Katmai National Park is on the top of many “Best of Alaska” lists because of its otherworldly landscape and the opportunity to get up-close and personal to the raw beauty of the 15 active volcanoes and abundant wildlife there. Still considered a living laboratory, it was the spectacular eruption in 1912 of the Novarupta volcano that brought scientists and researchers to this area. The National Geographic Society led a number of expeditions to Katmai, and in 1919, on its last expedition, Geographic Harbor was discovered in the previously uncharted Amalik Bay. Part of the “Katmai coast,” this is one of the prime areas in this region for bear viewing.

Katmai National Monument was created in 1918 when President Wilson set aside just over one million acres to preserve the phenomenon of Mt. Katmai, the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, and their breathtaking beauty. The monument would later become a national park and preserve with a total of 4.7 million acres. The landscape is always being redefined by the seismic and volcanic action in this area.