Katmai Canoe – Navarro

Katmai Canoe – Navarro

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DATES

July 23, 2025 - July 27, 2025

REGION

Katmai National Park

TRIP COST

$$

calendar

DATES

July 23, 2025 - July 27, 2025
region

REGION

Katmai National Park
price

TRIP COST

$$

Katmai National Park is among the richest ecosystems on earth and this is the perfect canoe trip through the Park. Millions of salmon swim inland to feed the world’s largest bears and Alaska’s largest lakes sprawl between volcanic peaks.

TRIP DETAILS

Katmai National Park is on the Alaska Peninsula, a long, volcano-studded finger pointing to a 2,000-mile archipelago arcing across the north Pacific to Siberia. Constant tectonic activity, volcanism, and retreating glaciers have left behind jagged peaks, rounded hills, and deep blue lakes. We’ll paddle along these glacial lakes and on the Savonoski River, roughly 45 miles, on our Katmai Canoe trip. Thirty of our miles will be on lakes and 15 miles on glacial rivers. Camping on the beaches, fishing the creeks and watching bears late into the night; we enjoy the best of Katmai’s interior on this wilderness canoe trip.

Summer on the Alaska Peninsula means cool weather, fish in the rivers, and a jungle of vegetation. July also means fattening-up time for the huge brown bears that live in Katmai National Park.  We may see moose, black bears, wolves, and foxes in Katmai. We will certainly see great big brown bears, passing their time eating salmon. Though they treat humans as something to walk around, they are themselves staggeringly powerful creatures. We will have close, but safe, encounters with them. There are unparalleled opportunities for observing and photographing bears at play, while feeding, and just being bears. We will also see bald eagles and a variety of waterfowl.

The rainbow trout and Northern pike fishing is excellent throughout the trip and especially in the Grosvenor River. In a few locations we can hike into the alpine and cast our eyes over the vast, lake-bejeweled landscape we have been paddling through.

This trip is a moderately difficult route. And trying to cover this amount of distance in just 5 days will require some long days on the water. Experience with canoe travel is required. The lake paddling is not typically difficult, but because the lakes are susceptible to big winds, we will paddle in light chop or swells some days. We will paddle close to shore, and while we need not undertake open water crossings, there is one such crossing we can elect to do, if conditions permit. The Savonoski River paddling is all Class I but with swift, braided channels requiring good boat control.

We will provide canoe instruction during the trip but taking a class before the trip will help you feel more comfortable in the canoe. The ACA offers river canoe classes in most areas of the US and we encourage you to improve your skills prior to the trip. You need not be an expert paddler to safely participate, but canoe experience is essential.

Last updated: January 6, 2025

Itinerary

What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.

July 22

Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting at 5 pm in Anchorage at the Public Lands Information Center. (Or an alternate location of your choosing.)

July 23

This is a long day.  We fly from Anchorage to the village of Iliamna and then via float-plane to Grosvenor Lake in the heart of Katmai National Park.  Once the plane is unloaded we will assemble the canoes and paddle several miles to make a nice, secluded camp on a pebbly beach.  We’ll spend the rest of the evening settling into our surroundings.

July 24 - 26

We have another 35 miles to go and time to enjoy it.  We’ll be paddling most of the day, stopping several times to stretch, snack, hike, and explore.

We’ll paddle across Grosvenor Lake, a long finger of a lake curving beneath tall mountains, a hidden jewel with secret creeks full of salmon. Snow capped volcanoes loom in the distance. At the very tip of the lake, we will descend a creek that empties into the Savonoski River. From here, we’re paddling swift water in a vast open plain of river gravels. The views are stunning as we enter Naknek Lake, gray with glacial silt and dotted with floating rocks (pumice).

We will spend time fishing the lakes and rivers, swapping stories around beach fires, and watching bears feed, swim and interact with each other.

July 27

Rise early and paddle the last few miles to Margot Creek. We have a few hours at this excellent bear watching location to watch and photograph bears before we meet our plane and work our way back to Anchorage where the trip ends. Change socks!

Michael listened to our descriptions of what we wanted in a trip and investigated the possibility of making that sort of trip happen. Unlike some other guide services, he was attuned to what we were saying and did not outright say he could not accommodate us because Arctic Wild only provided trips like X, Y, or Z. In my opinion, the major difference between Arctic Wild and the 4 other guide services I talked to was that Michael tried to design a trip meeting our trip objectives and wishes.

- Rochelle , Missouri, USA

DETAILS

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Round-trip airfare to Katmai National Park

Food while in the wilderness, stoves, cooking & eating utensils

Boats, paddles, life jackets, safety & repair gear

Professional guide service

Select Camping Equipment is available through Arctic Wild

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Non-camp lodging

Non-camp meals

Personal clothing and gear per our Equipment List

Fishing gear, and fishing license

Gratuity for guide(s)

WEATHER & BUGS

Temperatures vary from the 70’s to the low 40’s.  Rain is almost assured.  We should be past the peak of bugs, but some flies will persist.  For this reason, you should pack a head-net and DEET bug repellent.

RECOMMENDED READING

The Bears of Katmai, Matthais Breiter

Grizzly Maze, Nick Jans

Path of the Paddle, Bill Mason

More Alaska reading is available from our Bookstore

Ready for your adventure?
Find out what's next.

  1. Fill out the Reservation Request form
  2. We will contact you to discuss your trip
  3. Secure your trip with a deposit
  4. We will send you a detailed packing list
  5. Book your flights and accommodations
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"That feeling of wide open wonder, the possibilities for nearly limitless wandering, and the image of those proud caribou...that will stay with me a long time"
"Our guide was an encyclopedia on legs. He was always willing and ready to teach, to talk, to listen, to do another hike, or to lie low in camp if we were beat. He truly gave us the trip we wanted!"
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