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Trip Report: Brown Bears of Katmai: Brooks Lodge - July 2022
Published September 23, 2022
Katmai National Park is the largest concentration of brown bears in the world. And while you might think of them as cuddly and cute, they only tolerate each other's proximity. That is what makes the Brooks Falls area so unique. There are so many salmon in the Brooks River that bears can get big, really big. The coastal brown bears here in the park get so large that they are celebrities in their very own reality contest, "Fat Bear Week,"; where names like 747, Otis, Grazer, Walker, Chunk, and my personal favorite Scare D Bear compete for size. The live stream bear cam created this sensation and made rockstars out of coastal brown bears just trying to bulk up for winter.
The Brown Bears of Katmai: Brooks Lodge begins in King Salmon, where our group met up on Monday for an evening orientation dinner at the Sockeye Saloon. Guests came in from all over the United States. Some traveled from as far as southern Florida to get to the 49th State. Dinner conversation inevitably turned to the question, "What do you want to see on this trip?" And overwhelmingly, the answer came out "Bears"! Like many of you reading this trip report, most of our guests had never seen a bear up close and in the wild. But that would shortly be remedied!
The following morning we head down to the Naknek River to load into our float plane. The DHC-2 Beavers, built in the late 1950s', are essential for Alaskan travel as they can carry a large amount of cargo, land, and take off on everything from mountain lakes to glaciers. Half of the group loads into the DHC-2 Bever to head into Katmai National Park. We all arrive in the park just before lunch, head to the cabins, grab a quick lunch, then head out to the Bridge over the Brooks River Delta for a few hours.
Bears in abundance swim amid the schooling sockeye salmon, fishing, playing, lounging, roaming, and resting. The new bridge area, built over the winter of 2018-2019, allows for an elevated view over the river enabling photographers to access viewing decks for image making. The Bridge runs north/south over the Brooks River, where the Brooks River runs into Naknek Lake. From the Bridge, photography primarily faces east/west, giving well-lit views of bears all day long, especially during the early morning and evening when the light is low.
After a quick dinner at Brooks Lodge, our group heads to the Brooks Falls viewing platform. The walk to the Platform is less than a mile and a quarter through bear country. When walking out to the Platform, it's encouraged to talk and make noise, to let the bears know you are there. As they often walk or sleep along the trail. Once we get to the Platform, there are many guests and bears. The group pushed its way into the crowd on the observation deck and began to shoot.
There are several locations where bears tend to sit and fish. The most recognizable is the top of the falls nearest to the Platform. Known as the Lip, this is where bears attempt to catch jumping fish in their mouths as the salmon try to jump and swim up the falls. The Jacuzzi is right in front of the Lip and is a deep pool where salmon gather before attempting to jump over the falls. And then there is the Far Pool, located on the far north side of the river just below the falls, where some of the big bears like Chunk and Otis while we were in the park.
The following day sets up the routine for the trip. First, around 6:00 AM, we head out to the Beach for a walk to see the bears moving before Brooks Lodge gets active. Several bears were walking around. We had trouble photographing them because we often had to move out of the way. But after that, we head to breakfast and then to the Platform. And once again, the Platform was packed. Our photographers find their spots in the crowd and get great shots of bears on the Lip and in the Jacuzzi. But the best part of Wednesday morning's trip to the Viewing platform was the bear cub in the tree. This little guy was endlessly entertaining, up and down the tree, getting into all sorts of trouble. Super Cute! At about 9:00 AM, we head back to the Bridge to take in more bears. Bears swimming, bears playing, bears fighting, bears fishing, bears sleeping, bears standing, bears, bears, bears! After lunch and a break to rest and download images, we head back to the Bridge around 3:00 for more bears and then back to the Platform for our evening shoot after dinner. Where a big bear, bear 151, named Walker by the park staff, was on the Lip snatching fish right out of the air! Beautiful light and great action!
The days begin to repeat, but each encounter with bears is unique. Our group moves between the Beach, the Bridge, and the Platform photographing bears. But the light, bear activity, and environment change constantly; for instance, on the final morning, the salmon had almost finished their seasonal run. So most of the group decided to stay for a beach walk, but a few stalwart photographers and I headed to the falls. When we got to the falls, only three bears were in the water, but the light was gorgeous. The light and number of bears created an opportunity, so I began shooting slow shutter waterfall shots of the bears on the falls. I used the railing as my stabilizer and shot ISO 200, ƒ/22 @ 1/5 sec with no ND filter, and got one of the most beautiful shots I have ever made of these bears. The warm light hitting the water and the teal water below the falls brings out the serenity of this beautiful place.
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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"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
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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.