Brown bear fishing in river, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Meet Katmai's fishing giants. National Park Week

At Katmai National Park, crowd-pleasers don't need a stage. Brown bears wait by the river, and when the salmon jump, the show begins. National Park Week—held in August this year—is the perfect time to celebrate these iconic bears and the wild home that helps them thrive.

Katmai National Park in Alaska is home to around 2,200 brown bears, one of the highest concentrations in the world. During the sockeye salmon run, as many as 40 bears can gather along the Brooks River to fish. Some catch salmon midair at Brooks Falls, while others dive beneath the surface in search of a meal. With so much food available, these usually solitary animals often fish side by side.

Many adult bears weigh 700 to 900 pounds by late summer, and the largest males may exceed 1,200 pounds before hibernation. Yet even these giants begin life as a 1-pound cub. It's no wonder the park's annual Fat Bear Week has become a favorite—these animals are simply un-bear-lievable.