate bathhouse building. The main lodge building serves complimentary cocktails each evening.
Fly fishing for rainbow trout is the highlight of this lodge. The lodge's guest cabins can accommodate two people, and the main lodge building offers dining and complimentary cocktails each evening.
Brooks Camp Campground is the only developed/improved camping area in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Facilities in the campground include a food cache, gear cache, fuel storage locker, potable water, cooking shelters, fire rings, and vault toilets. The campground is also surrounded by an electric fence. Special regulations apply at Brooks Camp and in the campground. The campground fills on a per person basis to a maximum of 60 campers per night sharing 18 sites. Campsites will be shared when the campground is filled to capacity and/or flooded. Reservations must be made in advance - many days in July are booked full within a few hours of the opening of the reservation period. Reservations for the current calendar year can be made beginning January 5 at 8AM AKST (noon EST) by visiting online or calling +1-877-444-6777.
Katmai is 290 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. There are daily commercial flights from Anchorage to King Salmon.
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King Salmon · Regional · AKN
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