Know before you go: Katmai

Stay safe

• Wildlife: Keep at least 25 yards (23 m) from all wild animals, and 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves where they live. Never feed wildlife. Use pullouts to watch animals from the road.
• Bears: Grizzly and black bears live here. Carry bear spray where you can reach it and know how to use it, hike in groups, make noise on the trail and store all food and scented items as the park directs.
• Water and weather: Conditions on the water change fast. Check marine forecasts and tides, wear a life jacket on boats, and remember cold water is dangerous even in summer.
• Remote travel: There are few or no services. Plan flights or boats in advance, carry extra food and a way to call for help, and leave your plans with someone.
• Cell service: Coverage is patchy in most parks. Download offline maps and the park’s info before you lose signal.

What to pack

Start with the park service’s ten essentials:

• Navigation: a paper map or offline map, plus a charged phone and battery pack
• Sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat
• Layers: a warm layer and a rain shell, even in summer
• Headlamp or flashlight
• First aid kit
• Fire starter (matches or a lighter) for emergencies
• Repair kit and tools (a small knife, tape)
• Extra food
• Extra water and a way to treat it
• Emergency shelter: a space blanket or tarp

For Katmai also bring:

• Bear spray in a holster you can reach (buy or rent it near the park; it cannot go in checked or carry-on bags on most flights)
• Water shoes or sandals
• A dry bag for phones and cameras
• Seasickness tablets if you are taking a boat
• A red light and a blanket for stargazing
• Binoculars for wildlife watching from a safe distance
• Camping: tent, sleeping bag rated for night temperatures, camp stove and fuel bought locally
• Insect repellent and a head net in bug season

What to leave at home

• A drone: launching, landing or flying drones is banned in almost every national park site.
• Firewood from home: it can carry tree-killing pests. Buy it where you burn it, ideally within 10 miles.
• Pets: of the 1 hikes the park service lists here, 0 allow pets. Where pets are allowed they must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
• Anything you plan to take home from the park: rocks, plants, antlers, artifacts and fossils must stay where you find them.
• Food that wildlife can reach: store it as the park directs, in your car or a locker, never in a tent in bear country.

Weather

Located between the stormy north Pacific Ocean and the even stormier Bering Sea, the Katmai region is often a battleground between weather systems. When you visit, be prepared to encounter all types of weather. On average, wet and cool conditions predominate in spring, summer, and fall. Winters are drier and colder.

From the National Park Service (public domain).

Sources

• NPS: The Ten Essentials
• NPS Yellowstone: Safety (100 yards from bears, wolves and cougars; 25 yards from all other animals)
• NPS White Sands: hiking safety (at least one gallon of water per person per day)
• NPS: Uncrewed aircraft in the national parks (Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR 1.5)
• NPS: Don’t move firewood (buy it where you burn it)
• NPS: B.A.R.K. rules for pets (leash no longer than 6 feet)
• NPS Blue Ridge Parkway compendium, 36 CFR 2.1: preservation of natural and cultural resources
• Official park website

Last checked 1 November 2026.