Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

In 1918, Katmai National Park and Preserve was designated a national monument to preserve the features impacted by the cataclysmic 1912 volcanic eruption of Mount Katmai—one of the most powerful recorded. The focus of the park later shifted to protecting wildlife. Its water habitats are vital for red salmon reproduction, making the park home to one of the world’s largest populations of the brown bear.

—Prepared by the World Tribune staff