Lake Clark National Park isn’t an easy place to get to. Without any access roads or ferry service, a bush plane flight or boat ride is required to get here. However, we found it well worth the effort. In fact, traveling to and from Lake Clark was one of our favorite experiences on our entire Alaska road trip.

The rugged beauty and wildness here are astounding. Lake Clark National Park is home to active volcanoes, craggy jade mountains, glacial rivers, bear dense coastlines, and a series of turquoise lakes. Surprisingly, it’s also one of the least visited national parks. With under 15 thousand visitors last year, Lake Clark was the second least visited national park in the US. For comparison, Great Smoky Mountains, the most visited park hosted over 11 million people.

During our time in Lake Clark we enjoyed the solitude that you can only find in a remote place like this. We climbed a mountain trail that would be a popular hike (i.e. jammed with people) in any other park and had the whole mountain to ourselves. We spent a day kayaking to an island and never saw another paddler the entire time. Talk about a private island. This Lake Clark National Park travel guide will cover how to get to the park, where to stay, recommended things to do, and of course some budget travel tips.

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What’s This Lake All About?

Much like Denali National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a whole lot more than just a lake—although the lake is quite impressive. Located on the Alaska Peninsula, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a 4-million-acre stretch of earth that’s magnificently wild. This untamed and undeveloped land is part of the watershed for Bristol Bay, which is the largest Sockeye salmon fishery in the world and vital to Alaska’s economy. The park’s namesake—Lake Clark—is a 40-mile-long turquoise body of water fed by numerous glacial rivers and creeks, positioned in the southwest corner of the National Park and Preserve.

How to Get to Lake Clark National Park

Given the remoteness of Lake Clark National Park, just getting there is an adventure. The trip requires either a bush plane flight if you want to access the park’s interior, or a sailing voyage if you’re looking to explore the coast. Most visitors to Lake Clark National Park take a plane and we can attest that it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

We flew with Lake and Pen Air from Anchorage to Port Alsworth and I can’t recommend them enough! They’re not paying us to say this, they were just that great that we want to promote them. Two of our six flights on small aircraft in Alaska were with Lake and Pen Air and both were highlights of our entire trip. Our pilot did some flightseeing along the way to and from Lake Clark—taking us low to see a steaming volcano, Beluga whales, and pointing out other wildlife throughout the flights.

If you’re looking to explore the coast instead, you can get boat or flight tours and charters out of the Kenai Peninsula.

Flying in a Bush Plane

I could write an entire story about our flights to and from Lake Clark National Park. Maybe someday I will, but in an effort to avoid this travel guide becoming a novel, I’ll keep this short and sweet. If you visit Alaska, you need to fly in a bush plane.

Okay, you know I can’t really leave it at just that. Our flight to Lake Clark National Park was my first time flying in a bush plane (or any small aircraft for that matter). Within the first few minutes of the flight, a vibrant landscape spread out in all directions as the city of Anchorage faded into the distance. In front of us, a majestic mountain range rose above the clouds like some magical world. I half expected to see dragons and unicorns circling them. As we approached the first mountain pass—flying low to take in the glacier views—gusts of wind knocked our plane this way and that. Fear, excitement, and awe combined in a churning mix I can only describe as anxious elation.

Throughout the flight we witnessed rigid glaciers making their slow descent down rocky mountains. Thundering falls spilling over green velvet slopes. A moose taking an afternoon bath in a crystalline pool of water. Sparkling rivers snaking through neon grasslands. And playful Beluga whales bobbing like tiny marshmallows in a swirl of hot cocoa. Then the vibrant Lake Clark came into view. A shocking stretch of milky turquoise that seems to go on forever. In what was an all too short a time, we were touching down (remarkably smoothly) on the gravel airstrip in Port Alsworth.

Port Alsworth

The remote community of Port Alsworth is the main jumping off point for Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. While the town itself isn’t part of the national park, you can hike or kayak into it from here. You’ll also find the national park visitor center in Port Alsworth.

The town is positioned in Hardenberg Bay—an inlet off Lake Clark—and spread out along the edges of two airstrips. It’s the first time I’ve had to look both ways for planes before crossing a road. Port Alsworth is home to 159 hardy souls that are deeply connected to the land here. Many residents engage in subsistence practices. The people here know the importance of stewardship as it’s necessary for survival. Be good to the land and it’ll be good to you.

Lake Clark National Park Lodging

There aren’t any established campgrounds or lodging facilities in the Port Aslworth area of Lake Clark National Park. You’ll need to either backcountry camp or reserve privately run lodging if you want to stay awhile in the park (which I highly recommend over a daytrip).

Tulchina Adventures – We camped at Tulchina Adventures during our time in Lake Clark National Park. I say we “camped”, but technically we “glamped” in one of their huts. The huts are screened-in shelters that keep the rain off, the bugs out, and give you at least a false sense of security from wildlife. Don’t worry, we only saw one bear our entire time here and it was running away from us, not toward us like in Katmai National Park (more coming on that soon).

In addition to the glampground, Tulchina Adventures have a cabin right on Lake Clark available to rent. They also offer kayak rentals and transportation services around the lake. Our hosts here were some of the most generous we’ve ever met. They shared the bounty of their garden and salmon harvest with us as well as showed us where to forage wild mushrooms from the forest. Needless to say, we’d love to stay at Tulchina Adventures again and highly recommend them if you’re visiting Port Alsworth. Again, no one paid us to say this, we just had such a great experience here that we want to spread to the word about them.

The Farm Lodge – Another popular, but pricier, Lake Clark National Park Lodging option is the Farm Lodge. They offer various packages including lodging, meals, and transportation in and out of the park.

Top Things to Do in Lake Clark National Park – Port Alsworth Area

Lake Clark National Park Hikes

Beaver Pond Loop Trail
The established trails in Lake Clark National Park are a network of connected paths that travel through diverse terrain and offer varied views of the area. One of the shortest hikes is the Beaver Pond Loop trail. It takes you through a forest of birch trees as well as wetlands rich with fungi, mosses, and thick brush. As the name implies, this trail circles around a beaver pond with views of Lake Clark along the way.

Tanalian Falls
Instead of heading back, if you continue on the right side of the Beaver Pond Loop Trail, you’ll come to Tanalian Falls. These 40 foot falls reside on the turquoise Tanalian River which flows from Kontrashibuna Lake to Lake Clark. You can see the falls from upper and lower viewing areas.

Kontrashibuna Lake
Further along the trail, past Tanalian Falls, is Kontrashibuna Lake. The trail turns into an unmaintained path here, but follows the edge of the lake for miles and leads to numerous backcountry camping opportunities in Lake Clark National Park.

Tanalian Mountain
Ever dream of having an entire mountain to yourself? Well, Lake Clark is the place to make your dreams come true. Although, you might have to share it with a few mountain sheep. Tanalian Mountain looms above the town of Port Alsworth. At 3,900 feet it’s a rather small mountain by Alaska standards, but offers a breathtaking (literally, it’s still a long way up) hike with panoramic views of Lake Cark, Kontrashibuna Lake, and the Tanalian River.

Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center

While the visitor center at Lake Clark National Park is short on indoor exhibits, it’s big on park films. There’s a small room off the main area with 20 or so movies available for viewing. We chose a few from different categories and learned about Richard Proenneke’s cabin and the history of Port Alsworth. There are also ranger programs offered weekly. Check the schedule posted at the visitor center to find out what’s happening during your stay.

There are a few outdoor exhibits near the Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center. Just across from it, you’ll find a sailboat exhibit about the history of Bristol Bay fishing. A little further away are a few other exhibits including a historic food cache and the Denison Sawmill.

Kayaking in Lake Clark National Park

Like in Glacier Bay National Park, we wanted to get out onto the water here. We rented kayaks and spent a day paddling to Tommy Island inside Lake Clark National Park. Not only was it our own private island, but there weren’t any other kayakers in sight the entire time. We did have to watch for sea planes while paddling across the Hardenberg Bay thoroughfare though. Similar to looking both ways before crossing the airstrip in town. The plane traffic here is what you need to watch out for.

Alternately you can arrange a boat drop off and/or pick-up with Tulchina Adventures. They have camp spots further away on the lake where you can spend a few days with your kayak and tent. Or get dropped-off and paddle back.

Flightseeing

If you crave more bush plane rides, you can arrange flightseeing tours from Port Alsworth. You can also fly from areas outside the Alaska Peninsula, like Anchorage or Homer. Popular day trip flightseeing destinations are Crescent Lake, Proenneke cabin at Twin Lakes, Turquoise Lake (notice a trend yet?), or bear viewing on the Cook Inlet coast and Chinitna Bay.

Fishing

As with most places in Alaska, fishing is a popular activity in Lake Clark National Park. In the Port Alsworth area you can cast your line in the Tanalian River or charter a boat to go out on Lake Clark. Additionally, day fly-out trips are available to reach other popular fishing spots in the park. Just make sure to secure the needed permits and licenses. Here’s a handy fishing regulations chart to help you determine what you need.

Budget Travel Tips for Lake Clark National Park

First things first. Lake Clark is not a “cheap” place to visit. Once you’re here, there are cheap things to do, and no entrance fee for the park, but getting here will cost you. That said, it’s also not the most expensive national park we’ve visited either. Here are some tips we found to visit Lake Clark National Park on a budget.

Cheapest Transportation to Lake Clark National Park

When we visited, I found Lake and Pen Air to have the cheapest flights. Of course, flying is never “cheap”, but their flights were very reasonable compared to other companies that I checked with. My advice is to spend as much time in Lake Clark as you can. The flights are the same price whether you do a round-trip flight in one day or spread your departure and return flights over a week. We spent 5 days in Port Alsworth and that was a good amount of time to see the area and have some time to just relax in nature.

Cheap Lodging in Lake Clark National Park

Permits aren’t required for backcountry camping in Lake Clark National Park. This means that you can camp there for free. Near Port Alsworth, Kontrashibuna Lake is a good place to find camping in Lake Clark National Park. Just know that you’ll have to hike a minimum of 3 miles from the trailhead to reach the lake. Alternately glamping was currently $50 a night for a hut at Tulchina Adventures. If you’re looking to explore a different area of the park, check out this Lake Clark National Park Camping and Backpacking page for some route suggestions.

Cheap Things to do in Lake Clark National Park

As long as you enjoy nature (which if you don’t, then you’re probably in the wrong place), there are endless free things to do here. Hike the many established trails or bushwhack your own route. Camp for free in Lake Clark National Park on Kontrashibuna Lake. Attend the ranger programs. If you want to get out on the water, kayak rentals through Tulchina Adventures were $100 for a tandem (2 person) sea kayak for the full day when we visited.

Other Things to Know About Visiting Lake Clark National Park

• Arrive well supplied with everything you’ll need for your stay. There’s no grocery store or even a camp supply store that we were able to find.
• Check with your airline to find out if you can bring bear spray and camp stove fuel. We were able to bring them on our flights to Port Alsworth, but not on other bush plane flights we took later in our Alaska national park adventures.
• There aren’t any restaurants in Port Alsworth. There’s one food truck that serves burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and some very tasty milkshakes, but no official restaurants. If you’re staying at a lodge they’ll likely be providing your meals, but make sure to check ahead of time so you know what food to bring.
• You’ll quickly be able to identify the sound of bush planes. While the nights are incredibly peaceful in Port Alsworth, the summer days are filled with folks arriving and leaving by bush plane so you’ll hear them coming and going throughout the day. They’re not quiet.

For information on what to bring on a trip to Alaska in the Spring and Summer, check out our Complete Alaska Packing List.

Lake Clark National Park is a place to escape from crowds, deadlines, and the hustle and bustle that is our technology driven life today. It’s a place of centering and connection. A place that’s integral to the health of the vast land around it and the humans that call it home. My advice if you’re visiting, is to unplug. Bring a book. Spend some time just examining the lapping waves against the shore and the singing birds in the forest. As they say, you can really “get away from it all” in Lake Clark National Park.

When’s the last time you visited a place of true solitude?

Related Posts:

• More than a Mountain: Denali National Park Travel Guide
• Complete Alaska Packing List for Spring and Summer
• Backpacking Denali National Park: Everything You Need to Know
• How to Plan a Trip to Alaska

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