Doing Business With The Park

A float plane on water headed to shore

Commercial visitor services, commercial filming, and commercial photography are authorized in Katmai National Park and Preserve when it is consistent with the protection and public enjoyment of park resources. NPS policy requires that primary consideration be given to safety, potential resource damage, and anticipated disruption of normal visitor use. Applicable regulations can be found on Katmai’s laws and policies page.

What is a Commercial Use Authorization?

A Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) is a business permit with the National Park Service that authorizes an individual, group, company, or entity to provide commercial visitor services within a national park area. The National Park Service will only issue CUAs for commercial activities and visitor services that:

  • are determined to be an appropriate use of Katmai;
  • will have minimal impact on Katmai’s resources and values; and
  • are consistent with Katmai’s purpose, management plans, policies, and regulations.


A CUA is required if you, as an individual, organization, or company, provide any goods, activities, services, agreements, or other function for park visitors that:

  • take place at least in part in areas managed by Katmai,
  • use park resources, and
  • result in compensation, monetary gain, benefit, or profit to you.

Businesses and individuals may not conduct commercial activities in the park without a valid CUA or in a manner inconsistent with the stipulations of the CUA.

How do I apply for a Commercial Use Authorization?

With the exception of Denali and Glacier Bay National Parks and Preserves, CUA applications in the Alaska Region are centrally managed. With one form, applicants may apply for all park units in the Region (except Denali and Glacier Bay). Application materials and additional information are available on the NPS Alaska Region website.

Applications are accepted annually between November 1st and April 30th. A fully completed application package including insurance, fee payment, and other required documentation must be received or postmarked by the April 30th deadline.

Completed application packages should be submitted to akro_cua_admin@nps.gov for review.

Katmai only accepts CUA applications for the commercial activities listed below. Please note that some activities have additional requirements in addition to the National, Regional and Park-Specific Stipulations that apply to all activities within a park unit. Stipulations and conditions may be updated annually. Copies are available on the Region’s website.

  • air taxi
  • water taxi and charter boat
  • guided hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering
  • guided bear viewing
  • big game and incidental hunt transport
  • guided kayaking, paddleboarding, and boating
  • boat rentals: kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddleboards
  • guided photography
  • snorkeling and underwater wildlife photography
  • guided sport fishing
  • guided winter backcountry trips (guided skiing, sledding, snowshoeing)

How much does a Commercial Use Authorization cost?

In addition to the application fee outlined in the Application Instructions on the Regional website, Katmai charges a monitoring fee of $10.00 USD per person, per day (excluding guides) in all areas of the park except for the Brooks Camp Developed Area. At the Brooks Camp Developed Area, the monitoring fee is $23.00 USD per person, per day (excluding guides). If the same client visits both Brooks Camp Developed Area and any other locations in Katmai on the same day with the same CUA holder, only the Brooks Camp Developed Area fee will be collected for those clients. The fee is due November 15th each year. Starting in 2023, the monitoring fees began a phased increase to keep pace with the costs of administering the program. Monitoring fees will increase once more in 2024.

 

Beginning in the 2023 operating and reporting season, Katmai National Park and Preserve is increasing the Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) Monitoring Fees to better reflect the true cost of administering our commercial services program, as required by law. The increase will impact the Monitoring Fees for those commercial activities that take place in the Brooks Camp Developed Area (BCDA) portion of Katmai National Park as well as the Monitoring Fees for all other areas of Katmai National Park and Preserve (KATM), Alagnak Wild River (ALAG), and Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (ANIA). The BCDA is defined as a 1.5-mile radius from the Brooks Falls Platform. A map of the area that is defined as the BCDA can be found at www.nps.gov/katm/planyourvisit/campingbcdv.htm.  
 

Public Law 105-391 and NPS policy require the Superintendent to charge a reasonable fee “to recover associated management and administrative costs” for CUAs and review the fee every two years. The fees allow the park to recover the actual costs incurred in support of the CUA program, monitoring, clean up, and restoration to resources following the CUA activities. These funds can also be utilized for the day-to-day monitoring that occurs to enforce park regulations and for any equipment and materials needed for the management of the CUA program.  
 

This is the park's first increase to its Monitoring Fees since 2003 and will bring fees in line with the current staffing and material costs that support the commercial services program. The increases to Monitoring Fees will be phased in over two years with the first increases to go into effect for the 2023 operating and reporting season. Following the implementation of the new fee structure, Monitoring Fees will be reviewed every other year to remain in compliance with law and policy. 
 

Monitoring Fees are calculated using a per person, per day methodology. CUA staff included within the group are excluded when calculating Monitoring Fees. If the same client visits both the BCDA and any other locations within KATM on the same day with the same CUA holder, only the BCDA Monitoring Fee will be collected. Monitoring Fees are due no later than November 15th for the reporting year. Below is the phased fee structure that will be implemented: 

CUA Monitoring Fee 

Brooks Camp Developed Area (within KATM) 

All Other Areas of KATM, ALAG, and ANIA 

2022 Reporting Season 

$14.00 

$6.00 

2023 Reporting Season 

$23.00 

$10.00 

2024 Reporting Season 

$30.00 

$15.00 

 

We recognize the strong partnership the park has with its commercial operators and look forward to building on that strength as visitation increases to ensure park resources and visitor safety are protected.  Questions about the CUA program or this fee change should be directed to Commercial Services Program Manager, Alex Maki, at e-mail us or 907-644-3362. 

 

What are the reporting requirements?

CUA holders must submit an Annual Report and Activity Reports each year by November 15th. Current reporting forms and reporting addresses are available on the Regional website.

Helpful links for commercial users:

  • Commercial Use Authorization Stipulations
    Read up on requirements for businesses that wish to provide commercial services in national parks in Alaska. Some stipulations are common to all parks across Alaska, and other stipulations are specific to certain parks.

Helpful links for visitors:

To assure protection of the parks’ cultural, historic, and natural resources, all commercial filming and commercial photography on NPS lands must be approved through a permitting process. Please visit the commercial filming and photography page for more information.

 

Commercial Shuttle and Water Taxi Services

Katmai National Park and Preserve intends to issue a competitive Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) application process for shuttle and water taxi services between Lake Camp and Brooks Camp. The Park will issue up to one (1) shuttle and water taxi CUA, valid from May 15, 2024, through December 31, 2025. The National Park Service is conducting this competitive application process in accordance with 54 U.S.C. § 101925 (PL 105-391 Sec 418(2 (A)), and RM 48B.

Applicants must review all sections of the application package to determine the full scope of a future operator’s responsibilities under the permit. The shuttle and water taxi service between Lake Camp and Brooks Camp CUA will be awarded through a competitive process. Interested parties must submit a completed application package before the deadline to be considered. Applications will be accepted between November 27 and December 31, 2023; applications received after 5:00 P.M. AKST on December 31, 2023 will not be accepted.

Last updated: November 22, 2023

Park footer

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 7
1000 Silver Street, Building 603

King Salmon, AK 99613

Phone:

907 246-3305

Contact Us