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About Our Company
The Brown Bears of Katmai National Park
Published
The ground is predictably non-descript as we fly past a never-ending forest flush with the spruce trees of the boreal forests. The land is pocked with small inland ponds and lakes and through it all, a massive hydrological complex cuts. Feeding the Naknek River is the glaciated waters of Naknek Lake. Into Naknek Lake, Brooks Lake empties its cold water via the Brooks River.
As the plane banks, it is in clear view as we descend in the DeHavilland bush plane. The plane's engine is loud, so we all wear headphones. Therefore talking is impossible. Instead, I tap one of my guests on the shoulder and point to the shoreline. Walking some 200 feet below us is a mother brown bear and her cub. He looks back and smiles. A tell-tale sign that we've made it to Brooks Camp.
While the bear walks along the beach, we must pause disembarking as she passes. The rules here are clear: you must stay 50 yards away from the bears so as not to disrupt their feeding and movement patterns. There is no exception to this rule. As such, the plane lazily floats a few yards from the shore - bobbing and sinking with each subtle wake that passes. Eventually, she lumbers past and disappears into the forest.
What a way to start a trip.
Taxonomically speaking, brown bears and grizzly bears are the same species - Ursus arctos horribilis. The difference in the naming convention centers on what they eat. Brown bears live within 60 miles of a coast and feed on fish, edges, and clams. Their seafood menu is a reliable food source. Therefore, brown bears grow bigger than grizzlies.
On the other hand, grizzly bears live further inland, where food is scarce and they must hustle more to eat. A mere coincidence of geography is what defines which bear is called which. Nothing more, nothing less…
The Katmai experience is just that - an experience. It's the totality of all that makes up this trip. It's the scenery, the people, the feeling of solitude, the park staff, and above all, it is the bears. The brown bears of Katmai are legendary among those who pay attention. They are lauded for both their wildness and approachability; their size and their numbers; for giving us a glimpse of what a place looks like where humans and animals have coexisted for hundreds of years.
While the bear walks along the beach, we must pause disembarking as she passes. The rules here are clear: you must stay 50 yards away from the bears so as not to disrupt their feeding and movement patterns. There is no exception to this rule. As such, the plane lazily floats a few yards from the shore - bobbing and sinking with each subtle wake that passes. Eventually, she lumbers past and disappears into the forest.
What a way to start a trip.
Taxonomically speaking, brown bears and grizzly bears are the same species - Ursus arctos horribilis. The difference in the naming convention centers on what they eat. Brown bears live within 60 miles of a coast and feed on fish, edges, and clams. Their seafood menu is a reliable food source. Therefore, brown bears grow bigger than grizzlies.
On the other hand, grizzly bears live further inland, where food is scarce and they must hustle more to eat. A mere coincidence of geography is what defines which bear is called which. Nothing more, nothing less…
The Katmai experience is just that - an experience. It's the totality of all that makes up this trip. It's the scenery, the people, the feeling of solitude, the park staff, and above all, it is the bears. The brown bears of Katmai are legendary among those who pay attention. They are lauded for both their wildness and approachability; their size and their numbers; for giving us a glimpse of what a place looks like where humans and animals have coexisted for hundreds of years.
Once unpacked and the camp shored up, we walk away from our tents and head to bear school where the guests learn the ins and outs of bear behavior and how to handle themselves in bear country. It's a short but necessary primer on the experience. As a ranger talks to the guests about the park, bears run amok around the buildings. It's hard to focus on the instructions at hand when it's your first time in bear country, but everyone manages. At one point, I look at my watch. We are less than 30 minutes in bear country and we've already seen about a dozen females and sub-adults. The bears are doing various things, like sauntering around the beach and the National Park Service buildings. I am not surpassed. This is the experience du jour when you are in Katmai.
Our timing is impeccable, and after bear school, we stop in at the lodge for lunch. Brooks Lodge dining is a delight. They offer thoughtfully prepared and delicious meals for the few dozen people who eat here.
Our timing is impeccable, and after bear school, we stop in at the lodge for lunch. Brooks Lodge dining is a delight. They offer thoughtfully prepared and delicious meals for the few dozen people who eat here.
After lunch, we walk out to the bridge platforms. As suspected, the river is full of salmon and the bears that feed on them. Some bears snorkel in the water looking for fish while others chase them in the shallow water. The lower delta of the Brooks River is as good of brown bear habitat as you'll find. It's a bottleneck where fish from Bristol Bay make their way up the Naknek River, through Naknek Lake, and into the Brooks River. If the fish are lucky, they swim one last gauntlet through the river, over Brooks Falls, and into Brooks Lake, where they lay their eggs and re-spawn a new generation of fish. The salmon migration is an age-old event. Scientists say that the salmon's olfactory system guides them back to the same patch of gravel where their parents made a nest and laid millions of eggs. It's miraculous to know that the fish survive given the odds against them, even making it back to the same lake from whence they hatched.
The bottleneck in the Brooks River and Brooks Falls, where all these fish converge, is the perfect feeding place for brown bears trying to fatten themselves for a long winter's hibernation. Led by an internal urge called hyperplasia, the bears gorge themselves on the 5,000-calories apiece salmon. Once they've put on as much as 1,000 additional pounds, the bears slip into the woods sometime in October, dig an earthen den, and slumber until the spring thaw.
The bottleneck in the Brooks River and Brooks Falls, where all these fish converge, is the perfect feeding place for brown bears trying to fatten themselves for a long winter's hibernation. Led by an internal urge called hyperplasia, the bears gorge themselves on the 5,000-calories apiece salmon. Once they've put on as much as 1,000 additional pounds, the bears slip into the woods sometime in October, dig an earthen den, and slumber until the spring thaw.
We immerse ourselves in bear county for the entire day and the entire trip. The culmination of each day comes with a trip to Brooks Falls. This place is where thousands of fish stack up and await their turn to jump up the six-foot-high deluge. The bears have this figured out and descend en masse. At the highest count, we see fifty bears in the river around the falls. Each one has its own hunting style. Some chase fish in the shallows, some eat dead fish from the bottom, and others sit at the base of the falls and expend little energy while only catching the fish that swim next to them.
The star of the show is a female called the Fisher Bear. She's a master at catching fish mid-air. When we get to the falls, she's nowhere around. Instead, a young bear sits at the top of the falls as hundreds of fish per hour jump and try to make their way further upstream. He's having a hard time getting food.
Soon, Fisher Bear makes her return and the younger bear leaves. Within seconds, a big Coho salmon leaps from the frothy water at the bottom of the falls.
Fisher Bear opens her mouth and catches the fish mid-air. Mirrorless and DLSR cameras sing their digital songs in unison. The entire event happens in a split second. I raise my head from my camera and look around. Six smiles beam back at me. The guests on this trip understand the Katmai Experience.
This is a moment they won't ever forget.
Fisher Bear opens her mouth and catches the fish mid-air. Mirrorless and DLSR cameras sing their digital songs in unison. The entire event happens in a split second. I raise my head from my camera and look around. Six smiles beam back at me. The guests on this trip understand the Katmai Experience.
This is a moment they won't ever forget.
We offer world-class travel photography
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
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Explore our library of articles that cover everything from common questions, to in-depth guides on how to achieve that perfect shot.BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2025
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2025
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.