We were there June 27 and were told that the salmon run had just started. They said that it was late this year so that leads me to believe that it usually starts mid June. We were able to see several bears at Brooks, however at the falls there were only 1 or 2 at a time but always something to see. Also National Geographic was there at the same time and were filming
a documentary. It was not crowded and we could stay on the platform as long as we liked.

Caligirl, Teresa, and Boovt

Thanks for the info on a 6-20 salmon run, your sightings and the photos.

Hello,planning a trip to Homer with Emerald Air to see the bears,should we also plan a day trip out of Anchorage to Brooks River Falls,(July 2007)?Any recomendations about day trips,what outfitter?

Sure, going to Brooks Falls will give you two different experiences. I would call and see if there are any rooms available for next summer - they were almost booked when I called a month ago. Go to WWW.katmailand.com
for info on packages. Staying overnight is good because alot of bears came out after dinner when we were there. Brooks is best the end of June thru July from my research. Plan ahead!

One thing we found out, is that the flights from Anchorage to Katmai (King Salmon) are not cancelled nearly as often as the ones out of Homer. Something to consider.

caligirl56

our day trip with Emerald Air was cancelled due to weather conditions in Katmai (heavy rains) while it was OK in Homer !
We were then very lucky to get the last two seats next day with Bald Mountain and it never rained at all !!!

something else to consider is that a longer return flight from ANC means less time you stay with bears on ground ! I vote for Homer !

A vote for Homer is that the plane flies a bit lower, and that the scenery is much better than coming in from Anchorage.

My experience echos caligirl's comment,
"One thing we found out, is that the flights from Anchorage to Katmai (King Salmon) are not cancelled nearly as often as the ones out of Homer. Something to consider."

We had daytrippers end up overnighting at Hallo Bay because they could not get back to Homer. Days later my weeklong trip was extended by a day and a half due to weather near Homer. (I had put in some spare days so that was fine.) I made it to Hallo Bay from Homer Ok, but they had not flown the 2 previous days.

In 3 Brooks Falls visits, the worst I have experienced or have known others to experience is an 8-hour delay.