Journey to Alaska

Main  |  North Slope  |  Katmai  |  Aniakchak  |  Hadrosaur  |  Troodon
Liscomb Quarry  |  Plant Specimens  |  Dinosaur Specimens

Katmai National Park

Katmai National Park and Preserve is approximately 4,000,000 acres, and is one of the oldest park units in Alaska within the National Park Service. The establishment of the unit as a national monument occurred in 1918, and later expanded to park status in 1980. The proclamation of this unit as a national monument was based on the enormous 1912 eruption of Novarupta, the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The eruption produced an ash fall for three days and covered 3,000 square miles with volcanic debris. Over an area of 45 square miles this ash was deposited as thick as 600 feet in an area that has since been named the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

Lower Ukak Falls, Valley of 10,000 Smokes, Katmai National Park


Map of Katmai National Park


Mouth of the Brooks River, Katmai National Park


Shore of Naknek Lake, Katmai National Park

Journal Excerpts

Naknek Lake

17 August, 2001
The wind has shifted and now it is coming from a westerly direction, not a good sign that the weather will remain stable. This new wind direction allows the wind to pick up speed over the length of the lake so we change plans and try to head out in the boat in a different direction.

All seemed fine in this new direction until we made a turn around a bend in the lake. The wind is blowing hard here as well and the swells in the lake are large enough that we got concerned about the boat swamping so I decided to turn back to camp. By the time we headed back, the swells have turned to white caps and no one second guesses my decision.

We were a bit white-knuckled as we made it back to camp, damp, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

Katmai Coast

30 July 2000
…after flying for several hours we headed over to the coast and landed near Hallo Bay. The rocks are filled with invertebrate shells called Buchia. There are exposures of rocks all along the coast here so there is much to do. After an all too short time, the pilot asks me how much longer we'll be staying as the tide is coming in and is rapidly taking away the beach runway that we landed on. I have to decide between leaving now or staying several more hours until the tide goes out. I'm here to look at rocks so I decided to stay…

…we started a cross country hike to rocks I had seen from the air. Once again I am walking through dense grasses that reach my chest or higher and all I can see that isn't green are the shirts of my hiking companions. The trails we're following are very clearly active bear trails but they are the only means to get through this dense vegetation. I'm sure if I really thought about what I was doing I'd think I was nuts.

Valley of 10,000 Smokes

7 June 2002
The weather last night was beautiful, but this morning it is even more so. Given the blue skies I asked if the truck was available to go out to the valley. It was and for the first time after several visits I was able to see the majestic peaks at the head of the valley. With the buff colored volcanic debris in the foreground and the snow-capped peaks and their glaciers as a background, the view defied description.

It is a mostly sunny day but the breeze is picking up so the ash is starting to blow. The breeze keeps the bugs down so this is shaping up to be a great day in the field.

After measuring and examining rocks all along Ukak Falls I continued up the river to the Knife Creek confluence. A wind from the head of the valley has definitely picked up and my face is starting to sting from the ash pelting me. A bit more measuring of rocks finished the day which was fortunate as the wind is pretty severe and the ash cloud is really dense now. The drive back is much different as we are immersed in dust almost the whole way back.

Back at the camp the wind has created three foot waves on the lake making it sound like the surf at the ocean.

Mt. Katolinat, Katmai National Park


Brown bear and salmon, Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park


Searching for plant fossils along Naknek Lake, Katmai National Park