A 3 Day Guide to Lake Clark National Park (Port Alsworth)

Lake Clark National Park is one of the most remote National Parks in the USA, and also one of the least visited and hardest to get to. If you have the chance to include a visit to Port Alsworth during your time in Alaska, I highly encourage you to stay a minimum of 3 days to make the most of your trip and truly experience the park whether that's through hikes or day trips to other areas in the park!

​*If you have any questions that aren't answered in this post, please leave them in the comments section where I do my best to answer all Alaska related questions directly!

My Essential Alaska Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are my favorite websites and resources to help plan an incredible trip to the 49th State.

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

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

I always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, I always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required).

For fun things to do, I recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

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

How to Get to Lake Clark & What to Expect

Depending on where you've booked your stay at Port Alsworth, getting to Lake Clark can either be very easy or a bit confusing. Luckily, we booked our experience at the National Park through The Farm Lodge, which includes all transportation details - and departs right from Anchorage. If you book your stay through an Airbnb or other lodge, you might have to book your own flights. If this is the case, I recommend calling Lake Clark Air or Rusts Flying Service to see if you can book a round trip ride out with them.

Once you arrive in Port Alsworth, you'll see no paved roads, no large stores, and lots of ATVs. This remote location in Alaska is exactly that - a remote location in Alaska, so it's important to bring what you need with you. I recommend carrying bear spray on every hike you go on, and if you're staying in an Airbnb you might also want to bring some packaged food options. The town of Port Alsworth is located right along the shores of Lake Clark, has about 150 residents and is based around 2 gravel airstrips.

If you're planning to visit for a short period of time, it's essential to plan ahead to make the most of your visit. If you don't want to bother with bringing your own food/gear, I highly recommend booking your stay through The Farm Lodge - which offers all lengths and types of packages.

My Favorite Tour in Lake Clark : 
- Coastal Bear Viewing from Homer

3 Days in Lake Clark

Day 1 Morning :
First things first, you'll have to make your way to Lake Clark. Depending on who you end up flying over with, the flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth is right around an hour. Depending how many people are on your flight, you might have the chance to sit in as "co-pilot" in the front of the plane - this has the best views and I recommend trying to sit up there if you have the chance. 

On the flight there you'll see incredible views of the Chigmit mountain range, fly over an amazing river valley with glaciers surrounding you, and if you're as lucky as we were - you'll even fly over an entire harbor seal colony and have the chance to see belugas in Cook Inlet! If you're able to choose which time you fly out, I recommend going as early as you're comfortable - this way you have the max amount of time you can at Port Alsworth.

Day 1 Afternoon : 
Once you arrive at Lake Clark (my husband and I ended up getting in around 5pm), you might not have that much time to explore - however with the nearly endless sunlight of Alaskan Summers you'll still be able to do a little. If you're staying at the Farm Lodge, dinner is at 6 pm. I recommend taking a little tour of where you're staying and familiarizing yourself with Port Alsworth before dinner. The town is built around the two large runways that are parallel with each other, so it's fairly easy to navigate.

Dinner at the Farm Lodge is a full 3 course, delicious meal and because it was still light out afterwards we were able to head out for one of the shorter hikes in the area - Beaver Pond Loop Trail. If you don't bring bear spray with you, the Cache at the Farm Lodge has bear spray you can use for the day, and I highly recommend bringing some with you no matter which hike you do. 

Beaver Pond Loop Trail is a 3.4 mile loop trail with a 554 foot elevation gain, and it's fairly easy. This is where we saw our bear tracks, and after making it back (and if you're brave enough) you can take a quick glacier dip in the bay before turning in for the night.

Day 2 Morning :
Depending on what you're planning to do in Lake Clark National Park - you may or may not be staying in the Port Alsworth area. The Farm Lodge offers day trips you can add on to your package - whether that's to the incredible Twin Lakes to see the iconic Richard Proenneke Cabin or to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park or even to head out and do some fishing.

If you're like us, you might choose to stay back and explore more of the Port Alsworth area with some hiking. There are two "day hikes" that you can do in the area. Mount Tanalian is a hike for those that are really looking to challenge themselves. At 8.9 miles with a 3,772 foot elevation gain according to AllTrails, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. The views will reward you though and you'll be able to enjoy the panoramic scenery of Port Alsworth and Lake Clark!

The easier option is to hike to the Tanalian Falls - a 4.2 mile hike that only gains 777 feet of elevation. Once you arrive, you'll be able to enjoy the bottom and top views of the falls - and if you bring a fishing pole you can even try fishing for some grayling at the base! If you're feeling adventurous, you can continue the hike to Kontrashibuna Lake.

Day 2 Afternoon :
Once you make it back to the Port Alsworth area, whether that's after your hike or your day trip, I encourage you to explore Port Alsworth! After grabbing our box lunches provided by the Farm Lodge, we explored town and visited some of the places we hadn't gotten to yet. If you're able to, there are a few places I recommend visiting before your flight out tomorrow :

• CK's Food Truck : very reasonable prices and delicious shakes (that are very well deserved after the hiking you've done)
• Local Points of Interest : if you want to walk town, you can find local spots like the school, post-office, and even other lodges in town​
• The Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center : open from 10 am to 4:30 pm every day, on a visit here you can learn all about local wildlife, fishing culture, and the area's history (don't forget to stamp your National Park Passport Book!)
  

Day 3 Morning :
Unfortunately, we had a fairly early flight on our last day in Port Alsworth, meaning we really didn't get to do much exploring on this day. However, if you do have some time to continue exploring, I recommend looking into completing one of the hikes you haven't yet, or, taking out one of the Kayaks!

Kayaks & canoes are available at the Cache at the Farm Lodge, if the weather's nice I recommend taking them out and around the corner of the bay and into the main area of Lake Clark. This will give you a brand new perspective of the area, and hopefully some epic blue glacier water to enjoy!

On your flight out, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any wildlife and glacier spottings! ;)

Watch my Lake Clark experience here!

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Other Alaska blog posts you might be interested in : 
-> Your First Visit to Denali National Park
-> My Flight to Katmai National Park

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