Brown Bears
of Katmai National Park
In Autumn
Katmai National Park has become world renowned as the place to go to photograph brown bears. These large variants of the grizzly bear (found mainly in the interior) have been protected within the park for generations and, with proper "people management" by the National Park Service, have grown accustomed to the human presence. This allows the chance to photograph them without significant influence on their behavior.
The midsummer salmon run that draws Katmai's bears to the Brooks River Falls finishes by early August, and the bears that have gorged themselves during the previous few weeks move back into the surrounding countryside for a change of diet, feasting instead on ground squirrels, roots, tubers and berries. But, in late August and early September, the bears utilize the feeder streams and the nearby oxbow pools to catch salmon—now bright red at the height of their breeding cycle—in a last effort to fatten up before winter.
Even if you have been to Katmai in the midsummer season, you can photograph your favorite bears now transformed with thicker fur in preparation for winter. We stay at Brooks Lodge as on our summer trip. It’s a wonderful time of year to visit the park.
Itinerary
Day 1 (Sep 10)
We meet in our Anchorage hotel lobby for orientation and dinner. (D)
Day 2
We fly to King Salmon and then to Brooks Camp, our base in Katmai National Park. After a talk about bear safety, we begin our encounters with the wilderness. (BLD)
Days 3–5
Our days are spent in serious pursuit of photography with fishing bears as our primary goal. We are able to get quite close to these massive carnivores (they are habituated to humans in the park), but
will maintain a reasonably safe distance. Most are seen singly or in pairs, and we may be fortunate enough to see a mother and cubs or some very large males. In fall the bears are
more widely distributed along the lower Brooks River and have thicker, more luxuriant coats. The salmon are also a bright red—echoing the fall color changes that have taken place in the surrounding vegetation. Informal discussions about capturing dramatic action and solving
exposure problems are held at the lodge and out in the field. (BLD)
Day 6
After a final morning of bear photography, we return to Anchorage via King Salmon. (BLD)
Day 7 (Sep 16)
Participants may depart at any time today.
PLEASE NOTE: Cabins at Brooks Lodge must be booked as multiple-occupancy only. Participants will be housed with members of their own gender and couples will be requested to separate, unless two couples traveling together request accommodations in the same cabin.
Trip Highlights
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Photograph brown bears in luxuriant fall coats
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Autumn-cured foliage offers vivid photo backgrounds
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Three well-placed bear-viewing platforms offer many exciting perspectives
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Trip can be combined with our Denali National Park in Autumn tour
Tour Details
Dates
Sep 10–16, 2011
Fee
$3,795 from Anchorage, Alaska
Deposit
$300
Limit
18
Terms & Conditions