Katmai National Park
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 315 spp. recorded
Katmai National Park is in southwestern Alaska, United States. It encompasses volcanic mountains, rugged coastline, and tundra‑filled valleys. The park’s dramatic landscape of ash‑covered slopes and salmon‑rich rivers sets it apart from other Alaskan parks.
58.632° N 155.252° W
🦜 Nature
186 Species sighted
4,984 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 213 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Katmai National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
—
No data
Jan—
No data
Feb13Mar
0Apr
23May
24Jun
21Jul
20Aug
20Sep
—
No data
Oct0.2Nov
—
No data
DecSighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Brooks Falls
-
Hammersly Camp
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Free
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 235
🐒 Mammals 76
🦎 Reptiles 2
🐸 Amphibians 2
315 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
23 Threatened 1 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
63% 📊
Coverage (99 species at ≥5% of 315 in the inventory)
31% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (10 bird, 2 mammal)
37% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
76 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
8 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
12 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.9
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Free High
Tourism Low High
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
That first day at the park we encountered approximately 12 brown bears.
Numerous bears fished for salmon (we never saw them catch any), splashed, and even napped right before our eyes.
We arrived early in the season, before the salmon run was in full swing, so we didn’t see the massive concentration of bears we had imagined.
I wait outside the visitor center while my parents drop off our lunch at the food cache, I spot a bear bobbing up and down in the bay just beyond the sea planes.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Katmai National Park?
315 species
Katmai National Park has 315 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Brown Bear (over 90%), Glaucous-winged Gull (about 70%), Black-billed Magpie (about 70%), Bald Eagle (about 70%) and Common Merganser (about 70%).
When is the best time to visit Katmai National Park for wildlife?
July
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 40% in March.
Can you see a Brown Bear in Katmai National Park?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Bear sighting in Katmai National Park on a given day, based on 528 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Bald Eagle in Katmai National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bald Eagle sighting in Katmai National Park on a given day, based on 223 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July (about 80%).
Can you see a Sea Otter in Katmai National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sea Otter sighting in Katmai National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July (about 50%).
Where in Katmai National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Brooks Falls
The richest sighting zone is around Brooks Falls, followed by Geographic Harbor and Hammersly Camp, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Katmai National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Katmai National Park rates 3.4/5: 231st of 316 parks worldwide and 38th in North America. 19 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
