Updated July 2026
Brooks Falls
Brooks Falls is a roughly six-foot ledge on the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, world-famous for the brown bears that gather to catch leaping sockeye salmon. An elevated boardwalk trail leads about 0.6 miles each way from the trailhead to the viewing platforms.
Before you go
Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check Katmai National Park & Preserve (NPS) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brooks Falls drops about 6 feet. That makes it the 673rd-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 1% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
The Brooks Falls Trail reaches it about 1.2 miles (out-and-back) with roughly 98 feet of elevation gain, rated easy. The nearest town is King Salmon. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with Katmai National Park & Preserve (NPS) for closures and current conditions.
July (sockeye salmon run). Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More Alaska waterfalls
- Barbara Falls · 25 ft
- Beaver Falls · 40 ft
- Bridal Veil Falls · 600 ft
- Ebner Falls
- Falls Creek Falls
- Horsetail Falls · 328 ft
- Indian River Falls · 70 ft
- Juneau Creek Falls · 100 ft
Sources
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