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Katmai - Alaska

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Descriptive:
Katmai National Park is comprised of 4,000,000 acres at the easternmost tip of the Aleutian Island chain, tucked inside the slender finger of land separating the Bering Sea and The Gulf of Alaska.

Vegetation:
Willows
Water plants
Grasses

Wildlife:
Brown bear
Moose
Caribou
Red fox
Wolf
Lynx
Wolverine
River otter
Mink
Marten
Weasel
Porcupine
Snowshoe hare
Red squirrel
Beaver
Salmon
Rainbow trout

Ptarmigan bald Eagles
Tundra swans
Ducks
Loons
Grebes
Arctic terns
Grouse
Hawks
Falcons
Owls

Sea lions
Sea otters
Hair seals
Beluga whales
Killer whales
Gray whales


Key locations:
Dumpling Mountain affords clear views across Naknek Lake and the surrounding countryside.

Cutting deep gorges in the ejected ash, the Ukak River slices through the heart of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

Activities:
Hiking
Kayaking
Canoeing

Historical:
In 1912, Katmai erupted in a violent volcanic explosion that was cataclysmic, altering the landscape of the region drastically. After a week of unsparing earthquakes, the Novarupta Volcano of 1912 suddenly belched black smoke, and jettisoned tremendous quantities of hot, glowing pumice and ash across the land. All life in the path of the lava flows was obliterated.

The area is now known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, because tens of thousands of individual tendrils of smoke curled upward, 1,000 feet into the air, a full four years after the event.

Molten rock still exists beneath the Earth's surface today, as evidenced by steam plumes that occasionally rise from fissures from within Mageik, Martin and Trident mountains. The area is now known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, because tens of thousands of individual tendrils of smoke curled upward in this active volcano region, 1,000 feet into the air a full four years after the event.

Trails:
Katmai Pass Trail

Campsites:
Battle Lake Cabins
Brooks Camp
Nonvianuk Camp