9 Best Things to Do in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska (Based on Personal Experience)

Lake Clark National Park is one of the most remote National Parks in the entire United States. With amazing views, stunning landscapes, and epic bear viewing opportunities - a visit to Lake Clark is well worth it if you're able to add it to your Alaska itinerary. Whether you're on a mission to visit every National Park or just looking for some incredible adventures, there's truly something for everyone at Lake Clark National Park. Below, I've listed some of the best things to do that I highly recommend adding to your itinerary.

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For flights, I recommend using Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to Alaska.

Car rentals, arguably the best way to see Alaska, are best through Discover Cars!

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To keep cell service if you're traveling internationally, I use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required), and NordVPN to stay safe while connecting to different wifi.

For fun things to do, I recommend Viator or Get Your Guide to find the best tours in the area.

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Lastly, my Alaska packing list for your travels to the Last Frontier.

Getting to Lake Clark & Where to Stay

The easiest way to get to Lake Clark is to take a chartered flight from Anchorage out to Port Alsworth, usually the base point for most visitors to the National Park. Our package through Lake Clark Resort included a round trip flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth, so we didn't need to do any extra planning for our 3 day trip - but if you end up needing to book your own flights I highly recommend using either Lake Clark Air or Rust's Flying Services.

If you're looking for a place to stay near Lake Clark, there are a couple Airbnb's in the area, but I can only personally recommend Lake Clark Resort, which is an all inclusive type stay that includes your lodging, all meals, round trip flights to Anchorage, and depending on which package you book it also includes certain day trips and tours to explore more areas of Lake Clark National Park.

Book your stay at Lake Clark Resort!

Some of my Favorite Nearby Tours : 

Best Things to Do in Lake Clark

1. Twin Lakes
One of the most beautiful places in Lake Clark National Park, chances are you'll have to take a day trip out here from Port Alsworth. Flights usually take about 30 minutes each way from Port Alsworth, and once you land you can head out for a hike to see panoramic views of the Twin Lakes. This is one of the most popular places in Lake Clark National Park to go backpacking in the summer, so it's also essential to keep any food you bring with you in bear proof canisters. (photos by Andrew @beachboysandrew)

2. Richard "Dick" Proenneke Cabin
One of the most famous spots in Lake Clark National Park is the Dick Proenneke Cabin. Richard, or Dick, Proenneke built the entire cabin himself with just hand tools, and lived there for 30 years without electricity or running water. You can also see his elevated food storage cache just a short ways away - elevated to keep the bears away. During the summer months (June to August) the cabin is open for visitors as long as you leave everything as you found it. (photos by Andrew @beachboysandrew)

3. Tanalian Falls
Arguably the most beautiful waterfalls I've been to in Alaska (for sure one of the largest and most powerful). The hike itself is just over 4 miles out and back and has a 777 foot elevation gain. We didn't see any bears, but I would make sure to bring your bear spray just in case. You can hike to the bottom and top of the falls, and it's a great spot to enjoy the views and try your hand at fishing for Arctic Grayling. If you're looking for something a bit easier, Beaver Pond Loop Trail is a great option at a 3.4 mile loop that leads to a beautiful pond with a mountain in the backdrop. Plus we had the entire hike to ourselves - this is also where we saw some bear tracks!

4. Fishing
Although Tanalian Falls is a good spot to try to catch Arctic Grayling, you can also head out on a private, full day or multi-day guided fishing tour via bush plane or boat! Through a guided tour from Lake Clark Resort, you'll be able to have the chance to reel in not just Arctic Grayling, but also Lake Trout, Arctic Char, Rainbow Trout, Northern Pike, Silver Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, and/or Dolly Varden just to name a few of the most prominent species. On my most recent visit, I caught my personal record - a 43 inch Northern Pike!

5. Lake Clark Visitor Center
Can you really say you visited a National Park if you didn't visit the park's Visitor Center? Luckily there's one located right in Port Alsworth, but they're only open in the summer months, typically from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Here, you can learn about local culture and wildlife, and ask the rangers anything you're curious about! You can also get a stamp for your National Park Passport.

6. Bear Viewing
When you're visiting Lake Clark National Park, chances are you want to see the bears, and trust me when I say this is one thing you won't want to miss. Seeing the brown bears up close is an experience you won't find anywhere else, and it's truly amazing. If you want to see them in Lake Clark, you'll have to head out on a bear viewing trip to either Brooks Camp or on a guided tour to a more "wild" area of the park.

7. Explore Port Alsworth
As the largest city in Lake Clark National Park, if you're able to visit Port Alsworth for a few days you'll want to at least check it out. You can find the local school and post office, walk across the two runways in town, take a little polar plunge in Lake Clark, and even try out the local food truck (that has some of the best milkshakes) called Cissie's Kitchen.

8. Go Kayaking
If you're basing your visit to Lake Clark in Port Alsworth, you can rent some of the kayaks from Lake Clark Resort and head out right into the bay and out into Lake Clark itself. You'll see incredible views of Tanalian Mountain and be able to explore the beautiful blue waters from shore - just check the wind prediction before you go to make sure you don't get stuck on the wide open waters of Lake Clark. (photos by Andrew @beachboysandrew)

9. Summit Tanalian Mountain
This is the hardest hike to do in the area, but is well worth it. To be completely honest, although I didn't do the hike myself, our friend Andrew headed up here while we were visiting and ended up having stunning, panoramic views of Port Alsworth and Lake Clark below - they even saw some mountain goats! (photos by Andrew @beachboysandrew)

Watch my Adventures in Lake Clark!

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Other Alaska blog posts you might be interested in : 
-> Ultimate 3 Day Lake Clark Itinerary
-> Flying to Katmai National Park
-> Day Trip to Lake Clark National Park

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