A Typical Day Photographing at Katmai National Park Brooks Camp

What to Expect for a Typical Day Photographing at Brooks Camp

Brooks Camp area, hover over the numbered hot spots for additional information.

Below I describe a typical day photographing at Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park. This should help you prepare for your upcoming trip.

We will be eating all of our meals at Brooks Lodge. This saves us time, allows more time for being out in the field, and their food is very good. Vegetarians will have good options available.

Breakfast hours: 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM (aim for 7:00 AM – 7:30 AM)

Lunch hours: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Dinner hours: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (aim for 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM)

When we are at Brooks Camp we will be in our waders and wading shoes for most of the day. This gives us flexibility in where we photograph (river or viewing platforms). We usually will not go back to the campground until we are done for the day. We can leave our waders at the lodge if we decide to take a break from wading (remember to put your regular shoes in your river pack and leave them at the lodge when we venture out to go wading).

For those days we opt for backcountry photography, we most likely not be in our waders, unless we decide to visit some of the marshy areas in search of lynx or wolves. This year, 2022, seems like the snowshoe hare cycle is at a peak, which means an increase in lynx. I base this on a ranger friend who has already seen 4 lynx at Brooks Camp — very early in the season.

Canada Lynx at Brooks Camp

The most efficient, practical, way to pack for the day is to use your dry-bag daypack (“river pack”) for the entire trip. This allows you to wade or hike to the falls. We often switch between wading and using viewing platforms multiple times per day. If it rains, your river pack will keep your stuff dry. The dry pack also helps protect your valuable camera gear when wading deeper water or if fall into the river. Although we will be cautious where we wade and cross the river, it is prudent to stow your camera/lens in the dry pack before wading challenging sections of the river.

In your river pack you should have:

Stowable rain jacket (your chest waders function as your rain pants). Avoid black/brown clothing (you do not want to look like a bear)
Bug protection. I like to bring a couple of Buff scarves, spray one down with strong insect repellent, and keep the other one fresh (no bug spray). Before your trip spray down a wide brim hat, and a long-sleeved shirt, with Permethrin (follow safety instructions)
Extra camera cards, extra batteries, lenses
Water bottle (no additives/flavoring allowed)
No food, gum, fragrant items
Sun hat, sunscreen, Buff, bandanna
Hiking shoes if we leave our waders at the lodge, leave your hiking shoes at the lodge when we wade.
Battery charger(s) — can leave at the lodge, put your name on it. We can charge batteries at the lodge
Hiking/Trekking pole (collapsable/extendable), used for wading, with leash and carabiner tied to it.

We can leave gear and food in the caches located by the NPS Visitor’s Center. We can also leave our bigger lenses at the lodge. I like to leave my laptop in the lodge while I am out photographing.

There are flush toilets at the lodge, pit toilets in the campground, near the NPS visitor center, and at the junction of the falls trail and the road to Brooks Lake. Please plan accordingly as there will be times when we are far from the restrooms.

Typical attire for the day. In waders, wading boots, with waterproof river packs. Margot Creek, Katmai National Park

Morning

A typical morning schedule is:

06:30 AM (optional) Sunrise photography by the lower river. Tripod-based landscape photography, hoping for a bear wading in the warm light. This is usually very quick, 20 minutes. I usually then go to the lodge and nap before breakfast by the fire.
Breakfast at Brooks Lodge 7:00 AM – 7:30 AM.
7:45 AM ~ 11:30 AM Photograph in the field. Usually, I aim for wading the river in the morning as the light angles are best then for wading, as opposed to the Upper Falls and Riffles Platform. The Lower River Platform is excellent in the morning light, the light at the Falls Platform is best around 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Break time, usually back at the lodge, or back in camp. I strongly encourage you to wear a COVID mask in Brooks Lodge.

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The light before sunrise is often stunning on the lower Brooks River and Naknek Lake.

Afternoon

Mid-afternoon light is not the greatest. We can still get some great photographs though, usually from wading in the river and being selective where we venture to find bears chasing salmon. Mid-day is also when many “day-trippers” can fly in and visit the park. On the river, we can find solitude and nice cool temperatures.

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM lunch at the lodge.
Good time for a mid-day rest, nap in the lodge, or back at camp. Mid-day is a good time to rest up for the evening. Many people nap in the lodge on the chairs by the fire. I like to bring my earbuds and listen to music. I strongly encourage you to wear a COVID mask in Brooks Lodge.
Photograph the afternoon with an aim for an early dinner.

Afternoon on the river.

Evening

Evening Light (~ 9:30 PM) light at the Falls.

Evenings are great at Katmai! The sun does not set until after 11:30 PM in June-July. It is only “dark” for about 4 hours.

In Late August – September the light is even better since the sunrise and sunsets are very colorful. Sunset is ~ 9pm in September.

An excellent strategy for evening photography is to be the first in line for dinner at 5:30 PM, eat dinner quickly and then stay out photographing until around 10 PM (the upper platform closes at 10 PM).

Often the best action happens in the evenings. The sun angle at the Falls Platform peaks around 10 PM. The sun angle is also great on the lower platform in the evening.

Another interesting phenomena at Brooks Camp are rainbows over Naknek Lake in the late evening. I like to have my landscape lens, camera, and tripod set up and ready to go when I am in the lodge around this time.

5:30 PM – 6:15 PM Dinner
6:30 PM ~ 10:00 PM, or later, photograph on viewing platforms and wading the river
Head to camp

Katmai Double Rainbow reflected in Naknek Lake

Evening Rainbow over Naknek Lake.

It is hard to sleep at first when you first arrive at Katmai in the summer since it stays light for so long and it really never gets very dark. I find it is good to keep on eye on my watch and realize when it is time to get some sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep when it is light, you may want to bring some sleep eye covers. Taking advantage of a mid-day nap also helps.

Sun and Moon angles for August 28, 2022 as seen from the Lower River Viewing Platform, Brooks Camp, Katmai

When Nature Calls…

Surprise! Encountering one of the dominant male bears (Bear 856)with fresh battle scars in the tall grass along the river.

When mother nature calls and you are out photographing and exploring Katmai National Park there are some important considerations to follow.

Restrooms are located at:

Pit toilets (“outhouses”) at the campground
Pit toilets next to the NPS Visitors Center
Flush toilets in the shower building behind Brooks Lodge
Pit toilets at the junction of the Brooks Lake road and the trail to the falls

When you are wading the river or on a hike and have to go, then please follow the principles of Leave No Trace. Here is an excellent tutorial regarding pooping and peeing in the outdoors. Please check it out.

If you have to go, please let me, and the group know. That way we are aware of where you are and can help keep an eye out for bears.

Since we will be in bear country, it is easy to let your fear of bears increase any anxiety you might already have in performing these natural bodily functions in the woods. We all want privacy when peeing or pooping. Do not be shy when making voicing your presence walking back into the woods, 200 feet from any water source, camp, or trail. The first order of business is to let any bears know you are a human and where you are, so there are no surprises. Make loud vocal calls, yell, while you venture off into the dense forest or grass to take care of your primary business. Don’t be shy.

To be clear, when I am off trail in Katmai I am basically “yelling” loudly. Do not worry about offending anyone, the whole point is to be heard by the bears!

Side Trips

Backcountry camp on Dumpling Mountain

Photographing bears along the Brooks River is amazing. Eventually, we may have our fill of bears and seek to explore some other areas of Katmai. Personally, I find this very rewarding and soothing for the soul. To venture out into the less-traveled parts of the park and experience nature at her fullest is great.

Some of these side trips are day hikes, where we will return to the Brooks Lake Campground. Others are ones where we may backpack to a backcountry location and set up camp, or utilize the bus that goes to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes to get us very far from Brooks Camp.

When we camp in the backcountry at Katmai we are on our own. We usually set up a bear fence that we can fit 2-3 tents inside, although we often go without a bear fence. Brown bears are not prone to attacking people in tents. Remember, no food of any type in the tents, either in the organized campground or in the backcountry. Our food has to be stored in our BRC (bear resistant canister).

Normally, in the backcountry, we do not even see bears, and when we do they run off. The bears tolerate being in the presence of people at Brooks Camp due to the concentration of salmon and they are used to seeing people at Brooks Camp.

Options for side trips include:

Dumpling Mountain. Great views without too much difficulty, about 3 miles, 2,500 feet of climbing to the top. Usually done as a half-day trip, although sometimes we camp up there for one night to photograph the sunrise or the aurora borealis in the fall. Wildlife potential includes bears, porcupines, lynx.
Beaver Pond. Marshy, wet, mucky. Very close to the Brooks River, usually a 1-2 hour hike in waders. Good hike to see waterbirds, lynx, and landscape photography.
Road to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and Brooks Lake. Easy hike day hike (1-2 hours), walking on a relatively flat gravel road. Potential to see wolf, lynx, grouse, and bear.
Margot Creek. Need to charter a boat to reach Margot Creek. The extra cost can range between $100-$165 per person. A great half-day trip, especially in August to see bears. Waders, lots of bears, intense with bears. Wolves are also seen at Margot Creek. Nice to see the Iliuk Arm of Naknek Lake below Mount Katolinat.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Need to reserve a spot on the tour bus ($85/person) for a full day guided tour of the VTTS. Interesting, however, I prefer to do a self-guided hike into the VTTS as contrasted with joining the often large group of tourists on the official VTTS tours.
Backcountry camping in the VTTS. By utilizing the bus as access to the remote areas we can backpack into around the VTTS this is an efficient way to explore the remote areas. We usually camp one, or two nights, with an arranged pick up time for the return. The cost is the same for the official VTTS tour ($85/person). Wildlife potential includes bear, wolf, lynx, grouse, moose.

On overnight backcountry trips, we will combine and condense as much gear as we can to minimize our pack weights. We will eat all meals in the backcountry following strict bear safety guidelines. When in the backcountry, whether on a day hike, or an overnight trip, our food must be stored inside a BRC at all times. I will have a BRC and we can borrow more from the NPS Visitors Center. Please do not sneak, stash, or forget about trail food in your pockets or packs.

Satellite Text

I will have a DeLorme InReach two-way satellite texting device with me in Katmai. You are welcome to use this to contact people if needed. There is no charge for this, so please feel free. It also allows short email communications.

Before we leave I will send out some test messages so you can see how it works and how to let others know how to contact you.