Katmai Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = Katmai Wilderness
iucn_category = Ib

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caption =
locator_x = 24
locator_y = 162
location = Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 58
lat_minutes = 34
lat_seconds =
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 154
long_minutes = 44
long_seconds =
long_direction = W
area = 3,384,358 acres (13,696 km²)
established = 1980
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = National Park Service

Katmai Wilderness is a wilderness area in Alaska, United States. It is part of the Katmai National Park and Preserve. Today 15 active volcanoes line Shelikof Strait, which separates Katmai National Park and Preserve from Kodiak Island. Katmai protects this volcanic "laboratory" and, equally important, large numbers of brown bears. (Although brown and grizzly bears are considered the same species, grizzlies live at least 100 miles from shore and don't grow to be as huge, due to a more limited diet.) Salmon spawn in Katmai in vast numbers, attracting the bears. Here you'll find huge lakes whose edges provide nesting spots for swans, ducks, loons, and grebes. The area is shared by moose and caribou and numerous smaller mammals. A campground exists inside the park, and preregistration is required. The campground has water, pit toilets, food-storage caches, fire pits (but firewood is limited), and picnic tables. Meals are available at nearby Brooks Lodge. Most of Katmai National Park has been designated Wilderness, and very little of it is ever seen by human eyes.

References

* [http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Katmai Wilderness.net (public domain)]