Greetings from Katmai National Park & Preserve

Imagine walking within 20 feet of a Brown Bear, one of the most powerful, amazing examples of “charismatic megafauna” around…and fearlessly dropping to your knees in wet sand to photograph the animal in its natural habitat. That unforgettable experience is what I encountered in Katmai National Park and Preserve’s Hallo Bay!

Sincerely,
Kati

Katmai National Park & Preserve

President Woodrow Wilson established Katmai National Monument in 1918 to preserve the "Valley of 10,000 Smokes," so named when the Novarupta Volcano filled the valley with a 100- to 700-foot-deep ash flow.

State(s): Alaska

Established: 1918

“They have woven their way into my heart and memories, from first camping and daytrips as an infant, to a cross-country family national parks trip as a pre-teen, to, present day, where I work to protect and enhance our national parks, and make sure to get out with friends and loved ones to enjoy backpacking and camping adventures - all experiences that I hope to share with my children, one day - and my friends' kids, for the time being! ”

National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!

{{ active ? "Cancel" : "Begin"}}

Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.

In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!

Here’s your unique story page link:

{{ storyUrl }}

* indicates Required fields

Click to choose a file to upload

Submitting your story means that you agree to our Terms of Service

More Stories

  • Greetings from Katmai National Park & Preserve

    This was actually from Misty Fjords National Monument in Alaska. My sisters and I took our Dad on an Alaska cruise. From Ketchikan we took a sea plane excursion into Misty Fjords. It was amazing!

  • Greetings from Everglades National Park

    This is the last time I visit Flamingo. In the 2000-2004 period I did monthly sampling for phytoplankton and could read the bottom everywhere. I was just at Flamingo in Jan. 2025 and you cannot tell if the water is 1 inch or 10 feet deep. No visibility. YUK. The…

  • Greetings from Mesa Verde National Park

    Our family visited Mesa Verde years ago and we are still cherishing this wonderful experience. The park ranger was so interesting, telling us about the life there way before our time. He explained what discoveries and learnings were obtained from the sites on the cliffs and also trying to make…

Donate

Preserve Our Parks

Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.

Donate Now