Lake Clark National Park
Best Time to Visit the Park
Summer
Though the park is open year-round, June to September is the best time to visit. Guided tours are available then. The weather is warmer, and the days are sunny. The lodges are open, and the authority also conducts tours. You can witness brown bears at the coastline.
Winter
The weather of Lake Clark National Park is divided into two areas: along the coast and the interior of the park. The interior is very cold with much less precipitation.
The weather is unpredictable in the park, with high winds, rainfall, snow, fog, and sunny skies occurring at any time.
About Information
- Location: Alaska
- Established: December 2, 1980
- Area: 4,030,006 acres, the 7th largest National Park in the USA
- Annual Visitors: About 17,000 in 2023, the 3rd least visited park this year
- Visitor Center: Port Alsworth
- Entrance fee: None
How to Get There
There are no roads along with Lake Clark National Park. The only way is to take a flight or boat. You can choose to go privately or with an authorized air taxi or charter boat service.
You can take a flight from Anchorage by Lake Clark Air. Lake Clark Air also provides guided trips and lodging at the Farm Lodge.
Accommodations
- The Farm Lodge
- Redoubt Mountain Lodge
- Bear Mountain Lodge
- Silver Salmon Creek Lodge
- Priest Rock Cabin
- Joe Thompson Cabin
Places to Go in the Park
- Lake Clark
Lake Clark is fifty miles long and located in the park. The lake is popular for fishing and kayaking. It is 40 miles long, 5 miles wide, and over 1,000 feet deep at its deepest part. You can find the private community of Port Alsworth on the shore of the lake in its southern part.
2. Port Alsworth
Port Alsworth has several services such as:
- Lodging
- Air taxis
- Guide services
- Gear rental
- Post office
- Park visitor center
3. Tanalian Trails
The Tanalian Trail is one of the two maintained trail systems in the park, leading you to remote places. It starts from Port Alsworth and covers Beaver Pond, Tanalian Falls, Kontrashibuna Lake, and Tanalian Mountain. The park visitor center provides trail maps and information about the current condition of the trail.
4. Kontrashibuna Lake
Kontrashibuna Lake is just a day hike from the village of Port Alsworth. The appealing view of turquoise water, mountain peaks, and the surrounding wilderness amazes visitors. Photography enthusiasts can capture great shots here. From the Tanalian Trailhead, it is only around 2.8 miles. You can get there by flying into Port Alsworth or via the Tanalian Trail. The lake is notable for fish species like Arctic char and lake trout. However, brown bears, American black bears, mosquitoes, and biting flies can be hazardous.
5. Priest Rock Cabin
Priest Rock Cabin is available for public use by reservation. Located on the north shore of the lake and situated on a small creek, the cabin was built and lived in by Alaskan Allen Woodward of Anchorage from the 1950s to 2000s. Designed for six people, it offers a wood stove, table, chair, and a nearby outhouse. There is a queen bed, three single beds, and wooden bunk beds for sleeping arrangements. The natural environment lacks electricity. Visitors love the place for fishing, boating, kayaking, and wildlife viewing.
6. Proenneke Cabin
The cabin is situated on the north side of Clark Lake at Upper Twin Lake. Richard Proenneke, whose friends called him Dick, valued simplicity and had a deep connection with nature. He built this cabin in 1960 on Twin Lake using only hand tools.
The cabin and outbuildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Proenneke lived in the cabin for 30 years without electricity, running water, telephone, or other modern equipment.
7. Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake is a beautiful and quite wild place, the most visited destination in the park. It is located in the Chigmit Mountains, enhancing fishing and bear viewing opportunities. The wilderness, along with black and brown bears, sockeye, silver salmon, Dolly Varden, lake trout, and king salmon, attracts visitors. Crescent Lake is roadless and trail-less; no developed trail has been found there. Therefore, you must use boats or kayaks to explore, provided by the lodge or guide. Camping is not recommended due to the presence of bears.
8. Chinitna Bay
Chinitna Bay on Lake Clark’s Cook Inlet coast offers a different experience. There are bear viewing spots in Chinitna Bay located at the edge of a sedge meadow. You need to take a flight to land on the beach to reach there. The flight from Homer, Kenai, or Anchorage is less than an hour. Crossing the Cook Inlet by boat is also possible. Besides bears, various bird species are available, including shorebirds, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, sea ducks, seabirds, raptors, and songbirds. However, fishing is not favorable there. Keep in mind that shellfish can be contaminated by algae.
Things to Do
- Visiting Port Alsworth
- Flightseeing tour
- Visiting Twin Lake
- Tour at Proenneke Cabin
- Hike to Teetering Rock
- Visit Turquoise Lake
- Bear viewing
- Fishing
- Boat trip
- Camping and backpacking
- Kayaking
- Swimming
The Places that Provide Best Hikes
Easy Hikes:
- Maintained trails near the visitor center and airfield in Port Alsworth
- Beaver Pond (3.2 miles)
- Tanalian Falls (4 miles return)
- Kontrashibuna Lake (5.5 miles return)
Moderate Hikes:
- Tanalian Mountain (8.6 miles round trip)
Challenging Hikes:
- Telaquana Route
- Fishtrap Lake to Snipe Lake Route
Achievements
Lake Clark National Park gets its name from Lake Clark, the deepest lake in Alaska and the largest lake in the park. This park contains various incredible places along with two active volcanoes, Redoubt and Iliamna, within the Chigmit Mountains. This is one of the best places to watch brown bears in the world. The park is home to lakes like Twin Lake and Turquoise Lake. Boating, fishing, and flightseeing are popular activities within the lake.
