Brooks Camp located inside Alaska’s Katmai National Park attracts visitors from around the world to enjoy world-class fishing and an unparalleled opportunity to view wild grizzly bears in their natural habitiat. Upon arriving to Brooks Camp, a bear safety orientation is mandatory for visitors and that includes guests at Brooks Lodge which has been offering on site accommodations since 1950.
Bears in Brooks Camp are often given the right-of-way over visitors and the National Park Service rangers that patrol around the lodge are experts in deterring bears from lingering around the facilities to avoid negative interactions with visitors. Rangers carry bear spray but usually strong verbal commands and simply kicking dirt is enough to get them to move along.
This park ranger has developed a novel technique to communicate that loitering grizzlies are no longer welcome using a simple stick with flag at the end. The combination of the motion and the noise generating from swinging the flagstick around proved sufficient to get this grizzly bear family to vacate the area.
Katmai park rangers are highly trained experts when it comes to dealing with grizzly bears and their actions should not be attempted by the general public. They have years of experience and are familiar with individual bears and their tolerances toward people.
Katmai Bear Encounter Safety Guidelines:
Hike and Travel in Groups
Groups of four or more people are typically very safe in bear country. Groups of people are usually noisier and smellier than a single person. Therefore, bears often become aware of groups of people at greater distances, and because of their cumulative size groups of people are also passively intimidating to bears. Hiking and traveling in groups is typically the best way to increase your level of safety in bear country,
Be Alert
Katmai’s bears are mostly diurnal (active during the day) but are also active at night and can be found in all of Katmai’s habitats. Never assume you are in a “bear free” area. Be on the lookout for signs of bears and be especially wary in areas where bears may have trouble detecting you. Sometimes, you might see a bear before it is aware of you. In these situations, back away quietly the same way you came and give the bear space.
Make Noise
In areas where visibility is limited make noise to warn bears of your approach. Brown bears can react defensively if they are surprised. The human voice is the best tool to warn bears of your approach. Bears may not associate other noise makers, such as bells, with people. Please remember that you are not making noise to scare bears away, only to warn them of your approach. Once a bear is aware of your presence it is usually not necessary to make extra noise.
Do Not Approach Bears
You should always avoid interfering with bear movement or foraging activities. If a bear reacts to your presence you are too close. Bears are creatures of habit and habitually use the same travel routes. Many close encounters can be avoided if you move out of a bear’s line of travel before it is close. Additionally, people are prohibited from approaching bears within 50 yards or remaining within 50 yards of a bear using a concentrated food source including, but not limited to, animal carcasses, spawning salmon, and other feeding areas.
Steer Clear of Places with Food that Attract Bears
Salmon streams, mud flats with clams, and sedge meadows are areas that attract bears and consequently people who want to watch them. Anglers are also attracted to streams where salmon are actively spawning.
Since most people visit Katmai to either see bears or fish in streams where bear encounters are likely, it can be difficult to stay clear of areas with food that attract bears. However, please consider fishing when bears are not at peak numbers (like on the Brooks River in June and August) and/or viewing bears at a distance, not, for example, from the middle of a sedge meadow or a salmon stream.