Which national park in Alaska is known for its brown bears fishing at Brooks Falls?

The Alaska national park known for brown bears fishing at Brooks Falls is Katmai National Park.

More formally, the protected area is Katmai National Park and Preserve, on the Alaska Peninsula. Brooks Falls lies on the Brooks River, which connects Brooks Lake with Naknek Lake. During the salmon runs, sockeye salmon leap the waterfall while traveling upstream to spawn, creating an unusually concentrated food source for Alaskan brown bears.

The bears’ fishing techniques vary with water level, timing, and experience. Some stand atop the falls and snatch salmon in midair; others wait in the plunge pool or catch fish in the river. July is especially famous for large gatherings, while September brings another viewing period as salmon move downstream after spawning. Park webcams and the annual Fat Bear Week competition have made the site globally recognizable.

Katmai was established as a national monument in 1918 after the 1912 Novarupta eruption created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes; it became a national park in 1980. The park protects far more than Brooks Falls, including volcanoes, tundra, lakes, and one of North America’s largest protected brown-bear populations. “Alaskan brown bear” is the regional form of the brown bear, not a separate species.