Alaska Kayaking Trips
Kayak-supported wilderness hiking in Lake Clark National Park – since 1998.
Alaska Alpine Adventures is, first and foremost, a hiking company. Our Lake Clark kayaking trips are not stand-alone kayaking expeditions – they are hiking trips that use kayaks to move between camps that aren’t connected by walkable terrain. The hiking is the focus. The kayaks are how we string the camps together.
Since 1998, we’ve guided this style of trip on Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake, deep inside Lake Clark National Park. The itineraries have been recognized by National Geographic as a “Tour of a Lifetime,” and they remain among the quietest, most remote alpine tundra hiking experiences anywhere in Alaska – reachable only by floatplane, with no roads, no other parties, and 8,000-foot peaks reflected on glacial water.
A note for searchers comparing options: our Alaska kayaking trips are lake-based, not sea-kayaking. We don’t offer ocean kayak expeditions. If you’ve been searching for Alaska sea kayaking trips, our Lake Clark itineraries are a different – and far more remote – wilderness experience: hiking-focused, calmer water, and dramatically more solitude than any coastal route.
Groups are capped at 8 guests, with a 4:1 guest-to-guide ratio. Lead guides are Wilderness First Responder certified. Floatplane access from Anchorage handles the logistics.
Lake Clark kayaking-supported hiking trips run on a short summer window with small group caps. Most departures fill months in advance – often before the season begins. Reserve early.
Why Choose Our Guided Alaska Kayaking Trips
Hiking Is the Focus. Kayaks Are the Transport
On these trips, you spend most of each day on foot – exploring open alpine tundra, walking ridge lines, traversing river bars, watching for wildlife. The kayaks come out of the water at each camp; they go back in when it’s time to reach the next stretch of country worth hiking. If you came expecting a hard-paddling kayak expedition, this isn’t that trip. If you came for guided wilderness hiking with the world’s quietest access route, this is exactly that trip.
27+ Years on These Lakes. National Geographic Recognition
AAA founder Dan Oberlatz pioneered guided itineraries on Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake beginning in the late 1990s. The Lake Clark itineraries have since been named a National Geographic “Tour of a Lifetime” – recognition we’ve earned over more than a quarter-century of refining the same routes, season after season. See our awards at /awards/.
Floatplane Access to Lakes Few People Ever Reach
Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake sit deep inside Lake Clark National Park, hours from any road. The only way in is by floatplane through partners like Lake Clark Air – relationships we’ve built over decades. Once you land, you trade the cabin of the bush plane for the seat of a kayak, and the lake becomes your highway between hiking camps.
Small Groups. Expert Guides
Every trip is capped at 8 guests, with a 4:1 guest-to-guide ratio. Lead guides hold Wilderness First Responder certification at minimum. Browse the team at /guides/.
All-Inclusive. Real Camp Cooking
Floatplane transport, kayaks and paddling gear, group camping equipment, and trip food are all included. Camp meals are hearty and hot, prepared in camp on backcountry stoves – fueling long hiking days from lakeside campsites. We coordinate pre-trip lodging in Anchorage as well.
An Ending That Doesn’t Feel Like an Ending
Most of our Lake Clark itineraries wrap with a celebratory dinner and a relaxing night at our partner’s premier wilderness lodge. Before you fly back to Anchorage, you’ll hike with your guides to nearby Tanalian Falls and visit the official Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center. It’s a quiet decompression – civilization arriving in soft layers rather than all at once.
What to Expect on a Lake Clark Kayaking Trip
A typical day on a Lake Clark kayaking-supported hiking trip starts with a hot breakfast at camp, then two to four miles of paddling across a glacier-fed lake to a new beach. Boats come out of the water; daypacks come on. From there, the alpine tundra opens up in every direction. Day-hikes from camp range from short ridge walks to ambitious all-day routes through bear country and braided river deltas. Most of the day is spent on foot, not on the water.
Wildlife you’ll likely see while hiking: brown bears (Lake Clark has one of the highest densities in the state), Dall sheep, moose, bald eagles, and – if you’re lucky and quiet – wolves on the far shore. Glacial silt makes the water a striking turquoise. The mountains around the lakes top out near 8,000 feet, but our hiking routes never go above ~6,000 feet – this is alpine tundra and ridgewalking, not high-altitude trekking.
Trips are typically 6-8 days. The Alaska summer means 18-20 hours of usable daylight, which gives the schedule a relaxed rhythm – early starts are optional, late dinners are routine. See /alaska-weather/ for seasonal weather context.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are hiking trips that use kayaks to move between camps. Alaska Alpine Adventures is a hiking company; the kayaks are a transport mechanism, not the focus of the trip. You will spend most of each day on foot exploring alpine tundra, with shorter paddles between hiking camps.
No prior kayaking experience is required. The lakes are calm, the kayaks are stable touring boats, and your guides will lead a paddling orientation on day one before any significant distance. Comfort with being on the water and a basic level of fitness are the only real prerequisites.
Our trips are lake-based, not sea-kayaking. The Lake Clark experience is calmer water with no tides or swell, glacial lakes ringed by alpine country, hiking-focused itineraries, and dramatically more solitude than most sea-kayaking destinations in Alaska. The kayaks are touring boats; the technique is approachable.
Yes. Our Lake Clark kayak-supported hiking trips are well-suited to multi-generational families and travelers who want wilderness without the heavy packs of a backpacking trip. Children old enough to paddle a tandem kayak with a parent and walk a few miles per day on uneven terrain do beautifully on Twin Lakes itineraries. Call 907-351-4193 if you are planning a family trip.
Ready to book a guided Alaska kayak-supported hiking trip in Lake Clark National Park? Browse our current itineraries below. Want help choosing between Twin Lakes and Turquoise – or planning a private group trip? Call us at 907-351-4193 or use our Alaska Trip Consulting service.
