Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Overview

About

Lake Clark National Park is in southwestern Alaska.

Visitor map

Travel tips

Getting there: the park has no road access. Small planes from Anchorage or Kenai reach the gateway village of Port Alsworth in about an hour, and floatplanes also land on lakes and rivers.

Park office: the visitor center is at Port Alsworth on the shore of Lake Clark. You can check weather, wildlife and routes there first.

Main activities: most visitors fly by small plane or floatplane to a destination and then boat, fish, hike or watch bears. Brown bears on the coast are a common summer attraction.

Bear viewing: along the coast at Chinitna Bay and Silver Salmon Creek, brown bears feed on the flats from June to August, and visitors usually go with a local camp or guide.

Volcanoes and mountains: the park has active volcanoes, including Redoubt Volcano (3,108 m) and Iliamna Volcano, which can sometimes be seen on the flight from Anchorage.

Boating: rivers such as the Tlikakila and Chilikadrotna suit paddling and rafting, but need experience or a guide.

Season: summer, June to September, is the easiest season. In winter there are almost no visitors and small-plane flying is unreliable. Mosquitoes are numerous in July and August.

Where to stay: Port Alsworth and the coast have a few small lodges and camps, which need booking early in summer; backpackers must bring all their own gear.

Map