The day after we all met at our AirBnB in Homer, we were off for our first official Alaskan adventure together as we boarded a Northwind Aviation de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter floatplane bound for Katmai National Park. Despite an early morning weather delay, we were soon crossing the Cook Inlet and soaring high above the vast Alaskan wilderness, eventually landing on Lake Brooks after a scenic 100-minute flight.
After we all jumped off the floats and tried not to get wet (Emily chose the pilotback method), we were off to Bear School – a brief but crucial safety briefing by a park ranger. With more than 2,200 brown bears calling Katmai home, this wasn’t just a formality. In fact, a grizzly appeared out of the brush just yards from Bear School while it was still in session! Once we earned our official Bear School pins, we set off on the 1.3-mile trail to Brooks Falls, encountering our first “bear jam” along the way. What’s a bear jam, you ask? It is when a bear decides to appear in front of you, thereby blocking your way. This big grizzly continued slowly away from us down the same trail on which we were walking, never looking back or giving us any indication he knew we were there.
We finally made it to the iconic Brooks Falls, where we witnessed scenes straight out of a nature documentary. Numerous bears fished for salmon (we never saw them catch any), splashed, and even napped right before our eyes. The viewing platform offered an incredibly close – and safe – vantage point. It was a genuinely moving experience to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. After Brooks Falls, we made our way to Brooks Lodge for our passport stamp, a few souvenirs, and a pick-a-nick lunch (no, really!) before heading back to our floatplane.
Well, not quite.
Just as we were about to walk down the beach to our plane, a mama bear and her two cubs decided that they wanted to go the same direction. S L O W L Y. We kept a (relatively) safe distance and followed them down the beach until they eventually passed our plane. We took some pics on the floats, boarded the plane, and headed off back toward Homer.
As we flew back to Homer, we reflected on what truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Katmai offered us a rare glimpse into the wild heart of Alaska, leaving us with memories we’ll cherish forever.
And just like Goldilocks, we found our day in Katmai to be just right! It was simply un-bear-lievable – a salmon-chanted evening we’ll never forget!
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