Fat Bear Week 2026: How to Vote from the UK and the Real Cost of Brooks Falls

The tournament is online, in an evening-friendly US time slot

The official Explore.org Fat Bear Week page announces the 2026 edition from Tuesday 22 to Tuesday 29 September. Match-ups are open from 12:00 to 21:00 Eastern Daylight Time. In the UK, that is 17:00 to 02:00 BST during this period, including the first two hours after midnight.

To take part, open the voting page, choose the bear in the current match and enter an email address. Explore says that each poll records one vote per email address. You do not need to travel to Alaska, reserve a place at Brooks Camp or pay a park admission fee to support a favourite. The National Park Service history of the event also makes clear that its audience extends far beyond visitors in Katmai.

As checked on 31 August 2026, the voting page still contains historical elements labelled 2025. The 2026 window is announced in the current copy, but do not treat bear names, the bracket or Fat Bear Junior dates as confirmed until Explore publishes them. Between rounds, the Brooks Falls brown-bear cams are a useful extra, not a replacement voting page.

Highlights

• Take part from the UK without a flight or a park booking
• The main window starts at a convenient 17:00 BST
• One vote per email address and poll, according to Explore

A remote route with a connection in King Salmon

There is no road linking Brooks Camp to Alaska’s road network. The National Park Service directions and Brooks Camp information describe the usual journey: fly to King Salmon from Anchorage, then continue by floatplane, light aircraft or boat depending on the operator, season and conditions. Some operators sell a direct Anchorage option, but it remains a booked service, not a public road connection.

Once at Brooks Camp, the NPS puts the Falls and Riffles platforms about 0.6 mile one way along a trail. The route crosses a developed area, boardwalks and places where bears move freely. The NPS guide to watching bears at Brooks Camp describes four platforms along the river, including Falls, Riffles, North and South. It is a short distance on a map, but waiting, queues and wildlife closures can turn it into a half-day.

Your first on-site step is the mandatory orientation. It covers distances, boardwalk etiquette and what to do when a bear needs to pass. The NPS bear-safety guidance says to stay together, never run, never draw an animal closer for a photograph and always give bears the right of way. The Falls Platform has limited capacity, so a wait is a normal part of the visit.

Highlights

• The bears are wild: they are not fed or staged for visitors
• The platform trail is short but controlled around bear movements
• The NPS orientation sets the rules as soon as you arrive

From a $0 vote to a lodge stay, keep four budgets separate

Scenario 1, voting from the UK: $0. This is the only certain cost of Fat Bear Week. An internet connection and an email address are enough to join the online tournament on Explore. Do not add a flight to the price of a vote.

Scenario 2, the King Salmon connection: Katmailand and Katmai Air list a 2026 return fare of $500 per person between King Salmon and Brooks Camp, with taxes and fees included according to the operator pages. Katmailand’s transport rate page also lists $1,489 return per person from Anchorage. These figures do not uniformly include the flight to King Salmon, a buffer night, meals, insurance or optional services.

Scenario 3, one night camping: the Brooks Camp campground costs $10 per person per night from 18 September to 31 October, plus a $6 advanced reservation fee per booking. For two adults and one night, the theoretical minimum is therefore $1,000 for the King Salmon transfer, $20 camping and $6 reservation, or $1,026 for two. That excludes the flight to King Salmon, food, gear, accommodation before or after and insurance.

Scenario 4, Brooks Lodge: the 2026 Brooks Lodge trip planner lists $1,260 per room per night plus 6% hotel tax, with a maximum of four guests. Adult meals add $122 per person per day. With four adults, one night and the King Salmon connection, the published calculation reaches $3,823.60 for the group, or $955.90 per person, before Anchorage-King Salmon and optional extras. Sharing the room is what changes the per-person total.

These prices are not a promise of availability during the voting week. Katmailand’s transport page lists a 2026 season ending on 18 September, before Fat Bear Week runs from 22 to 29 September. Find an operator that actually serves your dates, ask about weather disruption and keep a buffer night. You can compare Pixidia’s Alaska travel itineraries and browse our nature destinations while planning the wider trip.

Highlights

• The free online vote is separate from the cost of a Katmai stay
• Camping is inexpensive on site, but transport is the main cost
• The lodge becomes more manageable per person when full

Booking an access point is not enough: read the rules

The Brooks River Corridor Group 7-Day permit is a seven-day group reservation for activities in the river corridor and its regulated strip. The reservation itself is free, while Recreation.gov charges a $6 fee. It is not a general park admission ticket and does not replace a campground, lodge or transport booking.

For a visit limited to the gravel roads, boardwalks and designated platforms in the developed area, Recreation.gov says that this corridor permit is not the relevant requirement. Fishing, hiking or travelling within the corridor may bring your plan under the permit rules. Distance regulations around Brooks Falls and night restrictions are not worded identically on every NPS and permit page, so check the current page for your activity instead of relying on one date.

The natural calendar also needs nuance. The NPS bear-watching guide describes the strongest concentration at the falls in late June and July, followed by possible viewing along the lower Brooks River from early September to mid-October. Fat Bear Week therefore falls in an interesting window, but no bear can be guaranteed on a platform at a particular time. Weather can also cancel or delay a flight transfer.

The NPS estimates around 2,200 brown bears in Katmai, but a park-wide figure does not mean that 2,200 animals will be visible at Brooks Falls. The tournament is built around sockeye salmon and identified bears, not a staged wildlife show. Keep the 2026 bracket and winner open until official announcements.

Highlights

• A permit is tied to an activity and zone, not to every Katmai visit
• Early September to mid-October is a viewing window, not a guarantee
• A buffer night helps absorb weather delays