Katmai Pass and the Southwest Trident Lava Flows

A stream winds through the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Significance:

Mountain pass

Designation:

Wilderness

MANAGED BY:

Katmai National Park

Katmai Pass and the Southwest Trident Lava Flows

Katmai Pass is one of the lowest points in the crest of the Aleutian Range in Katmai. It offers a relatively easy route between the Pacific Ocean and Bristol Bay watersheds. Until the 1912 eruption, a trail through Katmai Pass was frequently used by Alaska Natives as a trade route.

While the historic trail through the pass was buried by ash and pumice, the area still provides many places to explore. Hikers moving south through the pass can explore the lava flows from southwest Trident and the warm springs that seep from underneath them. Hikers moving north through the pass can imagine what Robert Griggs saw in 1916 when he first gazed upon the steaming valley. The summit of Observation Mountain, several miles south of the pass, offers amazing views of the Katmai River gorge and valley.

Email us (the park's wilderness office) for information about the route from Katmai Bay to Katmai Pass.