Naknek River is a 56-km-long (35 mi) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Bristol Bay Borough

Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,258 people, 490 households, and 300 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 979 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. It flows westward from Naknek Lake

Naknek Lake

Naknek Lake is a lake in southern Alaska, near the base of the Alaska Peninsula. The lake is long and 5–13 km wide. The lake drains west into Bristol Bay through the Naknek River....

, draining it into the Kvichak Bay

Kvichak Bay

Kvichak Bay is an arm on the northeast side of Bristol Bay in southern Alaska, at . It is long and wide. The Kvichak River flows into the bay at its furthest northeast point, while the Naknek River comes in from the east about to the south of the Kvichak....

 arm of Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...

. The river and lake are both known for their salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

.

The village of King Salmon

King Salmon, Alaska

King Salmon is a census-designated place in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census the population was 442...

 is located near the head of the river; Naknek

Naknek, Alaska

Naknek is a census-designated place located in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP was 678....

 and South Naknek

South Naknek, Alaska

South Naknek is a census-designated place in Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 137.-Geography:South Naknek is located at ....

 lie at its mouth, on the north and south banks respectively. The head lies within Katmai National Park and Preserve

Katmai National Park and Preserve

Katmai National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park in southern Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park covers , being roughly the size of Wales. Most of this is a designated wilderness area, including of the park...

.