Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

Where can you find volcanoes, serene mountain lakes, glaciers, wildlife, waterfalls, and more—all in one place? The answer is Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. Lake Clark is one of the major national parks you can visit in AK and is just a short one- or two-hour plane ride from the Anchorage area. You can easily fly from your hometown airport into Anchorage, hop on an AK air taxi or charter, and spend a day, two, or more exploring Lake Clark’s many natural wonders.

Note that while you may have an added expense for an air ride to the park, Lake Clark does not charge an admission fee or camping fee to use their grounds. While Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is open to the public year-round, most people pay their visit during the summer months (June through September) for optimal weather. Note that typical summer weather in this region averages between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit and fall through spring can be quite chilly for outdoor recreation.

Unlike many national parks, Lake Clark is largely undeveloped and known for its raw, beautiful wilderness experience. This national park is considered backpacking territory, where people come for the ultimate outdoors experience. However, individuals looking for developed trails or motorhome campsites may want to look elsewhere if you want to rent an RV in Alaska and enjoy other picturesque Alaskan countryside that is accessible by vehicles.

If the wilderness is just what you need, then Lake Clark has a lot to offer you. Here, you can:

• Hike back to Tanalian Falls.
• View the aurora borealis.
• Take a guided backpacking trip through the park and camp outside under the stars!
• Kayak or canoe through Lake Clark National Park’s many rivers, streams, and lake systems.
• Fish one of the park’s many mountain lakes.
• Hunt for sport at the Lake Clark National Preserve. (Note that hunting is permitted only in the preserve and not Lake Clark National Park.)
• Paddle the swift waters found at Lake Clark’s rafting rivers. Although they have little whitewater, you can still enjoy the rafting experience because the waters are still quite fast and require excellent oarsmanship.
• Go on a photo shoot for wildlife found throughout the park, including brown bears, moose, caribou, and more. (Remember to exercise caution near wild animals; check out the Lake Clark National Park website for wildlife-viewing instructions.)

As you can see, you could spend several days exploring the great outdoors at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. However, you can also plan a day trip or a weekend trip to Lake Clark on your vacation itinerary, in case you want to see more of Alaska than just this region.

We recommend that you spend a couple days at Lake Clark and then book an Alaska RV rental to take one of AK’s many scenic drives throughout the rest of the state. This way, you can enjoy Lake Clark but also check out what else Alaska and the Anchorage area has to offer. We would hate for you to travel all the way to Alaska only to see a small piece of it, so if you do not plan to return soon, try to see as much as you can. Just remember to put Lake Clark on your list of “Places to go in AK.”

Tagged as: Alaska national parks, backpacking, day trip ideas, hiking, outdoor recreation, places to go Alaska, rafting Alaska, scenic views, undeveloped parks, volcanoes, wilderness experience, wildlife viewing