Lake Clark National Park & Preserve guide · 2 min read
Floatplanes, Beach Landings, and Getting In
The park has no roads leading to it or running through it, so most visitors arrive by air.
Some come by boat along the coast when weather and tides allow. The park lies roughly 120 air miles from Anchorage and 65 air miles from Homer.
Small planes can touch down on lakes, rivers, beaches, and gravel bars across the park and preserve, and the spot you choose shapes the whole trip. Landings are not limited to airstrips. Picking your destination comes first, since the aircraft you need depends on where you are headed and what you plan to do there.
Floatplanes take off and land on water, which suits the park's many lakes and rivers. Wheeled planes are the other common option, and some of them fly on skis in winter when the weather allows. Mixing wheels and floats during one trip takes extra time and money, so it helps to pick a single type of landing gear for your itinerary.
Port Alsworth, just west of the park, offers two privately run airstrips, and fuel can be bought there. Lake Clark Air sells fuel for both wheels and floats, while Lake and Peninsula Airlines serves wheeled planes. The businesses there set their own terms, so confirm current details with them before you fly. Flights can also be booked from Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Iliamna, King Salmon, and other Alaska towns, whether you need wheels or floats.
Flightseeing gives you a view of more than four million acres of wilderness, including braided glacial rivers, turquoise lakes, glaciers, and snow-covered volcanoes. Licensed air taxi providers run these flights, and passengers are encouraged to ask the pilot questions before takeoff. Paddlers can fly in with inflatable or foldable kayaks and canoes, since a full-size boat will not fit in a small plane. Ask your air taxi whether it can carry your gear.
