About 2,200 brown bears are estimated to live within Katmai National Park and Preserve’s boundaries. While both fishing and bear watching are popular activities at this park in Alaska, it’s not a stretch to assume more visitors travel to this park to view close-up those famous brown bears Ursus arctos.

A big bear on a boulder at Brooks River, Katmai National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

Are these brown bears grizzly bears? The bears in Katmai sure look like the grizzly bears you might see in Yellowstone or Glacier national parks, with that characteristic dish face and shoulder hump.

Brown bears and grizzly bears are the same species (Ursus arctos). Grizzly bears are considered a separate subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis), even though it’s generally thought the differences between the two are a bit arbitrary. Yet, there are slight differences between the brown bears of Alaska and the grizzlies in the Lower 48. These variations relate mainly to diet and winter denning. Grizzly bears in Yellowstone, for instance, live far inland and do not have access to the bivalves and salmon along the Pacific coast available to the Alaskan brown bears. As such, their size and weight will differ. Brown bears in Alaska can weigh well over 1,000 lbs / 454 kg after a successful season fattening up with the help of salmon and clams, in addition to berries, and grass-like sedges, while grizzlies in Yellowstone may weigh between 200 – 700 lbs (91 – 318 kg) prior to hibernation.

There are also temperamental differences between the two. During certain times of year when the salmon are running, a belly full of fish (or the promise of a full belly) means the brown bears at Katmai are far more intent upon the fish and less likely to acknowledge your presence as you watch them do their thing from one of the four wildlife platforms along the Brooks River. They will, of course, always be aware of your presence.

Gotcha! Katmai National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

You can watch (and photograph) these bruins from four different viewing platforms in the park:

Falls Platform
Located next to Brooks Falls, this platform has a limited capacity of 40 people. When it's full, rangers maintain a waiting list and limit visitors to one hour at a time. Tripods are allowed but only in monopod configuration (three legs all together and not opened out).

Riffles Platform
Located about 100 yards (91 m) downstream of Brooks Falls, this platform is in front of a series of shallow rapids. It doesn't have a capacity limit or time limit, and tripods are allowed. 

North Platform
Located at the mouth of Brooks River on the side of the elevated bridge near Brooks Lodge. Tripods are allowed.

South Platform
Located at the mouth of Brooks River on the other side of the elevated bridge, about 0.3 miles (0.48 km) from the visitor center. Tripods are allowed.

Stakeout spots at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

As you may have noticed, these viewing platforms are located along Brooks River and at Brooks Falls. This is one of the first streams in the region where salmon are available to bears. In July, most salmon are moving through large rivers and lakes difficult for bears to successfully fish, but Brooks Falls creates a temporary barrier to migrating salmon, slowing them down enough to produce a better opportunity for the bears to catch a meal. Eventually, the salmon stop migrating in such large numbers at this location, interest wanes, and the bears move elsewhere to other (hopefully successful) fishing prospects.

As hibernation time inches closer, the bears return to the Brooks Camp area in September for a last-ditch effort at fattening up by fishing the spawned-out salmon that are dead or dying. Although their nutritional value is diminished once they have spawned, weakened salmon are easier to catch than the energetic versions migrating through during July.

Speaking of fishing, did you know Katmai’s crafty brown bears are experts at using different fishing methods? These techniques are all learned behaviors from watching their mothers.

• Stand and wait
• Sit and wait
• Dash and grab
• Snorkeling
• Pirating
• Diving
• Begging

Snorkeling in the Brooks River, Katmai National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

You can learn more details about these fishing skills, as well as other interesting information pertaining to Katmai’s brown bears by checking out the park’s webpage of FAQs and their answers.

Btw, Brooks Camp is not the only place to watch the bears, you know. To read more about bear watching and study the bear viewing calendar for Katmai, click here.

Fat Bear Week

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of, or participated in, Fat Bear Week. This annual event allows the public to vote for their favorite junior and senior fat bears of the year. Winner of the ranger-built bear bracket (say that three times fast) gets bragging rights.

Why is this event such a big deal? Aside from the fun, It’s all about fat reserves. The fatter the bear, the better their chance at survival. During hibernation, these brown bears can lose up to one-third of their body weight. That’s why you may see more than one brown bear at Brooks Falls literally looking like fur and bones with no fat in between. These bears must eat a year’s worth of food within six months for a chance at surviving the winter. As soon as they come out of hibernation, food is of utmost significance.

This scarred and skinny brown bear is going to have to catch quite a few salmon to fatten up in time for winter, Katmai National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson