Katmai National Park Alaska Bear Brooks River

A brown bear hunts wild salmon in the Brooks River rapids of Katmai National Park. Located in southern Alaska, Katmai National Park, was designated a national monument in 1918 and became a national park in 1980. The park is best known for its Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a dramatic ash-filled landscape created by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, and for Brooks Falls, where visitors can watch brown bears catching salmon during the summer. Other notable attractions include the park's rugged coastline, scenic lakes, and opportunities for backcountry hiking and wildlife viewing in an untouched Alaskan wilderness.