Katmai National Park and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve in southwest Alaska. It is known for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and its large population of brown bears. The park and preserve cover 4,093,077 acres (6,395.43 square miles; 16,564.09 square kilometers), an area between the sizes of Connecticut and New Jersey. Most of the park is a designated wilderness area, meaning it is protected and remains in its natural state. The park is named after Mount Katmai, a large volcano at its center. It is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with its main office in King Salmon, a town about 290 miles (470 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.

The area was first made a national monument in 1918 to protect the region around the major 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta. This eruption created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile (100 square kilometer) area covered by volcanic rock and ash that is 100 to 700 feet (30 to 213 meters) deep. The park includes up to 18 separate volcanoes, seven of which have been active since 1900.

Initially created because of its volcanic history, the monument was not developed and was not visited much until the 1950s. People later began to appreciate the area for its many types of wildlife, including large numbers of sockeye salmon and the brown bears that feed on them. After expanding the park’s boundaries several times, the current national park and preserve were officially established in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Geography

Katmai National Park is located on the Pacific Ocean side of the Alaska Peninsula, across Shelikof Strait from Kodiak Island. The park's main features include its coastline, the Aleutian Range with a line of fifteen volcanic mountains along the southeastern part of the park, and large lakes in the flatter western area. The nearest major town is King Salmon, where the park's headquarters is located. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) down the Naknek River from the park entrance. The Alaska Peninsula Highway connects Naknek Lake near the entrance to King Salmon and continues to the mouth of the river. This road is not connected to the rest of the Alaska highway system. Visitors can travel to the park's interior by boat on Naknek Lake. Another road runs from Brooks Camp to Three Forks, which overlooks the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The park has a coastline that is 497 miles (800 km) long, though this length may vary due to the coastline paradox. The coastline is deeply indented, stretching from Kamishak Bay on Cook Inlet to Cape Kubugakli. The mountains run from southwest to northeast, about 15 miles (24 km) inland.

Katmai borders McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and Refuge on Kamishak Bay. The Alagnak River, which is a wild river, begins in the park at Kukaklek Lake. The Naknek River, which flows into Bristol Bay, also starts within the park. The park is next to Becharof National Wildlife Refuge to the south. Of the park and preserve's total area, 3,922,529 acres (1,587,391 ha) are in the national park, where hunting is not allowed. 418,548 acres (169,380 ha) are in the preserve, where hunting is permitted. Brown bears are often hunted in the preserve, which has caused some concerns because the bear population is small and bears are sometimes approached too closely.

The foundation rocks of the Alaska Peninsula are divided by the Bruin Bay Fault. To the east are rocks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods that contain fossils. To the west are metamorphic and igneous rocks. The granite Aleutian Range batholith has intruded through these rocks. Most of the higher mountains in the park were formed by volcanic activity. The park has been shaped by glaciers, which carved the mountains and created lakes in the lowlands. Outwash plains and terminal moraines are also present in the park. Soil types vary from shallow rock or volcanic ash to deep, wet soils covered with peat. Permafrost, or frozen ground, exists at higher elevations but not in the lowlands.

Two major land areas cover the park. The Aleutian Range province includes the Shelikof Strait coastline, the Aleutian Mountain zone, and the lake or Hudsonian zone. To the west is the Nushagak-Bristol Bay Lowlands province, which is separated from the Aleutian zone by the Bruin Bay Fault.

Active volcanoes in the park include Mount Katmai, Novarupta, Trident Volcano, Mount Mageik, Mount Martin, and Fourpeaked Mountain. Other volcanoes that have erupted in recent geological times, but not in historical times, are Mount Douglas, Mount Griggs, Snowy Mountain, Mount Denison, Mount Kukak, Devils Desk, Mount Kaguyak, Mount Cerberus, Falling Mountain, and Kejulik Volcano. Steam from Mount Martin and Mount Mageik can be seen from King Salmon. Trident Volcano was active between 1957–1965 and 1968.

The most important volcanic event in recorded history was the eruption of Mount Katmai and Novarupta in June 1912. Novarupta's eruption created a pyroclastic flow that covered a nearby valley with ash up to 300 feet (91 m) thick. At the same time, the top of Katmai collapsed into a caldera. As the valley deposits cooled, steam escaped through cracks and fumaroles, creating the name "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes." Over time, the steam vents have stopped, and the valley has been eroded. Streams have carved canyons up to 100 feet (30 m) deep but only 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3.0 m) wide. Katmai is a stratovolcano, 6,716 feet (2,047 m) high, with a large summit caldera. Several glaciers begin on the mountain, and one in the caldera formed in historical times. The caldera floor is about 250 meters (820 ft) below the rim. Katmai sits on Jurassic sedimentary rocks, and its volcanic layers are less than 1,500 feet (460 m) thick. No major eruptions have occurred since 1912. Novarupta is a Plinian pyroclastic vent with a plug dome, a 2,000-meter (6,600 ft) wide crater, and a 65-meter (213 ft) high dome in the center. Its only recorded activity was the 1912 eruption.

Trident Volcano is a group of three stratovolcanoes, with the tallest reaching 6,512 feet (1,985 m). The tallest mountain in the park is Mount Iliamna, which is 14,174 feet (

Activities

Activities at Katmai include hiking, backpacking, camping, skiing in remote areas, fishing, kayaking, boat tours, and educational programs.

Katmai is also well known for Alaskan brown bears and sockeye salmon, which attract both bears and visitors. Katmai is home to the world’s largest protected brown bear population, estimated to number about 2,200. Bears often gather at the Brooks Falls viewing platform when salmon are spawning, and many famous photographs of Alaskan brown bears, such as Thomas Mangelsen’s Catch of the Day, have been taken there. Salmon arrive earlier at Brooks Falls compared to other streams. Between 43 and 70 individual bears have been recorded there in July and in the lower river in September. Coastal areas such as Hallo Bay, Kukak Bay, Kuliak Bay, Kaflia Bay, Geographic Harbor, and Chiniak Bay also have high bear populations year-round because of the availability of clams, coastal grasses, and salmon and other fish. Other areas with many bears include Swikshak Lagoon, American Creek, Moraine Creek, and Funnel Creek in the preserve.

Most visitors to Katmai go to Brooks Camp, one of the few developed areas of the park, and few travel beyond the bear viewing platforms and nearby Brooks Camp area. Park rangers are very careful to prevent bears from getting human food or having conflicts with people. As a result, bears in Katmai are uniquely unafraid of and uninterested in humans, allowing people to get much closer for photos than bears elsewhere. Cameras introduced by the National Park Service let visitors see bears at Brooks Camp on computers and smartphones. July and September are the best months for viewing brown bears near Brooks Camp.

Lodging is available in the park at Brooks Camp and Grosvenor Lodge, as well as other lodges located throughout the park on inholdings.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Katmai National Park and Preserve has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with cool summers and precipitation throughout the year. Dfc climates are defined by their coldest month averaging below 32 °F (0 °C), one to three months averaging above 50 °F (10 °C), all months with average temperatures below 71.6 °F (22.0 °C), and no major difference in precipitation between seasons. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at Brooks Falls, at an elevation of 92 feet (28 m), is 3b, with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of −30.9 °F (−34.9 °C).

Ecosystems

Weather in Katmai National Park changes often, though it is known for frequent rain or drizzle. During summer, the highest temperatures average about 63 °F (17 °C), and in winter, the lowest temperatures range from −4 to 40 °F (−20 to 4 °C). Fall tends to be drier than other seasons, and warm days can happen throughout the year. Rainfall is heaviest near the coast, reaching up to 60 inches (150 cm), and decreases as you move westward. The park is home to 29 mammal species, 137 bird species, 24 freshwater fish species, and four anadromous fish species.

Mammals living in Katmai include snowshoe hare, moose, timber wolf, brown bear, coyote, beaver, lynx, wolverine, river otter, mink, Arctic and red fox, weasel, porcupine, and marten. Marine mammals found in the park are harbor seal, sea lion, sea otter, beluga whale, killer whale, and gray whale. Caribou are sometimes found in the park during winter months.

The most important fish in the park are sockeye salmon. These fish provide food for bears, bald eagles, and other animals during their spawning runs in the park’s rivers. Sockeye salmon travel from Bristol Bay into the Naknek River drainage in June and July, and they spawn in the rivers from August to October.

The park also has many different types of plant communities. Common wildflowers growing in the park include beachhead iris, nootka lupine, and woolly geranium.

History

Artifacts from prehistoric times were found near the old Katmai village on the park's south coast. These items are about 6,000 years old. Other sites, such as Kaguyak and Kukak, were also discovered along the coast. These places show that people lived there even during historic times. Some sites, like "49 AF 3" near Kanatak and "49 MK 10," have clear signs that people lived there up to the 1912 eruption. However, these sites have not been studied in detail. The Amalik Bay Archaeological District is a major area with evidence of some of the earliest human activity in the region. Finds there date back more than 7,000 years.

Inland, Brooks Camp is an important archaeological site from about 4,500 years ago. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1993. A village near the mouth of the Savonoski River was abandoned after the 1912 eruption. This site is called the "Old Savonoski Site." A larger group of sites is found near the mouth of the Grosvenor River. The "DIL-161 Site," located in the Alagnak River watershed, shows signs of habitation in the first millennium.

Russians were the first Europeans to arrive in the area in large numbers. They traded furs and met the Aglegmuit Eskimos on the Bristol Bay side of the peninsula and the Koniag Eskimo on the Shelikov Strait side. Katmai Village was the only place in the park where Europeans lived through the mid-19th century, though their numbers were small. Later in the 19th century, a few villages were built inland at Severnosky and along the coast at Douglas and Kukak. American traders from the Alaska Commercial Company replaced the Russians. As sea otters became rare, the trade ended, and Katmai and Douglas were abandoned in the early 20th century. In the 1890s, the area was a route for travelers heading to Nome during its short-lived gold rush. Writer Rex Beach wrote about life on Bristol Bay during the salmon run in The Silver Horde. Brief interest in oil, gold, and coal mining faded by 1912.

By 1898, reports of frequent earthquakes near Katmai Pass were common. These earthquakes became stronger around June 1, 1912, causing local residents to leave. On June 6, 1912, Katmai and Novarupta erupted. The noise from the eruption was heard in Fairbanks, 500 miles away, and Juneau, 750 miles away. Heavy eruptions continued through June 7 and then decreased after June 8. Ash from the eruption fell 6 to 12 inches deep in Kodiak and covered the Alaskan mainland and parts of Puget Sound. Haze in the atmosphere was seen worldwide, and temperatures in the northern hemisphere dropped during the second half of 1912. Early reports blamed Mount Katmai for the eruption, but later studies showed that Novarupta was the main source. The area around the mountains, which received heavy ashfall, was severely damaged.

The National Geographic Society supported five expeditions to Katmai, starting in 1915 with a trip to Kodiak Island and a short visit to the mainland. The first expedition, led by botanist Robert Fiske Griggs, focused on studying how plants returned to the area after the eruption. Griggs' second expedition in 1916 discovered and named the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and found Novarupta. The National Geographic Society funded a larger expedition in 1917 to study the region. Articles published in National Geographic magazine raised public awareness of the area. Griggs advocated for protecting the region as a national park, supported by the National Geographic Society. At the time, legislation to create Mount McKinley National Park (later renamed Denali National Park) was being considered. Discussions about making Katmai a national park took place between National Park Service director Horace M. Albright and National Geographic Society president Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor. Albright suggested protecting the area as a national monument using the Antiquities Act of 1906. After a 1918 expedition confirmed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes was a permanent feature, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1918 to protect 1,080,000 acres around Mount Katmai, the valley, and most of Iliuk Arm of Naknek Lake. Though smaller than the current park, the monument was half the size of Yellowstone National Park at the time.

The proclamation had little immediate effect, except for complaints from territorial officials. A 1923 expedition found few valuable minerals in the region. Only a few dozen tourists visited the area in the early 1920s. No National Park Service staff were assigned to the site, which was theoretically managed by Mount McKinley. By 1928, more visitors arrived. Father Bernard R. Hubbard, an explorer known as "The Glacier Priest," documented the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in movies shown during lectures until the 1950s. At the same time, the Park Service recognized that Katmai was one of the best places in Alaska for grizzly bears and salmon spawning grounds. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover expanded the monument under the Antiquities Act to 2,697,590 acres, more than doubling its size. This expansion included Brooks Camp and avoided coastal areas with potential oil deposits.

In 1937, a ranger was finally assigned to Katmai, transferred from Mount McKinley. The ranger spent most of June trying to reach the site and only one day there before returning. In 1939, the United States Bureau of Fisheries established an encampment at Brooks Lake outlet, having previously altered part of the falls in 1921. Around the same time, the Park Service became concerned about illegal trapping and asked the Alaska Fish and Game Commission to send wardens to patrol the area. Several trappers were caught, and Park Service personnel visited the monument, reporting positively on the scenery and wildlife. These reports and efforts to stop poaching led to another boundary adjustment that included islands in Shelikof Strait and Cook Inlet within 5 miles of the old boundary. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed this expansion on August 4, 1941, adding several thousand acres to the monument.

Poaching increased after World War II. At the same time, Alaskan territorial interests wanted the monument reduced or closed to allow mining and fishing, as activity at the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes had declined and the Park Service had not developed the area for visitors. These proposals were rejected, and in 1950, a seasonal ranger was assigned to Katmai. William Nancarrow built a small camp at Brooks River. By the mid-1950s, the Park

Environmental issues

On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, causing widespread oil pollution along the Katmai coastline. By early April, oil had reached Kenai Fjords National Park. On April 26, oil arrived at Cape Douglas in Katmai, and by the following week, it had spread to areas farther south. In early May, special boats called dredges and skimmers were used to clean oil from Shelikof Strait, but 90% of the Katmai coastline remained covered in oil. The most severely affected areas included Cape Chiniak and Chiniak Lagoon, Hallo Bay Beach and its lagoon, Cape Gull and Kaflia Bay, and Cape Douglas. It was estimated that about 8,400 birds died as a result of the oil spill. Cleanup efforts began again in 1990, with smaller operations continuing in 1991 to remove the last remaining oil.

Administrative

The superintendent of Katmai National Park also oversees Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve and Alagnak Wild River.

• Gilbert E. Blinn 3/1971 – 6/1979
• Roy M. Sanborn (acting) 6/1979 – 9/1979
• David K. Morris 9/1979 – 4/1987
• James R. Pepper (acting) 7/1987 – 8/1987
• Gilbert R. (Ray) Bane 8/1987 – 3/1990
• James F. Ryan (acting) 3/1990 – 6/1990
• Alan D. Eliason 6/1990 – 7/1993
• Will Tipton (acting) 8/1993–12/1993
• William Pierce 12/1993 – 1998 (moved to Anchorage in 1996)
• Deborah O. Liggett 10/1998 – 7/2003
• Joe Fowler (acting) 8/2003 – 11/2003
• Joe Fowler 11/2003 – 4/2005
• Steve Frye 6/2005– 3/2006
• Troy Hamon (acting) 4/2006 – 7/2006
• Ralph Moore 7/2006 – 10/2012
• Diane Chung 2013 – 2016
• Karen Bradford 2016 – 2017
• Mark Sturm 2017 – Present