Like a majority of photographers, when writing about my travels to a national park or other scenic location, I tend to post pristine landscapes or interesting wildlife shots. I don’t always post anything “behind the scenes”, which is what I am doing with this post and a number of future ones.
So……
To get to Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska (if you are staying for more than one day), you’ll fly 1-1/2 hours in a PenAir turboprop to the community of King Salmon, where passengers are bused about a mile to Katmai Air’s small building.
You and your luggage will then be weighed prior to boarding the floatplane (and yes, if your luggage is overweight, they charge you a nominal fee per extra pound).
The floatplane trip from King Salmon to Katmai is about 30 minutes.
If weather conditions are favorable, you will be dropped off along the shore of Naknek Lake, just a few hundred feet from the park’s Visitor Center. If weather conditions are other than favorable, you’ll land on Brooks Lake and be ATV’d to the Visitor Center.
Inside the Visitor Center, you must attend a 30-minute bear etiquette orientation session. This is mandatory. If you don’t attend one of the sessions (and they are going on constantly all day long) then you are not allowed to go into the park. Once you’ve attended the session and received your bear etiquette pin, you are free to roam the park.
Next post: Brooks Lodge Layout
Where The Trails Take You Photography 