Park geography

A comprehensive geographic analysis of park boundaries, volcanic peaks, and coastal features.

Katmai National Park and Preserve: geography

Location: Alaska, United States of America. Recorded area: 16,564.09 km².

An illustrative style digital artwork showing a sweeping landscape with pine trees in the foreground, a winding river snaking through a green valley in the midground, and snow capped jagged mountains under a soft light sky in the background.

Alaska's volcanic wilderness of ten thousand smokes and North America's largest protected brown bear population

Katmai National Park and Preserve

Katmai National Park and Preserve is a vast protected wilderness area in southwest Alaska, spanning over 4 million acres along the Alaska Peninsula across from Kodiak Island. The park is world-renowned for two remarkable features: the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a dramatic landscape created by the catastrophic 1912 eruption of Novarupta and Mount Katmai, and its extraordinary population of Alaska Peninsula brown bears, the largest protected concentration in North America with approximately 2,200 individuals. The park encompasses a volcanic mountain chain of the Aleutian Range, deeply indented coastline along Shelikof Strait, and extensive lake systems in its western reaches. Originally established as a national monument in 1918 to protect the volcanic area, Katmai evolved through multiple expansions and was redesignated as a national park and preserve in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Today the park stands as one of Alaska's premier wilderness destinations, where visitors can witness brown bears fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls, explore the remnants of one of the twentieth century's most powerful volcanic eruptions, and experience a landscape shaped by fire, ice, and the seasonal rhythms of salmon.

Location: United States of America
Park type: National park
Established: 1980
Area: 16,564.1 km²
Highest point: 2,318 m

Katmai National Park and Preserve Atlas

Location overview

Coastal, Island, and Marine Protected Areas of the United States

Geographic Location of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska

Katmai National Park and Preserve is situated in Alaska within the United States of America. Verified records document its geographic status as a coastal, island, and marine sanctuary.

Countries: United States of America
Regions: Alaska
Primary location: Alaska
Geographic setting: Coastal · Island · Marine

Boundary and coordinates

Spatial extent and land area spanning over 16,500 square kilometers

Katmai National Park and Preserve Boundary Map and Spatial Limits

Interactive boundary geometry defines the spatial context and regional footprint of the Katmai wilderness. Accompanying data outlines the land area of 16,564 square kilometers alongside approximate center coordinates and geographic spans.

Boundary area: 14,912.9 km²
Boundary perimeter: 1,086.5 km
Northernmost point: 59.1362° N
Southernmost point: 57.8733° N
Easternmost point: 153.2504° W
Westernmost point: 156.5285° W
Geographic centre: 58.5625° N, 154.9792° W
North–south span: 140.7 km
East–west span: 191.1 km

Katmai National Park

Elevation and terrain

Mixed relief profiles, peak heights, and recorded natural features

Katmai National Park and Preserve Terrain and Elevation Summary

Recorded park elevation reaches a maximum point of 2318 meters across mixed terrain classifications. Associated feature cards outline specific mountain ranges, glaciers, rivers, and volcanoes located within the protected boundary.

Maximum elevation: 2,318 m
Highest point: 2,318 m

Selected named natural features

Mountain ranges

Barrier Range

Rivers

River Lethe

Glaciers

Princess Glacier

Lakes

Nonvianuk Lake

Glaciers

Noisy Glacier

Capes

Cape Kubugakli

Katmai National Park Natural Features Atlas

Environmental setting

Boreal climate zones, mixed relief, and major water presence across diverse terrains

Katmai National Park and Preserve Environmental Settings and Landscape Classifications

Recorded landscape features, habitat types, and seasonal classifications offer complementary ways to read the physical setting of Katmai National Park and Preserve. Stored environmental categories connect directly to related protected areas and mapped atlas destinations.

Relief: Mixed relief
Climate: Boreal
Water: Major water bodies
Seasonality: Seasonal

Landscape features

Mountains · Valleys · Wetland · Lakes · Rivers · Waterfalls · Coast · Beach · Islands · Glacier · Volcano · Tundra

Habitat types

Alpine meadow · Wetland · Peatland · Riverine habitat · Lacustrine habitat · Coastal habitat · Marine habitat · Tundra habitat · Glacial habitat

Park atlas

Compare vast protected landscapes, volcanic terrain, and coastal wilderness across the Alaska Peninsula.

Discover Nearby Protected Areas and National Parks Surrounding Katmai National Park and Preserve

After viewing Katmai National Park and Preserve, you can trace other national parks and protected areas across the Alaska Peninsula, mapping their unique volcanic terrain and coastal wilderness. Compare regional protected landscapes to understand broader geographic patterns and interconnected conservation zones within Alaska's subarctic ecosystems.

Nature reserveAlaska

About 135 km away#1 closest

Northeast

Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve: Alaska Protected Nature Reserve Atlas

Coastal and marine watershed geography on the Kenai Peninsula.

Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a federally protected landscape on the western shore of the Kenai Peninsula. It encompasses diverse terrains including eelgrass meadows, tidal mudflats, and spruce forests. As the largest unit in the national estuarine system, it provides a unique window into the geographic connection between Gulf of Alaska marine zones and upland forest catchments.

Area: 1,500 km²
Climate: Subpolar
Scope: Mixed
Water: Water-dominated

Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Map

Stylized graphic illustration showing a glacier descending through high mountain peaks into a coastal fjord, with dark green evergreen forests in the foreground and a soft, pastel sky above.

National parkAlaska

145 km away#2 closest

Northeast

Kenai Fjords National Park

Mapped protected landscape and regional terrain discovery.

Kenai Fjords National Park, in Alaska, United States of America. Landscapes: mountains, cliffs, and forests.

Area: 2,711.33 km²
Established: 1980
IUCN: II
Visitors: 425.4K annual

Kenai Fjords National Park Protected Area Atlas

A stylized digital illustration of a mountainous landscape with snow-capped peaks in the background, winding river systems, multiple small lakes, and a coastal beach in the midground, framed by evergreen trees in the foreground.

National parkAlaska

About 211 km away#3 closest

North

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Mapping the geographic context and protected park boundaries.

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in Alaska, United States of America. Landscapes: beaches, cliffs, and coasts.

Area: 16,308.9 km²
Established: 1980
IUCN: V
Visitors: 19.8K annual

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Atlas

A stylized illustration of a wide Alaskan wetland area featuring winding waterways, patches of green grasses and reeds, and a distant boreal forest line under a pastel sky.

Wildlife reserveAlaska

About 474 km away#4 closest

North

Innoko Wilderness: Geographic Profile and Protected Landscape of Interior Alaska

Subarctic wilderness tracking wetlands and boreal transitions

Spanning over one million acres in the Alaskan interior, Innoko Wilderness offers a unique look at a sprawling subarctic ecosystem. Dominated by muskeg, interconnected lakes, and the floodplains of the Yukon and Innoko Rivers, this protected area functions as a critical transition zone between interior forests and western tundra landscapes.

Area: 5,000 km²
Established: 1980
IUCN: Ib
Relief: Lowland

Innoko Wilderness Alaska Geography

A stylized digital illustration of Denali, featuring a prominent snow-covered mountain peak reflected in a still body of water, surrounded by evergreen trees, low shrubs, and a winding dirt path in the foreground.

National parkAlaska

About 518 km away#5 closest

Northeast

Denali National Park and Preserve

Explore its mapped boundaries and Alaskan regional geography.

Denali National Park and Preserve, in Alaska, United States of America.

Area: 24,464 km²
Established: 1917
IUCN: V
Visitors: 427.6K annual

Denali National Park and Preserve Geography

A stylized digital illustration showing an aerial view of a wide glacier flowing through a valley between mountain ranges, with evergreen forests on the slopes and a river winding through the foreground.

National parkAlaska

528 km away#6 closest

Northeast

Wrangell, St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Alaska's Expansive National Park Geography

Mapped protected lands and regional landscape context.

Dive into the detailed geography of Wrangell, St. Elias National Park and Preserve, a prominent national park located in Alaska. This resource focuses on its extensive mapped boundaries and its role as a protected landscape, offering insights valuable for understanding regional geography and the distribution of natural areas.

Area: 53,320.6 km²
Established: 1980
IUCN: II
Visitors: 79.5K annual