Anchorage to King Salmon to Brooks Camp - Katmai National Park

The only way to get to Katmai National Park is by float plane or water taxi from King Salmon, Alaska. Since King Salmon is not connected to the North American road system, the only way to get to King Salmon is to fly. We flew from Anchorage to King Salmon on a Pilatus PC-12 operated by Katmai Air Service. Parking at their office on the General Aviation side of the airport, we checked in and were weighed with our backpacks and anything else we were taking to the park. We boarded the Pilatus and departed the hanger area on time. There was no delay in taxiing to runway 7 left. We held short for about two minutes before getting clearance to enter the runway. We took off from midfield toward the east on 6600 feet of runway. We quickly climbed to our cruising altitude of 12,000 feet for the 1¼-hour, 313-mile flight. After landing on runway 18, we taxied onto the crossing runway 12 to the general aviation area. After walking through an FBO-style building, we boarded a mini-bus for the short ride to the other end of the airport and Katmai Air Service's float plane base on the Naknek River. 

Air route from Anchorage (upper right) to King Salmon (lower left)

On the General Aviation ramp

Holding short of runway 7/25

Flying over the Raspberry Road and Hickel Parkway interchange

Above the clouds

Kettle Lakes and the mouth of the Kvichak River

Northern outskirts of King Salmon   

Weather radar at the northern end of the King Salmon airport
with the Naknek River in the background

After allowing enough time for everyone to take advantage of the flush toilets, we left the log cabin facility and walked down to the dock where we boarded a Katmai Air de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter float plane. After taxiing downstream just less than ½-mile, we took off upstream and flew 22 minutes and 42 miles to Brooks Camp on Naknek Lake. 

Air route from King Salmon (left) to Brooks Camp (right)

Taking off on the Naknek River

Flying just north of the Naknek River

Hills just west of Naknek Lake (400 feet higher than the lake)

An unnamed peninsula on the southwest shore of Naknek Lake

Forest reflection

A small islet on Lake Brooks

The Iliuk Arm of Naknek Lake laps on the flanks of Mount La Gorce 

While taxiing for takeoff on Naknek Lake, the following images added to our memories of a fun, but long, day at Katmai National Park. The Katmai Water Taxi is an alternate to flying on a float plane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp, but they have a no refund for any reason policy.

Katmai Water Taxi

A pair of de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers backed into the shore

Mount La Gorce (left 3715') and Mount Katolinat (right 4730') obscured by clouds

Dumpling Mountain (2440')

Below are several images of our flight back to King Salmon.

A pair of islands in Lake Brooks
(the near one seems to be pointing back to Brooks Camp)

Crossing runway 12 in King Salmon as the clouds creep lower

King Salmon tower

Katmai Air Service floatplane base and minibus

Finally, here are few more images from the Katmai Air Service Pilatus PC-12 flying from King Salmon back to Anchorage.

Kalgin Island in Cook Inlet

Fire Island Wind Farm

The offset runways of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

There is no entrance fee at Katmai National Park.

The Katmai National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm.