King Salmon Alaska Travel Tips
Would you like to get off the road-system and experience remote, wild Bush Alaska? And perhaps because of the bears or the fish, you’ve chosen King Salmon in Western Alaska?
If so, looking at the obstacles, inconvenience, wait, danger, and high cost as all part of the adventure is my biggest advice for an enjoyable trip to one of the most beautifully rugged places in the world.
Only some cell carriers work at all and those that do provide intermittent service. It’s something we who live here have gotten used to, but it can be a shock to those who rely on continuous cell coverage. The Internet is also completely unreliable. It’s a great place for remembering what it used to be like, not so long ago, when people weren’t in constant communication with each other.
And a quick note on bugs. I grew up in Fairbanks where we thought there were a lot of mosquitos. We had no idea. In King Salmon, there are swarms of tiny no see ums and white socks. Thankfully, it is a windy place and the wind is your friend in the summer.
Are you still with me? Whew!
It also helps if you are an independently wealthy millionaire. Many famous people find their way out to King Salmon and even become friends with local guides. When a local fishing guide passed away last year, a famous newscaster had glowing things to say about a man he considered his friend.
Assuming you are not a millionaire, know in advance that you will be investing in this adventure. The cost of living is high. A stop at the AC grocery store will reveal prices that would even shock people from Fairbanks. Gas is high, remaining around $6 per gallon which is also the cost of a gallon of milk, although a local hero is doing his part to use the power of competition to try to bring the gas price to a reasonable level. Just getting to King Salmon on PenAir (so unreliable that it is called “WhenAir” by locals) is a $500 – $600 per person round trip ticket to and from Anchorage. Most of the year, PenAir is the only operating airline and they cancel flights and change their schedule all of the time, so it is good to prepare mentally that you might stay longer in Anchorage or King Salmon than planned.
During the fast and furious 45 day sockeye salmon fishing season, which is also the time to see bears, the best way to come out is on the daily Alaska jet, which can also sometimes save you $100 or more in cost. Coming out during the fish haul does have its drawbacks, however. There is increased chance your luggage won’t make it one way or the other (mostly with PenAir) and that flights will be booked solid. It depends on which direction you are going and at what time of the fish haul. The beginning and end of June can be tough coming to King Salmon and the last week or so of July can be brutal going out. People sleep in the King Salmon terminal waiting for a flight during the last week of July. And more than a few are drunk.
Which is why my biggest recommendation to anyone coming to King Salmon is to arrive the first or second week of July and leave before the third week. It is the best time to see the bears at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. Little known secret: there are limited windows of time to see the bears: they are at the falls when the sockeye salmon come in. It’s like childbirth, so there isn’t an exact date, but typically, you can expect to see bears at Brooks Falls through the month of July. Full of fish, the bears leave the falls area in August. They come back in September, but it isn’t the same serious fishing and the park service closes down their operations in mid-September to give the bears some probably much needed “personal time.”
If your focus is bear viewing, and it is an amazing experience to see such wild animals safely so close, then you can leave the King Salmon terminal and head straight to one of the float plane flying services that take you to Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park.
There are numerous flying services, some also include lodging, meals, and fishing. These are expensive, but they take care of you if you’re looking for less headaches. It is even possible to book with a flying or lodging service that originates and ends in Anchorage.
For those looking for just the trip out to Brooks Camp from King Salmon, Katmai Air Service is Katmai National Park’s flying service. The cost is just over $200 per person. Yep. Worth it? If you go in July, it is worth it. Katmai Air Service will pick you up from and bring you back to the airport.
Brooks Camp has a lodge that serves a lunch and dinner buffet. At Brooks Camp, visitors are not permitted to carry any food, or even to chew gum. Eating at the lodge is easier than going through the challenges of bringing food.
It is possible to set up lodging or camping at Katmai National Park, but spots fill up early, so it may be booked before you’ve even decided to come. It doesn’t hurt to check. If you do get to reserve a spot, ask how food will be handled so that you can plan appropriately.
There is limited lodging in King Salmon and Naknek, but there are some places run by locals we know and trust.
The least expensive lodging option is Antler’s Inn. It’s within walking distance of the airport, Eddie’s Restaurant, an ATM machine, and the AC grocery store. It is run by friendly locals Jim and Flora Gilbertson and they operate year round.
Blue Fly Bed and Breakfast and Guide Service is along the Naknek River not far from the airport. We’ve known witty and charming Patricia Edel for years. She has an amazing place, complete with chickens, and provides wonderful fresh egg breakfasts along with tremendous guided fishing.
Bear Trail Lodge is an oasis of luxury for visitors and for the local community. Owners Nanci and Heath Lyon are highly respected in the area. Many of their guides are local young people who learned the ropes from them. They hire chefs who prepare out of this world gourmet food during your stay. All meals are included. Guided fishing is provided. And they could help you out with anything else you might want to do. Expensive, yes, but there is a high value.
King Salmon Heights Lodging is run by Jill Crowley, a dynamic and feisty woman who came to the community from Cordova, Alaska a few years ago. She brought with her an entrepreneurial spirit and her wonderful jams and jellies. Apparently, these jams and jellies make an appearance with the breakfast that is provided along with staying either in the apartment called The Grotto or the separate house called The Little House. She and her husband Dave Crowley will help you if there are things you’d like to do in the area.
When you arrive in King Salmon, there won’t be a fleet of taxis waiting to take you where you need to go. Make sure you speak with whoever will be hosting you about how you and your luggage will get from the airport to their place. In most cases, they will pick you up. And if that is not possible, they will help you come up with another option.
If you would like to rent a vehicle so that you can explore the area, drive to Naknek, see the blustery Bristol Bay coast of Alaska, get a peek at the sockeye salmon commercial fishing industry, and see historic Naknek, there is a vehicle rental company run by a reliable guy who grew up in the area: Alaska Eagle Eye. Typically, a representative meets you at the airport.
There are few restaurants. In King Salmon, only Eddie’s Fireplace Inn is open year-round. Primarily a bar, they serve dinner-style food at hours that vary based on the availability of staff. It’s the old rustic greasy spoon Alaska I remember from my childhood, so the character can make up for the average (at best) quality of the food. Most of the year, it’s a good place to get a sense of the locals.
However, during the 45 days of the sockeye salmon season, the locals are fishing, and those who aren’t fishing are in hiding. Every year, it never fails, I will see and hear from locals up until mid-June, then poof they are gone, and suddenly they reappear in August. In 45 days, the year-round population of roughly 1,000 people in the tri-community of King Salmon, Naknek and South Naknek grows to 10,000 people and then shrinks to 1,000 again. It’s incredible. And those 10,000 people come from all over the world: Czech Republic, Kenya, China, Philippines, Mexico. Languages everywhere. And none of them have vehicles. The canneries pick them up in buses, but most of the time, they are walking, walking, walking. In Naknek, the main road (the Alaska Peninsula Highway) is filled with walkers from all parts of the world.
It is fascinating to see. If you choose to stay in a lodge, you will be sheltered from this piece of culture. Naknek is 15 miles of Alaska Peninsula Highway following the Naknek River west from King Salmon. With a vehicle, or if you happen to meet Dan and Kat and they give you a tour, you can drive to Naknek to see the bay, the mouth of the river, all of the boats, the set net lines, and the roughly ten canneries in operation. During the 45 days, all life is dictated by the time of the tides, two high tides per day, which advance one hour later each day, so your sleep and waking schedule follows the clock around.
The King Salmon, Naknek, South Naknek (they are really one community) area is ripe for an entrepreneur to provide tours. The remnants of semi-subterranean homes from thousands of years ago are visible in certain places, but you would need a local to show you. There are interesting vantage points for the colorful and broad Naknek River.
There are old churches and old cemeteries, even a hidden, overgrown cemetery with graves from the flu epidemic of 1912, many with languages such as Spanish and German on the grave stones. Again, you’d need a knowledgeable local. Watching the net hangers do their work is not only intriguing, but they are in a net loft that has been around since the early 1900s and has writing etched in its walls from the 1940s. Again, you’d need a local guide with permission to be at the cannery.
Everything has a season in King Salmon. The fishing season is from June through July. The time to see the bears at Brooks is in July. Fishtival comes the third week of July and includes a local little parade, chili cook-offs, games, and a thriving bazaar with the work of local craftsmen including local salmon and berry products. The berries are picked from August to October.
Hunting is in September. Christmas bazaars are in November and December. The community congregates at the local school for basketball games and concessions in January and February. Winterfest is in February and includes our favorite event: The Penguin Dip. The bald eagles are abundant in April along with a wide variety of birds. The beluga whales come up the Naknek River in May.
Pederson Point Cannery is visible to the north along the Naknek Beach. Peter Pan and Red Salmon Canneries continue to use buildings from their beginnings in the early 1900s, which gives the little cannery “village” the look of another time. To visit a cannery, you would need to obtain permission from the cannery itself.
There is a museum in Naknek that is across from its only restaurant, D&D Restaurant. The museum recently opened and its hours vary. The restaurant has been around since the 1960s and is famous for its pizza.
There is a coffee shop and bakery called The Heart O’ The Shire just before you get to Naknek. It is high quality and reasonably priced and they have sandwiches. They are open seasonally, from late May until their traditional last day on Halloween.
Shearwater Art & Espresso is a beautiful place to drink coffee, warm up with soup and a sandwich, and look at or buy some of the finest local area art I’ve seen. You can also pick up a copy of one of my favorite books: The Raven’s Gift. It was written by the coffee shop owner’s brother, Don Rearden. The owner, Beth Hill, is also an artist and typically has some of her paintings out either for display or sale. She is consistently open during the fishing season, however, it is difficult to predict when Shearwater might be open during the rest of the year. She has opened in the winter before. Shearwater Art & Espresso is located in the Leader Creek area (about three miles from Naknek along the Alaska Peninsula Highway), in the heart of the fishering and cannery workers, with a beautiful upstairs view of the Naknek River.
The best hot dog I’ve ever eaten is at Uptown Dawgs. Local entrepreneurship at its best, life-long resident Paula Singley runs the stand, grilling onions, preparing tasty sauces and condiments, and the hot dogs themselves are the best I’ve had in years of global travel. She is open during the fishing season, so generally June through mid-August.
In addition to being a lodge where you can stay in a room, fly to Brooks Camp, and go on guided fishing trips, King Salmon Lodge operates a public restaurant from late May to late September each year. The food and customer service is excellent, but be prepared for high prices. At the time of this writing, it is the only place in the area where you can get a wonderful salmon dish. The locals eat salmon all year long, so it is not served in restaurants. For a visitor, tasting the delectable fresh sockeye salmon is a must.
In King Salmon, the King Salmon Visitor Center is right next to the airport. The Visitor Center has some interesting displays about the animals and geography of the area.
Right next to it, is a wonderful gift shop, Chinook Gifts, which sells the work of local artists in addition to touristy trinkets.
It’s an investment to visit. Worth it? That’s what you must decide. I believe that it can be worth it as long as you plan ahead and communicate with locals for help and advice.
Here are some other quality air services:
Here are some additional area lodges:
