Experience Brooks Falls

Adventure Details

Timeframe: Bear activity is optimal during the month of July. July 1-July 30, 2024. (exact dates vary season-to-season). If you are interested in other dates after the month of July, bear activity can be unpredictable and flights more weather dependent, but can be booked with a private charter.

Tour Duration: 8 hours

Age Requirement: No minimum, however 4 years and over is recommended. For groups with young children of any age, inquire about our private charter options.

Weight Restrictions: We have a weight limitation of 325 lbs. per person. We want everyone to enjoy bear viewing, so we do require that you wear a PFD and be able to safely enter/exit the aircraft.

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Departure/Return: 11am / 7pm

Number of Guests: 6-7 per day

Walking distance: 2 miles total: to Upper Falls and back on flat gravel pathways and boardwalks.

Price: $1,295.00 per seat. This includes taxes and park entrance fees; we do not add any other fees or fuel surcharges. We accept cash or check and credit cards (an additional 3.4% processing fee for this method of payment).

Our cancellation policy:

All payments are fully refundable up to 30 days prior to the trip. Within 30 days of your trip date, the deposit is non-refundable and no refunds will be given for cancellations made by the guest for any reason. If you are ill, please cancel in advance. To ensure the safety of our Pilot, employees, and businesses we work with in remote locations, anyone presenting any signs of illness at check in will not be allowed to board the flight and no refunds will be applicable.

What’s Included

Packing list of what to bring and what to wear at confirmation
Flight in our iconic De Havilland Beaver floatplane- take off and land on water

Flight safety presentation by Pilot Wes

Flight time of 1.5-2 hours each way
Guests will have headsets to listen to a narrated tour full of history and educational facts!
Great views from every seat in the plane
Bear safety presentation provided by NPS Rangers
Unguided: you can see Brooks Falls and camp at your pace in your own group
Only waterfall location

4 hours on the ground viewing bears-

Restrooms, picnic area, lodge with food/drink options and a fireplace, food cache, two gift shops, and a visitor center are available on site. Expect to be out in the elements viewing bears in their natural environment, with the option to warm up indoors.

Finish the day taking photos with the plane & Pilot
A map/ drawing of your flight path and a Beluga Air sticker
Memories beyond compare!
Safety is our number one priority. We take immense pride in upholding rigorous standards and embrace the distinction of being the most cautious company on the lake. This commitment to safety may result in delays or trip cancellations if our pilot feels uncomfortable with the conditions. There is nothing we want more than to see you fulfill your dream of seeing the bears - that objective is only surpassed by our dedication to ensuring your safety above all else.

Visit our FAQ’s page for more information as well as Beluga Air policies and conditions of tours.

The Bears of Brooks Camp

Alaska Coastal Brown bears visit Brooks Camp (also known as Brooks Falls) every summer for the salmon run. Alaska bear viewing in Katmai National Park provides some of the highest densities of foraging brown bear populations for public viewing on the planet. Brooks Camp provides excellent and accessible viewing opportunities, with bear-viewing platforms and wheelchair-friendly trails.

We offer a seat fare rate to Brooks Falls during the most active part of the season during most of July. We sell each seat for $1295.00 (includes all taxes and park entrance fees). Seat fares are round-trip and include 4 hours on the ground at camp viewing bears.

*Waiting for fish to jump in his mouth - dinner on demand!*

Expect a one mile walk each way to and from the furthest viewing platform at Upper Brooks Falls. Brooks Camp has nearly flat gravel pathways and raised wooden platforms which are accessed by ramps. You still should expect some walking and be prepared to be out in the elements while on the platforms.

Brooks Camp has basic amenities including shelter, a picnic area, food storage cache, vault toilet restroom facilities, a small gift shop, food for purchase, and a visitor center. Don’t forget your National Park Passport for a stamp here before you leave!

Are you the traveler looking for the iconic shot of a bear standing in the waterfall catching a salmon with its paws? Then this is the trip for you! During peak activity (generally the 1st through 3rd weeks of July), you are pretty much guaranteed this photo. However, along with lots of busy bears come lots of people to watch them. The downside of visiting during the peak activity weeks is that there may be a time limit on the upper bear viewing platform. We try to offset the “bottleneck” effect at the Visitor’s Center and upper platform by leaving mid-day (if weather & our schedule permits) to minimize wait times. But don’t worry - you will see bears ALL over camp, including from the lower river platform which isn’t time-limited.

Getting to Katmai

The flight to Brooks Falls is mainly over Cook Inlet. During flight, in our iconic De Havilland Beaver floatplane, each guest will be fitted with a headset to listen in on our narrated tour by Pilot Wes! You will learn a lot about the Homer area, Kachemak Bay, the Cook Inlet, Katmai National Park and many more historical and geographical facts about Alaska. As you near the Katmai Coast you will see volcanoes, glaciers, and braided rivers. There’s always the potential to see wildlife from the air. Brooks Falls only accessible by float planes like ours since it is located on an inland glacial-fed lake. By air you will get a better understanding of how vast this beautiful country is in Katmai National Park!

Our landing location will be determined by current weather conditions.  Most flights will land on Naknek Lake and pull up to the beach near the Visitor Center.  Depending on wind conditions, sometimes we land and park at Lake Brooks.  Guests will make their way to the Visitor Center for a 10-minute safety briefing before exploring the area.  It is approximately 1 mile each way from the Visitor Center to the Falls Platform via the Brooks Falls Trail.  There are great viewing opportunities at the Falls Platform (timed), the Riffles Platform and Lower River Platform.  There is a national park gift store at the Visitor Center, as well as food and a fireplace to warm up at the Brooks Lodge area.  The food cache is located across from the Visitor Center building along with the picnic eating area.  Restrooms are attached to the food cache building, and also located along the road just before you head out on the Brooks Falls Trail about midway to the falls.

Your Time at Brooks Falls

During the peak season Brooks can be very crowded. Our goal is to provide the best visitor experience possible! To hopefully minimize wait times on the upper platform, our plan is to leave Homer during the late morning when weather and schedule permit. Ideally this means we will be arriving at camp in the early afternoon to spend our 4 hours on the ground when other operators are leaving, opening the area up for our guests!

NPS Brooks Falls Upper Platform Wait Times in 2022

For those guests with camping or lodge permits that are looking for a charter ride to and from Brooks Camp multiple days apart, please use this link below to reserve a charter flight. This is a different flight than our daily bear viewing tours to Brooks Falls.