Katmai National Park and Preserve

Alaska · volcanoes · bears · wilderness

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. This otherworldly landscape was created in 1912 when the volcano Novarupta erupted so powerfully that it covered 40 square miles with ash and rock, creating canyons up to 700 feet deep that still release steam today.

Brown bear paradise. Katmai is one of the best places on Earth to watch wild brown bears, especially when they gather at Brooks Falls during salmon season to catch fish leaping upstream.

Huge protected land. The park covers over 4 million acres, which is so vast it's bigger than the entire state of Connecticut.

Volcanic hotspot. Katmai contains 18 different volcanoes, and seven of them have actually erupted since 1900, making it one of Alaska's most active volcanic regions.

Protected forever. The area became a national monument in 1918 specifically to preserve the amazing landscape created by that 1912 eruption.