Katmai Trips
Alaska Brown Bear & Coastal Wildlife Photo Tour
Bears, bears and more bears. And seals, sea otters and bald eagles. Alaska as it gets.
Easiest
On a scale of 1 – 5, five being the most challenging, one boot is appealing. Basically it means “You got this”.
1 boot = basecamp/dayhike easy
2 boots = easier backpacking trip
3 boots = intermediate level trip
4 boots = intermediate to advanced backpacking
5 boots = ask yourself are you really ready for this?
Expect whatever level you think might best fit you to be one level on our scale. Hiking here in Alaska is generally a step or three above what you’ll find in the Lower 48 states.
One boot is about as easy as we do here in Alaska. That doesn’t mean it’s easy; you’re carrying gear, and even on a basecamp trip you’ll find expending some effort required of you. And there is always the weather or some other adversarial element to contend with.
What you won’t find on a single-boot-rated trip is the difficult terrain challenges we see on our other ventures. No glacial moraines to deal with, or alder and muskeg, or sidehills to wreak havoc on your ankles hours on end.
Great option for starters, the older or the younger folks who want to see some astonishing remote wild country, without all the rigors or the more common backpacking adventures we undertake. You’ll love it.
Brown Bears of Summer
Brown bears chasing salmon. The only thing missing from this trip is your camera.
Intermediate
On a scale of 1 – 5, five being the most challenging, three hiking boots is smack in the middle.
1 boot = basecamp/dayhike easy
2 boots = easier backpacking trip
3 boots = intermediate level trip
4 boots = intermediate to advanced backpacking
5 boots = ask yourself are you really ready for this?
Expect whatever level you think might best fit you to be one level on our scale. Hiking here in Alaska is generally a step or three above what you’ll find in the Lower 48 states.
If you consider yourself up for an intermediate level hike, for example, assume that a trip rated intermediate here will probably be a bit tougher than you’re expecting; not impossible, but harder than you think. Intermediate level trips don’t mean you won’t be challenged, won’t struggle at times, and won’t have any easy sections either. On any trip you’ll probably find some easy sections, some harder, and some are challenging.
Also, understand that all these rating are so completely subjective that they’re not entirely all together practical. They’re a loose idea of how the trips might compare to one another, for some people.
Lastly, understand that even a trip we might rate as “intermediate” (3-4 hiking boots) may still have some difficulty at times. Weather changes things. There may be a tough steep climb on the route that takes a few hours.
Grizzlies in the Mist
Just getting here is an adventure. The photography? Out of this world!
Mild
On a scale of 1 – 5, five being the most challenging, two hiking boots is at the easier end of the spectrum.
1 boot = basecamp/dayhike easy
2 boots = easier backpacking trip
3 boots = intermediate level trip
4 boots = intermediate to advanced backpacking
5 boots = ask yourself are you really ready for this?
Expect whatever level you think might best fit you to be one level on our scale. Hiking here in Alaska is generally a step or three above what you’ll find in the Lower 48 states.
Realize that backpacking is never “easy”. You’re carrying from 35-50+ pounds on your back day after day. You’ll be hiking for a number of hours each day (varies trip to trip, day to day), and that’s not “easy” for most people.
That said, our “2 hiking boots” level should meet the need for most novice backpackers, and are generally what I recommend for families with younger kids, etc as well. Terrain challenges aren’t usually a problem, and the walking is somewhat more orthodox. You won’t be traversing 1 mile of steep sidehill covered in slippery rocks, or snaking through dense thickets of alder and willow.
Katmai Park Blog Posts
Hey Folks, Just back in for a day or so between trips, and thought I’d post a photo from this last trip; the Coastal Brown Bear Photo Tour. So, of course, I’ll post a photo of a Harbor Seal, instead of a bear. We had a few great days with the bears, in Geographic Harbor, […]
Hey Folks, Sorry for the delay again, I’ve been in the field, and still catching up with everything here since getting out; And part of that catching up involves packing for the next trip, where I’ll be leading 2 sold out photo tours to Katmai National Park for the Grizzlies in the Fall trip. Definitely […]
Hey Folks, Here’s an image taken this past summer at Hallo Bay, in Katmai National Park. The sow has 2 cubs, and this one was just finishing nursing from her when I made this photo. The other sibling, a male, had taken his fill already and wandered over to a nearby wood pile to explore […]
Hey Folks, Slowly catching up on image processing and whatnot after a full season of adventure. This year I ran a few new trips, which I’m looking forward to continue to explore over the coming years, but also enjoyed returning to some of the old favorite haunts. This image if from the Grizzly Bears in […]
Hey Folks Just back from a great brown bear photo tour to Katmai National Park with some fun folks, where we got to witness some fantastic brown bear viewing and photography opportunities. Absolutely awesome! This one is from our 2nd last day, where we found a brown bear (or group of brown bears) feeding on […]
Proposed Pebble Mine potentially affects all of us who visit the Alaska Peninsula and watch and photograph the coastal brown bears of Katmai National Park and Lake Clark and even Kodiak.
An adult grizzly bear standing, back turned, mouth open, in long grass, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. A discussion of how much nature photography is in the hands of nature, and not the photographer.
