• The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes at Sunset, from the Griggs Visitor Center

    Katmai

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Hiking and Backpacking

There are few designated hiking trails within Katmai National Park and Preserve, but the park offers more than 4 million acres of wilderness for exploration. The Brooks Camp area offers opportunities for day hiking. The most popular destination for backpacking trips is the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. For more information about hiking in the Valley, download a brochure in PDF format.

Did You Know?

Sub-adult brown bear in the riffles below Brooks River Falls

In 1918, the scarcity of beef caused many Alaskans to call for the repeal of all legal protection for bears.  Katmai park promoters were cautioned,"the word bear should never be mentioned in connection with establishing a National Monument."  Ironically, today visitors flock here to view bears.