Fly-fishing the great Alaskan wilderness
Photo © Robin Hood/Alaska Tourism

Most pampered bipeds only make it to Alaska when the blooms of spring and summer's lengthening days cast their glow over this massive outdoor playground. By then the seriously hardy—king salmon, sockeye salmon—have already made the arduous trek from their winter feeding grounds in the Pacific to inland waterways like those threading 4.7-million-acre Katmai National Park. Unsurprisingly, this spectacular southwest Alaskan wilderness is one of the world's great sport-fishing destinations, particularly its Alagnak and Naknek rivers.

July is actually the month when most visitors flood into Katmai: tourists in that mid-summer month in 2003 numbered 24,407 compared to the previous month's 9,995. The reason? July sees the peak of the world's largest sockeye salmon run, which in turn brings big, hungry brown bears to the river bars—and thousands of eager bear watchers armed with their cameras and binocs.

But guess what? Come one month earlier and you'll still see the same rugged beauty, will likely get a glimpse of those same tawny bears, and pretty much have the place to yourself—best spots on the river, on the trails, and in the wilderness lodges.

Getting to Katmai, though, is no simple day trip from Anchorage. Travelers must first fly 290 miles to King Salmon (how can anglers resist?), followed by another 30-mile hop by boat or plane to Brooks Camp, the launch pad for most—if not all—Katmai adventures. Campers can pitch their tents at Brooks Camp for $8 per person per night (on top of $14 day-use fee), or you can hole up at the 16-room Brooks Lodge for a more luxe start to your big Alaskan fishing adventure.

Call Katmai National Park (907-246-3305, www.nps.gov/katm) for details on accommodations, reservations, and the best places to fish.

RELATED GORP LINKS
Fishing Katmai
Katmai National Park Guide
Top 10 National Parks for Wildlife