Originally Posted by
bocastephen
Thanks for the information! How far do we need to go to see caribou or elk...or are they deep in the interior?
Now about the bears - actually we do want to see bears (safely, of course). At this point, we're looking at an air/land tour with a private outfitter there that runs about $500pp for 5-6 hours, including 2-3 hours of time with the bears feasting on salmon. I understand the timing is perfect for late May, as most of the bears will be females teaching their cubs how to get the salmon, which should make for some great photo ops.
Make sure that they are going to let you go up to the Brooks Falls platform. Because of "bear jams" it's possible to get stuck on the wrong side of the river, so a daytrip may limit your exploration options.
You might check into staying overnight at Katmai. There is an electric-fenced campground that only costs 8 bucks a night per person.