“Dad. Dad. DAAAAD!!”
My youngest daughter, McKinley, was subtly letting me know that Divot, a female brown bear, was charging across Brooks River after the sockeye salmon at the end of my line. One can rest assured that I was well aware of the occurring phenomenon. Cutting my line and using our best bear etiquette, McKinley and I backed away as Divot searched thoroughly along the water’s edge, hoping for a free meal. This is one example of many potential situations you may find yourself in when you visit Brooks Camp (Brooks Lodge) to fish for salmon and rainbows and/or to photograph Katmai National Park’s giant brown bears. If you love wildlife, and especially love to photograph wildlife, this is an adventure that you should put at the top of your bucket list!
July is the best time of year to photograph brown bear at Brooks Falls, as the sockeye salmon are moving upstream and leaping the falls towards Brooks Lake. The campground reservations open January 5th at midnight each year (www.recreation.gov), and let me tell you, you better be awake and get it done! July campsites fill up faster than a free concert to see Elvis! I highly recommend staying a minimum of four days to assure yourself time to get to know the daily routine and land the perfect photo op. Ah, yes! Every photographer’s dream shot ... to get the salmon just going into a bear’s mouth. What a thrill! Yes, you will have competition, and yes, it will be crowded. There is an hour limit per person on the viewing deck, which is organized by park rangers, but you can sign up over and over again. This is where doing the single day trip can get a bit frustrating, but even so, I highly recommend it.
There are folks from all over the world who visit Brooks. I find it fascinating to be able to visit with Russians, Canadians, Germans, French, etc … all in one place. Everyone is very friendly … after all, we are there to enjoy the wonderful phenomenon that mother nature has provided. On one trip a very nice gentleman from Germany, Kai Glomp, and I were waiting for the winds to die down so we could fly from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. We had lunch together and got to know each other a bit. We hung out during the five days we were at Brooks, sharing photo tips, dodging bears, eating great meals at the lodge, and then … you guessed it ... dodging more bears. I discovered that he is a tour guide for photographers, and takes small groups on photographic expeditions to Africa and Alaska. We kept in touch through Facebook as the year passed, then we were able to get together in Denali National Park the following fall. I hope to meet with Kai in Africa somewhere down the trail.
One may camp in Katmai National Park campground, or rent cabins through Katmailand. Even if camping, folks can eat at Brooks Lodge which offers three incredible buffets each day. My opinion? If you don’t have to clean or cook for yourself, you will have much more time to photograph and observe. It’s pretty much a no-brainer. September is also a great time at Brooks … fewer people, cooler temperatures, and many bears (much fatter) are cleaning up the spawning salmon. There’s not much activity at the falls this time of year, but it’s still spectacular!
I visited with a young girl, whose eyes were as large as saucers, one afternoon. She said that as she and her dad hiked the trail coming back from the falls, they heard the pitter patter of large paws behind them, and as they turned, her dad had just enough time to push her off to one side of the trail as he sprang in the opposite direction. Two juvenile bears were chasing each other, and would have run right over them! Now that’s exciting! As McKinley and I sat in front of a large picture window eating breakfast one morning, the same two juvenile bears ran around the corner of the lodge. McKinley’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. The bears wrestled and rolled around for a couple of minutes, then hopped up and took off around the kitchen, spraying urine everywhere as they ran! “Hmmm,” McKinley pondered, “dinner and a movie!”
Your first visit to Brooks Camp can be a somewhat spiritual adventure that literally soaks into your soul, so don’t be surprised to find yourself flying back time and time again. I met folks who have come to Brooks Camp for ten consecutive years. After a while you’ll begin to recognize the bears individually, though not in a Disney way, because this is definitely not a cartoon. I saw Evander, a 27 year old (approximately) brown bear, my first year there. After a few photos, he melted into the forest of black spruce. Evander showed up again the next year, and I got pretty excited. When he made his way to the top of the falls and started catching sockeye in mid air, I was ecstatic! I was thinking, “Go Evander! Get some fat on you, boy, and make it through the winter hibernation! See you next year!” Well, this ancient old warrior ... left ear missing, scarred face, and basically no teeth ... did not make it back the next year.
With thousands of people visiting Brooks Camp each year, there have only been a couple of physical encounters between man and brown bear in over fifty years. These were not serious injuries. This is an amazing habitat to visit, a place where brown bears have learned that man is not a threat, and man has learned that the bears have the right of way. It’s an incredible place to witness and to be a part of. I hope you can head down this trail someday.
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Getting to Brooks Falls
There are two ways of getting to Brooks Camp, which lies within Katmai National Park ... float plane or boat. Traveling by float plane is an adventure in itself, and the vast majority of folks arrive by float plane. There are many different air taxi services that can accommodate you. My two daughters, Kasey and McKinley, traveled with me out of Homer with Bald Mountain Air on our first visit, which was just for the day. It was a bluebird day, actually warm, and we saw up to 20 brown bears fishing at one time at Brooks Falls and in the river itself. On other visits we have also traveled out of Anchorage to King Salmon via commercial airline, then from King Salmon to Brooks via float plane. The day trips are approximately six hundred dollars round trip, and you get about four or five hours of photography time. If you plan on staying for a few days, contact Katmailand for details.
Equipment
While at Brooks Camp, I personally use the Canon 7D body with a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L zoom lens, and I use Canon’s 16-35mm f/2.8L wide angle zoom for the “brown bear group shots”. You are going to be close to the bears (sometimes extremely close!), and I feel that a 500mm or 600mm lens is not absolutely necessary. As a bear approaches, it’s nice to just zoom back instead of having to move back physically. Of course, that is strictly up to each individual. I also prefer 16gb SanDisk cards, and keep several on hand, because I can go absolutely ballistic shooting at Brooks! The old 7D sounds like an automatic weapon on a good day!
“Dad. Dad. DAAAAD!!”
My youngest daughter, McKinley, was subtly letting me know that Divot, a female brown bear, was charging across Brooks River after the sockeye salmon at the end of my line. One can rest assured that I was well aware of the occurring phenomenon. Cutting my line and using our best bear etiquette, McKinley and I backed away as Divot searched thoroughly along the water’s edge, hoping for a free meal. This is one example of many potential situations you may find yourself in when you visit Brooks Camp (Brooks Lodge) to fish for salmon and rainbows and/or to photograph Katmai National Park’s giant brown bears. If you love wildlife, and especially love to photograph wildlife, this is an adventure that you should put at the top of your bucket list!
July is the best time of year to photograph brown bear at Brooks Falls, as the sockeye salmon are moving upstream and leaping the falls towards Brooks Lake. The campground reservations open January 5th at midnight each year (www.recreation.gov), and let me tell you, you better be awake and get it done! July campsites fill up faster than a free concert to see Elvis! I highly recommend staying a minimum of four days to assure yourself time to get to know the daily routine and land the perfect photo op. Ah, yes! Every photographer’s dream shot ... to get the salmon just going into a bear’s mouth. What a thrill! Yes, you will have competition, and yes, it will be crowded. There is an hour limit per person on the viewing deck, which is organized by park rangers, but you can sign up over and over again. This is where doing the single day trip can get a bit frustrating, but even so, I highly recommend it.
There are folks from all over the world who visit Brooks. I find it fascinating to be able to visit with Russians, Canadians, Germans, French, etc … all in one place. Everyone is very friendly … after all, we are there to enjoy the wonderful phenomenon that mother nature has provided. On one trip a very nice gentleman from Germany, Kai Glomp, and I were waiting for the winds to die down so we could fly from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. We had lunch together and got to know each other a bit. We hung out during the five days we were at Brooks, sharing photo tips, dodging bears, eating great meals at the lodge, and then … you guessed it ... dodging more bears. I discovered that he is a tour guide for photographers, and takes small groups on photographic expeditions to Africa and Alaska. We kept in touch through Facebook as the year passed, then we were able to get together in Denali National Park the following fall. I hope to meet with Kai in Africa somewhere down the trail.
One may camp in Katmai National Park campground, or rent cabins through Katmailand. Even if camping, folks can eat at Brooks Lodge which offers three incredible buffets each day. My opinion? If you don’t have to clean or cook for yourself, you will have much more time to photograph and observe. It’s pretty much a no-brainer. September is also a great time at Brooks … fewer people, cooler temperatures, and many bears (much fatter) are cleaning up the spawning salmon. There’s not much activity at the falls this time of year, but it’s still spectacular!
I visited with a young girl, whose eyes were as large as saucers, one afternoon. She said that as she and her dad hiked the trail coming back from the falls, they heard the pitter patter of large paws behind them, and as they turned, her dad had just enough time to push her off to one side of the trail as he sprang in the opposite direction. Two juvenile bears were chasing each other, and would have run right over them! Now that’s exciting! As McKinley and I sat in front of a large picture window eating breakfast one morning, the same two juvenile bears ran around the corner of the lodge. McKinley’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. The bears wrestled and rolled around for a couple of minutes, then hopped up and took off around the kitchen, spraying urine everywhere as they ran! “Hmmm,” McKinley pondered, “dinner and a movie!”
Your first visit to Brooks Camp can be a somewhat spiritual adventure that literally soaks into your soul, so don’t be surprised to find yourself flying back time and time again. I met folks who have come to Brooks Camp for ten consecutive years. After a while you’ll begin to recognize the bears individually, though not in a Disney way, because this is definitely not a cartoon. I saw Evander, a 27 year old (approximately) brown bear, my first year there. After a few photos, he melted into the forest of black spruce. Evander showed up again the next year, and I got pretty excited. When he made his way to the top of the falls and started catching sockeye in mid air, I was ecstatic! I was thinking, “Go Evander! Get some fat on you, boy, and make it through the winter hibernation! See you next year!” Well, this ancient old warrior ... left ear missing, scarred face, and basically no teeth ... did not make it back the next year.
With thousands of people visiting Brooks Camp each year, there have only been a couple of physical encounters between man and brown bear in over fifty years. These were not serious injuries. This is an amazing habitat to visit, a place where brown bears have learned that man is not a threat, and man has learned that the bears have the right of way. It’s an incredible place to witness and to be a part of. I hope you can head down this trail someday.
Getting to Brooks Falls
There are two ways of getting to Brooks Camp, which lies within Katmai National Park ... float plane or boat. Traveling by float plane is an adventure in itself, and the vast majority of folks arrive by float plane. There are many different air taxi services that can accommodate you. My two daughters, Kasey and McKinley, traveled with me out of Homer with Bald Mountain Air on our first visit, which was just for the day. It was a bluebird day, actually warm, and we saw up to 20 brown bears fishing at one time at Brooks Falls and in the river itself. On other visits we have also traveled out of Anchorage to King Salmon via commercial airline, then from King Salmon to Brooks via float plane. The day trips are approximately six hundred dollars round trip, and you get about four or five hours of photography time. If you plan on staying for a few days, contact Katmailand for details.
Equipment
While at Brooks Camp, I personally use the Canon 7D body with a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L zoom lens, and I use Canon’s 16-35mm f/2.8L wide angle zoom for the “brown bear group shots”. You are going to be close to the bears (sometimes extremely close!), and I feel that a 500mm or 600mm lens is not absolutely necessary. As a bear approaches, it’s nice to just zoom back instead of having to move back physically. Of course, that is strictly up to each individual. I also prefer 16gb SanDisk cards, and keep several on hand, because I can go absolutely ballistic shooting at Brooks! The old 7D sounds like an automatic weapon on a good day!
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