Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
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Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
The park is located in South-central Alaska with part of it along the coast
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve offers tremendous outdoor adventure for those seeking a unique family vacation. Although an airplane ride is the usual way to get there, it is still worth the effort. There is wilderness hiking and backpacking, great fishing, white water rafting and kayaking, beautiful scenery, glaciers, and tons of wildlife to see. Check below for further Lake Clark National Park and Preserve information.
Uniqueness
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve embodies the great circle of time and life. Coastal cliffs on Cook Inlet hold fossil remnants of 150 million years of sea life; but, 10,000 feet above them, two active, snow-clad volcanoes-Iliamna and Redoubt-can spew out recycled Earth crust as new land surfaces. Mountain glaciers daily pluck and etch the spectacular scenery here where mountains of the Alaska and Aleutian ranges join. An awesome, jagged array, the park’s Chigmit Mountains record centuries and millennia of crustal uplift, intrusion, earthquakes, volcanism, and glacial gouging, scouring, and mounding. Continuously inhabited since early prehistoric times, this region nevertheless remains wild and sparsely populated by humans. Its several ecosystems suggest many diverse regions across Alaska. Lake Clark, 40 miles long, and many other lakes and rivers within the park are critical salmon habitat to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, one of the largest sockeye salmon fishing grounds in the world. Numerous lake and river systems in the park and preserve offer excellent fishing and wildlife viewing.
A serendipitous feature of the park is that its varied topography offers something for everyone. Contrast seashores with glacial valleys, gentle tundra foothills with colorful, glacier fed, alpine lakes. Adventures here await those who take the first step. Twin Lakes has tree and brush covered valley slopes, plus dry tundra rising to open ridge tops, which offer excellent hiking and views. Twin Lakes is a popular spot in the park for several reasons. It offers relatively easy travel, good fishing, opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography, and superb scenery. The park service has a backcountry patrol cabin on the lower lake that is usually staffed all summer. Fly-in, day use fishing parties compete with raft groups for the start of the Chilikadrotna’s waters. A few backpackers or campers are likely to be exploring this area as well. Turquoise Lake is higher in elevation with tundra vegetation and generally less wildlife. It has dramatic scenery with Telaquana Mountain rising sharply from its northeast shore and vivid turquoise blue water. Offering few havens from wind and weather, it is less visited but offers excellent hiking in all directions.
Looking for more rugged and remote areas for backpacking epics? Heinous hiking into or over the Alaska Range via glacial river bars, or multi-day trips from Telaquana Lake, Two Lakes, or Kenibuna Lake are possibilities. Mountaineering skills opens up a whole other world, including glaciers and unclimbed, unnamed peaks.
Wilderness travel, backpacking, cross-country hiking, rafting/kayaking, wildlife viewing, hunting and fishing are the primary activities in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The park also offers bird watching, boating, camping, climbing, cross country skiing, dogmushing, nature walks, snow skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. The National Preserve is an area adjacent to the park where sport hunting is allowed. Subsistence living is allowed within the park for residents. Black and Grizzly bears, Caribou, Moose and Dall sheep are present throughout the area.
Star gazing in Alaska can be very rewarding, if you like the cold. In the fall and winter the night skies are beautiful. You see more stars than could be imagined. Also to be seen are the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are caused by solar winds that carry particles from the sun across space and hit the earth’s atmosphere. When the particles hit the earth’s atmosphere they release energy in the form of light, the Northern Lights. The best place to see the Northern Lights is around Fairbanks, Alaska, though most of Alaska is a good place.
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