We will begin this rafting and hiking adventure in the heart, and what many have called the soul, of Lake Clark National Park – the astoundingly beautiful Twin Lakes.  Float-planes will place us on the shore of Lower Twin, where we’ll spend the first day exploring this wonderful wilderness nirvana. Nestled near timberline, Twin Lakes offers incredible tundra hiking second to none in Alaska. The mountains that surround this alpine lake beckon to be explored, and as we let our feet carry us up ridges and over tundra, we'll keep our eyes out for Dall sheep, caribou, moose and bear.  After a full-day exploring Twin Lakes on foot, we’ll then launch our inflatable canoes and begin our rafting adventure down the Chilikadrotna River. As we move down the river, our camps will be situated on riverside gravel bars and close to great fishing.  Just check out the images above by renowned adventure photographer Corey Rich.

This trip originates in Anchorage, Alaska. Getting to Anchorage is a snap. Alaska Airlines, your travel agent, or the carrier of your choice can easily arrange roundtrip airfare from the lower 48.  Once you land in Anchorage, your adventure really begins. For this trip into Lake Clark National Park,  you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't any roads!

Bush Flights: Access to Lake Clark National Park is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes internal bush flights between Anchorage and Port Alsworth and any floatplane flights necessary for  your itinerary. Have your camera at the ready, your trip begins here.  For most, this will be your first experience in a small aircraft – a memorable one to be sure.  The flight to Lake Clark takes you through the southern portion of the Alaska Range with towering peaks and tumbling glaciers right off the wing tips.  The 180 mile flight to Port Alsworth, Lake Clark National Park’s gateway community, takes approximately an hour and a half.  Your guide will meet you at the airplane as soon as you land in Port Alsworth.  You will then be taken to the lodge and your lakeside cabin, at which time you’ll have the chance to enjoy lunch and ample time to settle in and unpack.  You’ll then join your guide for a 5-mile hike to the spectacular Tanalian Falls along the only developed trail in all of Lake Clark National Park & Preserve.

Accommodations: Lodging on night one in Port Alsworth is included in your package.  You’ll be staying in a lakeside cabin in the bush community of Port Alsworth.  The property is both comfortable and picturesque, and the community of Port Alsworth (Population 100) offers a great portrayal of how people thrive in rural Alaska.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own cabin on night one you will be asked to pay a single supplement of $75.00.  The remaining nights will be spent camping in the wilderness.

The Experience: Up early on day 2, we’ll have breakfast at the lodge. Our first day will allow us to collect our senses, gaze at the surrounding beauty, and get a feel for the terrain we will be covering. Most of our trips will involve a floatplane flight into the furthest reaches of this spectacular wilderness. You will quickly become acquainted with our style of wilderness travel and camp etiquette.  Meals are planned to be sumptuous, filling culinary adventures of their own.  Because weight and packaging is critical, careful consideration is taken in planning and packing the ingredients.  You can be assured every meal will be something you may never have experienced in the wilderness. We use organic and real food products when possible and the very best freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients available.

What’s Included:

• All group gear (tents, stoves, fuel, kayaks, dry bags, etc.), satellite phone,  and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Ground Transportation to Merrill Field on Day 1.
• Bush flight transportation from Anchorage to Port Alsworth.
• All internal bush flights necessary for the trip - See Itinerary for details
• Lodging on night one at a lodge on Lake Clark.
• Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio.
• All meals from lunch on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary.
• Storage for your extra travel items while in the field.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Anchorage prior to and after your adventure.
• Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.). - See Equipment Lists
• Trip cancellation insurance.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Guide gratuities.

Everyone asks:

What about the mosquitoes?
In case you've heard horror stories... the number of mosquitoes is greatly dependent on hatching season and annual weather conditions. While we are bound to encounter some mosquitoes during the course of our adventure, their numbers have not generally presented major problems on past trips in these specific areas. That said, please arrive prepared with insect repellent and a head net to fend off any mosquitoes that are present.

Will bears be a problem?
Alaska is bear country! There are both grizzly and black bears in most of the wilderness areas of Alaska we visit. We love seeing bears in the wild and it really is one of the most thrilling experiences common in Alaska backcountry travel. With that said, traveling safely and taking precautions to minimize a negative encounter are things we take very seriously. In addition to being subject to our thorough bear safety orientation, you’ll also see that we take many precautions when traveling in Alaska’s wilderness – 1 all of our food has been packaged to minimize odors – we vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces, we pack our food in bear resistant food canisters, and we store our food well away from camp. 2 We make noise when we’re hiking in thick brush or when we’re hiking in windy conditions to minimize surprise encounters 3 we keep an exceptionally clean camp and 4 as a last resort we travel armed. Our guides carry 44 mags or shotguns. Most of Alaska’s national parks, excluding Katmai and Denali, allow for the use of firearms and our guides are thoroughly trained in firearm use. Again, using a gun is a last resort and thankfully we’ve never had to call one into service on a trip!

What kind of food might we expect?
Our food is excellent – in fact it is something that clearly differentiates us from our competitors. We have spent the past decade fine tuning our backcountry menu. Breakfasts include pancakes, scrambles, various homemade granolas and cereals, French pressed coffee, assorted teas and hot drinks. For lunch we enjoy foccacia sandwiches, bagels and Alaska lox, hummus and toasted pita chips, and assorted wraps. We also have homemade snack mixes both salty and sweet and energy and candy bars available throughout the day. Dinners could include lasagna, pad thai, beef mole’ tacos, penne pasta with a roasted red pepper pesto, wild mushroom risotto, etc. And we ALWAYS enjoy one of Derek’s home baked desserts after dinner.

When would you require a deposit? and how much? Trip cancellation insurance? Can we get it through you?
We require a deposit of $1000 per person to officially reserve a trip. Really the deposit is due as soon as you’d like to book. That way, we have the trip inked in on the schedule and can begin the effort to coax others into joining the adventure. When you decide to book, we then generate an invoice that we send by email. You’ll then have the option to pay the deposit by mailing us a check, calling us with a credit card number or by using a Visa, Master Card, or American Experss on our secure online payment system. As for trip cancellation insurance, Alaska Alpine Adventures is licensed to sell Travel Guard - an industry leading insurance product designed specifically for adventure travelers. Please contact us for details, or click here to obtain a quote.

Lake Clark National Park:

Why are so many of your trips in Lake Clark National Park?
Simply because we believe Lake Clark National Park to be the most spectacular and diverse park in Alaska. At over 4-million acres, this wilderness park has something for everyone - miles of coastline, active volcanoes, spectacular lakes, glaciers and icefields, wild and scenic rivers, stunning mountains, and very few visitors. If you seek solitude and the perfect Alaskan landscape, Lake Clark will not dissapoint.

Where is Lake Clark?
Lake Clark and its surrounding 4 million-acre national park is located approximately 150 miles West-Southwest of Anchorage.

How do you get to Lake Clark?
Access to Lake Clark National Park is soley by small aircraft or, in some instances, by boat.

Is transportation to Lake Clark included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our trips are all inclusive from Anchorage.

Where will you meet us?
Alaska Alpine Adventures will provide a shuttle to Merrill Field on the morning of day 1.  Your guide will meet you at the airplane when you arrive in Port Alsworth - the gateway community to Lake Clark National Park.

Who will I be flying with and what time will we be departing on day one?
You'll be flying with Lake and Peninsula Air. On occasion we also use Lake Clark Air. Both air taxis are located at Merrill Field. We usually schedule our departures for 11am on day one. You need to arrive at Merrill Field one-half hour before your scheduled departure.

Where is Merrill Field?
Merrill Field is located just east of downtown Anchorage.  “Bush” flying is an adventure in and of itself and variable weather conditions may cause delays. We will try to keep you informed of any changes or delays as they occur. Remember to please be ready at least 45 minutes before your expected departure.

Who was Dick Proenneke?
Dick Proenneke lived on Twin Lakes, in the heart of Lake Clark National Park, from 1968-1998. He resided in a small hand-hewn log cabin on the South shore of the upper lake near Hope Creek. Dick, who has been called a modern-day Thoreau, was a prolific writer and photographer. His cabin, which we visit on a number of our adventures, is a testament to his simple lifestyle and a reminder of his dedication to wilderness and conservation.

Is Lake Clark National Park a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. Lake Clark has been called Alaska's epitome and Little Denali, though at 4 million-acres and roughly the size of Switzerland the term little doesn't really apply! In addition to seeing all 5 species of Pacific salmon, the park is home to grizzly, coastal brown, and black bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremedous seasonal populations of migratory birds.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Today you’ll fly from Anchorage to Port Alsworth – one of the most stunning bush flights in Alaska. After meeting your guide, you’ll check into our lakeside lodge on Lake Clark, spend the afternoon hiking to Tanalian Falls, and finish the evening with an orientation/welcome dinner at the lodge. Lunch & Dinner included

Day 2: With a delicious breakfast energizing us for the day ahead, we’ll load our float-plane and launch for the shores of Lower Twin.  As the drone of the engine leaves us, we will surely revel in the silence and solitude of this amazing place.  We’ll establish camp and stretch our legs with an incredible hike into the tundra covered mountains overlooking the lake.  All meals included.

Day 3: As we begin our float, the excitement will build when we enter the swift water at the mouth of the lake. On the first day, we are likely to see an incredible variety of waterfowl – species including trumpeter swans, harlequin ducks, mergansers, goldeneyes, scaups, mallards, arctic loons and many more. Songbirds and raptors are also in abundance on the river so you'll need to keep the cameras and binoculars handy as we cruise in near silence through the Alaskan wilderness. All meals included.

Days 4 – 6: Over the next three days we will negotiate class II & III whitewater, logjams and sweepers. When we reach the confluence of the Chili and the Mulchatna Rivers, we'll be close to our last camp. Our final day floating will be spent leisurely on the Mulchatna, and as some of us cast spinners for rainbow trout and arctic char, others will scan the banks for moose and the treetops for majestic bald eagles and great horned owls. All meals included.

Day 7: Our pick-up at Maribou Landing is an exciting finale to grand adventure as our skilled bush pilot negotiates a take-off in the swift current of the river or on an adjacent gravel airstrip. This rafting trip is a wonderful and comprehensive introduction to magical and wild Alaska. We’ll return to Port Alsworth on Lake Clark by early afternoon. After showers and a celebratory lunch, we’ll tally up our wildlife sightings, and revel in the adventure that we will never forget.  We’ll then pay an afternoon visit to the Lake Clark National Park visitor’s center where you’ll have a chance to purchase maps and postcards. You’ll then board an afternoon charter flight to Anchorage.  If you are departing Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights for after 9PM. Breakfast & Lunch Included.