Brooks Lodge — Attraction in Alaska

If you have looked at previous reviews for Brooks Lodge you should know lodging and meal costs are extremely high. Absurdly high. You can only reach Brooks Lodge by plane, so you will pay for air fare. You need to enter a lottery over a year and a half ahead of time to secure a reservation for a maximum of 3 nights, so you need to plan far in advance. The accommodations are rustic but adequate. If you need luxury accommodations, Brooks Lodge is not for you. Having said that, I’ll start my review.||||I entered the Brooks Lodge lottery (requesting 3 nights in July or September) and was lucky enough to get reservations for Sept 8 through 11, 2024. This was my 2nd attempt at entering the lottery. Taking the advice of other Tripadvisor reviewers and to avoid hassles, I had Bristol Adventures handle my round trip air transportation between Anchorage and Brooks Lodge. I also signed up for a full day and half day river walk. I only read about the river walks from a previous review of Brooks Lodge. The Brooks Lodge Planner does not mention these guided river walks with a tour guide.||||Our accommodation at Brooks Lodge was cabin 35, one of nine rooms in a large cabin called the Skytel. The room contained two bunk beds, a shower, a sink and a toilet. The room wasn’t elaborate, but comfortable enough for my wife and I. It may have been a little too cozy for 4 people. The shower temperature and pressure were surprisingly good for a rustic cabin. However, the walls were thin and neighbors could easily be heard. ||||Meals were served in a large lodge. Half the lodge was the dining area. The other half was a casual meeting area with padded chairs and couches, a really small bar and a large fire pit. The dining area consisted of a buffet line and 7 large tables that could seat 8 people. You had the choice of a full meal or a “mini”. The difference being a full meal has several hot entrees along with soup, salad, breads and desserts. The first night we had a full dinner (we were very hungry since we skipped lunch) but all our other meals were minis. We aren’t big eaters so the mini was enough food at a more economical price. I found the food to be excellent and plentiful. You could go back for seconds, just grab a clean plate. The staff members associated with the dining hall were quite friendly and attentive.||||People stay at Brooks Lodge to see bears or to fish. We went to see bears. Prior to our visit, our only impression of Katmai National Park was based on what we saw displayed on several bear cams aimed at Brooks Falls or spots on the river. In the middle of July you could see over 20 bears at Brooks Falls and an endless number of salmon trying to leap the falls. However, the days leading up to our vacation there was only one bear at the falls and only an occasional salmon leaping. I was wondering if we were going to spend an enormous amount of money only to be disappointed.||||Upon our arrival, we found out that the bears arrive to the Brooks Falls area of Katmai National Park for the sockeye salmon run which this year was in the middle to late July. They leave in August for other spots in the park to feed. The bears come back in September for the silver salmon, just not as many bears as in July. The National Park has two long boardwalks with viewing platforms. There is one boardwalk over the Brooks River near where the Brooks River runs into Naknek Lake. The other boardwalk is about a mile away. Falls Platform overlooks Brooks Falls and Riffles Platform overlooks the river downstream of the falls. These platforms are excellent viewing points to watch the bears. The bears have the run of the National Park. At the bear school you must attend immediately upon arrival, you are taught to keep a distance of 50 yards from the bears. If bears decide to take a nap in the middle of a trail, rangers close the trail until the bears move on. However, when you are on the platforms, bears may walk or swim under the platforms and you can get an extremely close view of a bear from a safe vantage point. It is very interesting watching the bears walk along/in the river or swim in the river. There are various fishing techniques employed by the bears. One gets excited for the bears whenever they catch a fish in the river or at the falls. ||||Watching the bears from the platforms was pretty entertaining. However, the highlight of our trip was the river walks with our guide Sam. As I previously mentioned, I signed us up for a full day and a half day river walk. The full day walk was from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM, with lunch at the lodge in between. Our half day was a morning walk, so it was from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. We met up with our guide Sam at the Brooks Lodge office. He supplied us with waders and boots for walking along and in the river. The morning was spent walking the river from the lodge up to the falls and back to the lodge. In the afternoon we walked to Brooks Lake, down the river to the falls and downriver to the lodge. We walked trails, through reeds, along the river and in the river. It was truly a unique experience you do not get from the platforms. Sometimes the current can be quite strong in the river. I wondered how can Gully the bear sit at the top of the falls for hours and not be pushed over the falls. His front legs have to be enormously strong. Over the course of a day and a half, we saw what I estimate to be about 25 different bears. For me the most entertaining bears were a mother and two large cubs. She was excellent at catching fish, almost all she shared with the cubs. Midmorning the threesome took a break on a bank overlooking the river. After a short rest one of the cubs rubbed his back against a tree. While they were resting on the bank, 2 other bears made their way past them in the river as two eagles landed in the tops of trees overhead. Awesome. Throughout the river walks, bears would make their way close to us and we would have to move further away from them on the bank. Sam called the bears bullies. They knew we were there and bullied us out of the river because they could. The waders kept us surprisingly dry and only occasionally did we deal with mosquitos. Lucky for us the weather for the two full days was mild with only an occasional drizzle. The last morning of our trip the weather was cold and drizzly. We felt fortunate to have had 2 decent days of weather to enjoy watching the bears.||||My wife and I have visited over 35 National Parks during the last 20 years and Katmai National Park is a truly unique experience. I can’t think of another park that has this type of wildlife experience. Plus the Brooks Lodge and Katmai National Park staff we interacted with were genuinely friendly. And as my wife says, Sam was a gem. She really appreciated his help navigating the stronger currents and through mucky sections along the river. Do yourself a favor and vacation at Brooks Lodge. And be sure to take a...

This is definitely a bucket list item. We entered the lottery 4 times, never got picked, but finally got off the waitlist. Since the lottery is always for the following summer, there was a price increase after I put in the deposit. The year I first applied, the price was $695/night. When I got off the waitlist and put a deposit down, the price was $995/night; when the new actually pricing for this year was announced, the price was $1125/night for each room. There is no differential in pricing between the separated cabins and the "skytel" rooms which have thin walls and noisy plumbing. The cabins are basic, towels are thin and rough, minimal lighting in the cabin. However, the concessionaires have a monopoly, and the demand keeps growing every year as the coverage of Fat Bear week increases. No one forced me to pay those rates; I had a great time and felt being at Katmai was worth it. ||We went in August, which was not peak bear time, but did see a number of our favorite bears (747, Gully, Bucky, the 910 family, etc.), so we were very happy. The staff were generally very nice. However, since the lodge is a monopoly, it does not update equipment very often. My husband signed up for a fishing trip, and was told it included all equipment, so he decided not to bring his gear all the way. He got leaky waders and a pair of fishing boots that were so old that the laces were stripped. When he asked about newer equipment, the guy who was handling the equipment (not the guide, who was really nice) said, "Well, did you bring your own equipment? If not, that's what you get." It's pretty weird, because when you compare with other high-end fishing lodges or resorts, they try to give you good equipment. ||What's included in the $1125/ night? Nothing. No food, no activities (those are all extra), bad towels and meh bedding. But you get to see lots of bears, and there is no where else where you can see so many bears up close. Also, since the bears are pretty used to people, as long as you follow basic safety rules (like keeping your distance and not annoying them), you will be fine. ||The food was okay, but not cheap. Breakfast was $23, lunch $29, dinner $42; they also have cheaper soup/salad alternatives or some ala carte items. The food was the quality of a nice cafeteria buffet. The quality was uneven, but every meal had something that was tasty, so we definitely did not go hungry. ||Why did I downgrade from 5 stars to 4 stars? Was it the monopoly pricing, the basic rooms, the crappy equipment...? Nah, I kinda get it since it is hard to fly stuff into Katmai, and there are only 16 rooms. The prices reflect supply and demand. The thing I really disliked was the incessant pushing for tips. We tipped the housekeepers, the guy with the luggage, the fishing guide; there were tip jars as the cafeteria and the bar, etc. All that is fine, but they put a notice in our rooms suggesting additional tips of $75-125 per person per night to be added to your bill. No thanks. We are paying $1125/night and tipping along the way. I think that the owners, Bristol Bay Native Corporation (with annual revenues of $2 billion) can afford to pay the staff a good wage out of the room fees. I guess they view anyone who can pay the room rates as big, fat wallets to be tapped. ||Go, enjoy! Tip the people you interact with well. Don't feel guilted into double tipping. And make sure to bring extra batteries and memory cards because you will take a lot more photos than you ...

This is definitely a bucket list item. We entered the lottery 4 times, never got picked, but finally got off the waitlist. Since the lottery is always for the following summer, there was a price increase after I put in the deposit. The year I first applied, the price was $695/night. When I got off the waitlist and put a deposit down, the price was $995/night; when the new actually pricing for this year was announced, the price was $1125/night for each room. There is no differential in pricing between the separated cabins and the "skytel" rooms which have thin walls and noisy plumbing. The cabins are basic, towels are thin and rough, minimal lighting in the cabin. However, the concessionaires have a monopoly, and the demand keeps growing every year as the coverage of Fat Bear week increases. No one forced me to pay those rates; I had a great time and felt being at Katmai was worth it. ||We went in August, which was not peak bear time, but did see a number of our favorite bears (747, Gully, Bucky, the 910 family, etc.), so we were very happy. The staff were generally very nice. However, since the lodge is a monopoly, it does not update equipment very often. My husband signed up for a fishing trip, and was told it included all equipment, so he decided not to bring his gear all the way. He got leaky waders and a pair of fishing boots that were so old that the laces were stripped. When he asked about newer equipment, the guy who was handling the equipment (not the guide, who was really nice) said, "Well, did you bring your own equipment? If not, that's what you get." It's pretty weird, because when you compare with other high-end fishing lodges or resorts, they try to give you good equipment. ||What's included in the $1125/ night? Nothing. No food, no activities (those are all extra), bad towels and meh bedding. But you get to see lots of bears, and there is no where else where you can see so many bears up close. Also, since the bears are pretty used to people, as long as you follow basic safety rules (like keeping your distance and not annoying them), you will be fine. ||The food was okay, but not cheap. Breakfast was $23, lunch $29, dinner $42; they also have cheaper soup/salad alternatives or some ala carte items. The food was the quality of a nice cafeteria buffet. The quality was uneven, but every meal had something that was tasty, so we definitely did not go hungry. ||Why did I downgrade from 5 stars to 4 stars? Was it the monopoly pricing, the basic rooms, the crappy equipment...? Nah, I kinda get it since it is hard to fly stuff into Katmai, and there are only 16 rooms. The prices reflect supply and demand. The thing I really disliked was the incessant pushing for tips. We tipped the housekeepers, the guy with the luggage, the fishing guide; there were tip jars as the cafeteria and the bar, etc. All that is fine, but they put a notice in our rooms suggesting additional tips of $75-125 per person per night to be added to your bill. No thanks. We are paying $1125/night and tipping along the way. I think that the owners, Bristol Bay Native Corporation (with annual revenues of $2 billion) can afford to pay the staff a good wage out of the room fees. I guess they view anyone who can pay the room rates as big, fat wallets to be tapped. ||Go, enjoy! Tip the people you interact with well. Don't feel guilted into double tipping. And make sure to bring extra batteries and memory cards because you will take a lot more photos than you ...