Brooks Falls

[Rocky mtn high]

Soo, been watching the bears the last couple of years. I am sure some form members been there. Experiences? Goal was to drive to Alaska but it appears it might not happen. Legitimate excuses and not so much.

 

[Ronstar]

We stayed at Brooks Lodge in Katmai a few years ago. Spent some time with the bears at the falls. About 30 of them at any given time. Amazing. Went fly fishing and hiking also, but bear watching took up most of our time. We flew to anchorage, then flew to King Salmon, then float plane to Brooks. Great time.
Made a video of the bears

 

[Rocky mtn high]

Looks awesome

 

[MuirWannabe]

Amazing experience. Highly recommend

 

[finnski1]

We stayed at Brooks Lodge in Katmai a few years ago. Spent some time with the bears at the falls. About 30 of them at any given time. Amazing. Went fly fishing and hiking also, but bear watching took up most of our time. We flew to anchorage, then flew to King Salmon, then float plane to Brooks. Great time.
Made a video of the bears

Incredible photos! Thanks for sharing. DW and I regularly watch the Explore.Org web cams they have at Katmai. Still missing good ole Otis.

 

[Kings over Queens]

My son worked a summer at a fly fishing lodge near Katmai and went there. He loved it.

Bucket list experience.

 

[Ronstar]

Incredible photos! Thanks for sharing. DW and I regularly watch the Explore.Org web cams they have at Katmai. Still missing good ole Otis.

Thanks - the ranger told us everything about Otis. Otis was there when we were there. But Otis had been showing up at Brooks Falls later every year. His health was failing, but he still had sole possession of “the office” where Otis would sit and wait for the salmon to jump into his grasp. I think one of my pics was of a bear with a scar across its face - I think that bear won the fat bear contest last year.

We went fly fishing with a guide at Brooks Falls - had to stay 50 yards from the bears. Next to impossible- they were coming into the water from all directions. We awakened 2 cubs on our walk along the shoreline to get to our fishing spot. Luckily the mother was still sleeping.

The guides would drink in the lodge bar until 10 when the bar closed and then walk through the wilderness about a half mile to their quarters. With bears everywhere.

Sometimes incoming campers/ lodgers had to wait in the float plane at the dock until the bears cleared out of the dock area.

 

[sailaway]

Soo, been watching the bears the last couple of years. I am sure some form members been there. Experiences? Goal was to drive to Alaska but it appears it might not happen. Legitimate excuses and not so much.

Soo, been watching the bears the last couple of years. I am sure some form members been there. Experiences? Goal was to drive to Alaska but it appears it might not happen. Legitimate excuses and not so much.

 

[sailaway]

Wife and I lived 10 years on island in Belize. Both US Docs. She caught bad Covid, blood clots to lungs, coded in Belize City hospital. On vent five days they said she was going to die. I brought an evacuation jet into Belize and flew her on the vent direct admit to Tulsa hospital non stop. On vent 20 days and they had to extubate and she lived. Two months in rehab hospital learning how to walk, etc. 30 days later we drove the Alaskan Highway. Took us 34 days and this is our great adventure. Oklahoma to Anchorage and back. 2022. Would do it again.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

We stayed at Brooks Lodge in Katmai a few years ago. Spent some time with the bears at the falls. About 30 of them at any given time. Amazing. Went fly fishing and hiking also, but bear watching took up most of our time. We flew to anchorage, then flew to King Salmon, then float plane to Brooks. Great time.
Made a video of the bears

Bravo! Incredible pictures, so vividly real. Really enjoyed them, will be sharing it.

 

[Flyfish1]

Wife and I lived 10 years on island in Belize. Both US Docs. She caught bad Covid, blood clots to lungs, coded in Belize City hospital. On vent five days they said she was going to die. I brought an evacuation jet into Belize and flew her on the vent direct admit to Tulsa hospital non stop. On vent 20 days and they had to extubate and she lived. Two months in rehab hospital learning how to walk, etc. 30 days later we drove the Alaskan Highway. Took us 34 days and this is our great adventure. Oklahoma to Anchorage and back. 2022. Would do it again.

Wow! Strong move. And I mean Strong! Retired Doc here. I'm glad she did well.
And so I don't derail the thread - I've been fly fishing at Brooks Falls and the Katmai Peninsula. The thing that freaked me out at Brooks was when the guide led us through the bear grass and through the bedding area for these huge animals. Thankfully all the bears were out eating in the river...but holy cow that was frightening. That was minor compared to coming face to face with a massive male in the grass on a fly out fishing trip on the peninsula. I felt like he was the size of a VW Beetle. Huge. I didn't run but diverted eye contact, head down in submission and backed up. Wowza.