For anyone interested in going to Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park in Alaska for the 2025 season; the lottery applications are open. They close on December 31 with the lottery being held shortly thereafter.

https://katmailand.com/the-lodge/

For anyone trying it, make sure you submit one application for everyone in your party. 4 people = 4 apps. And make your dates as wide a range as possible.

Bears don't really show up in June. Mid to later July is the better time.

And remember if you win a ticket you owe half the total almost immediately.

And yes it's worth it.

Do people take their kids out there or is it basically all adults?

When we were there I don't recall seeing any kids. Maybe a couple?

When you are at the falls you are on an elevated platform. Same crossing the river as the camp is on the opposite side of the river from the falls. However the camp itself is open to bears. How open? I'm standing on the porch of my cabin peering around it looking back to the chow hall.


The walk to get to the falls is maybe .4 miles open bear country. You walk a trail and it's got lots of very fresh scat on it. The platforms are quiet areas and fairly crowded. You need to be probably 4 feet or taller to even see over the railing.

Looking at the area on Google maps, king salmon airport is about 35 miles from the lodge and it is a $450 round trip. Has to be one of the most expensive flights per mile.

I'm going to ask my wife if she is interested before I enter the lottery. Seeing all those bears would be amazing. Bears are the only thing we didn't see in our recent trip to yellowstone and grand Teton.

In Yellowstone you see a bear. Brown. Black. But a bear.

At Brooks you see 35 or more at the falls. Some as close as 15 feet away. It's amazing. It's a bucket list place.

We have tried to go back twice since we went. Both times we didn't make the cut. We will try again this year.

Oh I completely understand, just thinking we may wait a while to try and get in on a trip like this seeing as it isn't really a place for kids and we just did a solo outdoors trip.

We coupled it with a stay in Denali and time in Anchorage and Seward.

We took our 12 year old and he was completely fine. I think I remember one other family with a kid there but I'm not 100% sure. I will say that most people there were definitely adults. I don't think I would have taken my son if he was too much younger.

Like Mathguy said, you get extremely close to wildlife so bear etiquette comes into play…don't run, back up slowly, and leave them alone. The good news is that they are really not interested in you. They want fish. We walked by one bear who was sleeping just a few feet off the path and we didn't see her until we had already come up on her. She looked at us and then went back to sleep. Still…it was nerve racking. Another time a bear and two cubs were coming down the big trail (road before the .4mile walk thru wooded area to falls) and we had to slowly walk back a few hundred feet to get out of their way. Again, they didn't care about us but I wasn't going to find out for sure. Even when you leave your cabin you need to do a quick glance around to corners to make sure you're good to go.

If you get a chance, head out to the Valley of 10,000 smokes. It's an interesting area but be prepared to hike a few hundred feet down and back up. I didn't realize there was a hike involved to get to the waterfalls. Take water. I didn't and me for still hates me for it (we'll pretend that's the only reason). I think we'll try to go back in 2026, as we'll be in Samoa for the '25 season.

While you're in Alaska, check out the boat tours of Kenai Fjords out of Seward. We've done that twice. In fact, we're going again this summer and it's back on the list. You can also hike up to the Hardy Ice Fields. I haven't had a chance to do that yet but it's on the list for this summer.

Here are some photos. I was trying to live up to Mathguy's quality of photography but it wasn't working on iPhone pics.

It was, hands down, the coolest place I've ever been.



This bench on the platform was the most peaceful place I had ever been. You can hear the water from the river, the gulls, feel a light cool breeze on your face, and hear the bears grunting and huffing. So much so that my son fell asleep!



My son and I went when he was 12. If I had been worried about his natural reaction then I would not have taken him but I knew he would be calm and cool and follow the ranger's instructions. It's a matter of knowing your own kids.

Frankly, there were some adults there when we were who I wouldn't have taken.

Same as mentioned above, we have put in for a cabin each year since with no luck but will continue to.

We tent camped last time in the campground and the logistics of getting all our gear there for one night was a huge hassle - but worth it to get the opportunity on a first time visit.

That's why we're content trying the lottery for the cabins for a return trip. And I can't justify the cost of going for a day trip - I would have to stay at least one night (preferably two).

I will say that per square foot it may be the highest density of $$ camera gear ever. Seriously expensive stuff.

I was talking to a Ranger about it and all the pro photo guys there. He laughed and said "they aren't pros. They are dentists with expensive cameras."

AgRyan04 said:

---

It was, hands down, the coolest place I've ever been.

---

Totally agree. People always ask me what my favorite national park has been throughout my travels and I give a canned response…"they're all unique and I've had great experiences at many of them" and then I'll give a list of 5-6 parks that I've like more than others. But let's face it, Katmai is one of the most unique places on earth. You can't beat it.

Mathguy64 said:

---

I will say that per square foot it may be the highest density of $$ camera gear ever. Seriously expensive stuff.

---

Seriously! That gear was incredible.

Oh, some tips: go early and late in the day. The rangers open the gate to the falls around 7:00am (but be sure to check). Days trippers can make the platforms crowded so you'll have to wait your turn during those crowded times. You'll put your name on the list and can venture around the rest of the secure area along the river while you wait. Still plenty to see while you wait but it can be an hour or so.

Also, if you are a photographer, no tripods are allowed. They take up too much space.

Grazer 128 and one of her 2 year olds. She won the Fat Bear contest this year. This was her spot at the top of the falls and nobody was going to take it from her.



You can't help but get good shots. They are everywhere.




Maybe my favorite shot. This little one just looks like a devil.

Great photos. Were you there when a female bear got into a vocal fight with the bigger bear on top of the falls and after a few minutes the bigger bear backed off? I was almost certain it was going to get physical but momma bear scared him off. I think that was Grazer. Can't remember who it was but have some video on my desktop.

I watched her beat the crap out of a young male who tried to come in below and steal a fish. He got about 3/4 of the way up that ledge and she went at him fast. He got a bite of food and lost some skin.

I just got my first email back from Brooks. "You are on the waitlist between #2501 and #2750". They said they recieved 6300 applications.

Last year the waitlist had 1900 on it.

I guess I feel fortunate to have gone. I'm not sure I'll ever get back at this rate.

We went the end of June this past summer. Salmon were late showing up in the river so we didn't see the huge numbers of bears at the falls but it was still an amazing experience. Nothing like having nothing between you and a thousand pounds of bear that is only a few yards away as it walks down the trail. We got lucky and got drawn for early September for 2025. Can't wait to get back! Good luck to everyone on the wait list! We were pretty far down the list for 2023 but eventually got a cabin.

I like the bears and outdoors, but **** getting that close to them. Yall are braver than me.

MY SON WON THE LOTTERY!

We've got two nights in a cabin for late July 2025 for me, my son, my wife, & my MIL.

My MIL has had this on her bucket list for as long as I've known her, so I'm so excited for us to be able to get this for her!

(and I'm excited to be able to go back and not have to lug all my tent camping gear again!)

My lottery application was waitlisted between 4500-5000 and my wife was +5000

Congrats! That's awesome.

AgRyan04 said:

---

MY SON WON THE LOTTERY!

We've got two nights in a cabin for late July 2025 for me, my son, my wife, & my MIL.

My MIL has had this on her bucket list for as long as I've known her, so I'm so excited for us to be able to get this for her!

(and I'm excited to be able to go back and not have to lug all my tent camping gear again!)

My lottery application was waitlisted between 4500-5000 and my wife was +5000

---

I'll trade my 2500-2750 and 3000-3500 plus $50 for your lottery ticket, the 4500-5000 and the +5000.

Your average would really improve. It's a steal for you but I'm willing to take it.

Woo hoo! Going for '24. They had cancellations in June and August for this year and we had a high enough waitlist number to get notified. I damn near broke a finger dialing. I was the first one to call and got my choice of dates.

CONGRATS!