Lake Clark National Park & Preserve guides
11 in-depth guides to Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Lake Clark National Park & Preserve overview.
Floatplanes, Beach Landings, and Getting In
The park has no roads leading to it or running through it, so most visitors arrive by air.
Coast Versus Interior: Two Climates, One Park
Lake Clark splits its weather into two zones, the coast and the interior, and the two behave very differently.
Silver Salmon Creek: Bears on the Cook Inlet Coast
Silver Salmon Creek sits midway up the Cook Inlet coast of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, and it is known for brown bear viewing.
Redoubt and Iliamna: Lake Clark's Steaming Volcanoes
Redoubt is the park's active volcano and the more recently active of the two peaks. It rises 10,197 feet through the Chigmit Mountains and has a summit crater 1.8 kilometers wide.
Tanalian Trails and Falls Near Port Alsworth
Tanalian Falls is the most popular hike out of Port Alsworth. The route is about three miles from the trailhead, starting on a wide gravel road that climbs steeply to the park boundary and continuing over planked boardwalk sections.
Peregrines, Dall Sheep, and Seal-Chased Salmon
Salmon runs tie this park's wildlife together. Fish moving inland pass through tidal estuaries, the zones where rivers reach the sea, and continue into higher country to spawn in lakes and creeks set among the mountains.
Chigmit Mountains and Glacier-Carved Lakes
The Chigmit Mountains form a link between the Alaska Range and the Aleutian Range. The park and preserve stretch from Cook Inlet across these peaks and reach into Alaska's interior.
Dena'ina Roots and Lake Clark's Layered History
Lake Clark, also called Qizhjeh Vena, sits within the ancestral homelands of the Dena'ina Athabascan people.
Private Lodges and Remote Base Camping
Lake Clark has no concessionaire running dining or lodging on park property, so every place to stay is on private land and operated by a private business.
Crescent Lake: Salmon, Bears, and Boat-Only Exploring
Crescent Lake is the most popular place in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve for anglers, and since no roads reach the park, most people arrive by float plane.
Proenneke's Cabin and Upper Twin Lake
Upper Twin Lake sits on the western side of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, where the area offers history, scenery and plenty of wild country to explore.
