All you need is a light daypack to explore this amazing venue in Lake Clark National Park. Imagine spending your days hiking through vast tundra and returning to camp for delicious lakeside meals under Alaska’s midnight sun.
Our rustic wilderness campsite location, situated right on the beach of Turquoise Lake, puts you right in the epicenter of the Alaska & Aleutian Ranges and in a place where you will feel humbled by the solitude, beauty, and unspoiled wilderness of the incomparable Lake Clark National Park.
Hiking and camping in Alaska doesn’t get any better than this! Located 150 miles west of Anchorage and accessible only by float plane, the remote gem of Turquoise Lake is the heart and soul of Lake Clark National Park. Nestled in a stunning amphitheater beneath 6,000’ walls of rock and ice, our basecamp at this glacial lake offers some of Alaska’s best hiking, reliable wildlife viewing, and even some decent fishing.
Itinerary
Your adventure begins this morning with an orientation and gear check at our shop in Anchorage. We'll then make the transfer to Merrill Field where you'll await the flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth. From Merrill Field, located in the heart of Anchorage, you’ll fly west through the glacially carved splendor of Lake Clark Pass, one of the most spectacular bush flights in Alaska, arriving 1 hour later in the small community of Port Alsworth. You'll enjoy lunch with your guide team, discuss the adventure ahead, and then load into floatplanes bound for the southwest shore of Turquoise Lake. We’ll establish camp along the shore of the lake and position our tent doors to frame the views. With light daypacks filled with the essentials, we’ll head out on an afternoon hike into the high country to get a lay of the land. As we enjoy our dinner back at camp, we’ll discuss the upcoming hikes and head to our tents filled with excitement for the days to come.
The options are staggering! We have the full days to choose hikes that best suit our desires. Whether crossing the mighty Mulchatna and exploring the country to the north, or making an ascent of 5500’ Crag Peak, we are sure to find true adventure. Our guides know the country well and will be happy to suggest hikes to their favorite locations!
Saving the best & biggest for the last full day, we set out early from camp for a visit to the magical sheep lick – a mineral lick where sheep have been known to congregate in groups of 20 to 30. As we make our way over open tundra and up Deserted Valley, our anticipation of seeing these amazing creatures is sure to quicken our pulse. With any luck, the sheep will grace us with their presence, allowing us to see nature at its finest.
While enjoying a leisurely morning and delicious breakfast, we’ll break down camp and await our float plane. We’ll return to Port Alsworth, the gateway community of Lake Clark National Park, by mid-morning. 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 before boarding an afternoon charter flight to Anchorage. If you are departing Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights for after 9PM.
What's Included
- All group gear: Expedition quality tents, group tarp, all cooking equipment & eating utensils
- Safety Equipment: Satellite phone, maps, GPS, and medical kit
- Toilet supplies including portable loo, TP, trowel, and hand sanitizer
- Large, backpack-style drybag for transporting and storing personal gear while on trip
- Water treatment options
- Trekking poles
- Scenic flight tour between Anchorage and Port Alsworth with the Lake Clark Resort
- All necessary float plane flight tours
- 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
Alaska Factor: The Real Deal
While Alaska Alpine Adventures endeavors to follow our itineraries as written, odds are in fact slim that you actually will during the camping portion of this trip. The expeditionary factors at play quite often compel our guides to deviate from the written itinerary. Guide considerations could include weather conditions, group preference, individual ability, specific safety considerations, or unforeseeable circumstances; collectively what many have called “The Alaska Factor.” Flight times into and out of the wilderness may also vary based on any number of similar factors. Therefore we strongly suggest that you approach any adventure in Alaska with an open mind.
Available Dates
June 12 - June 15, 2025
8 available spots
June 26 - June 29, 2025
8 available spots
July 10 - July 13, 2025
8 available spots
July 24 - July 27, 2025
8 available spots
August 7 - August 10, 2025
8 available spots
August 21 - August 24, 2025
8 available spots
September 4 - September 7, 2025
8 available spots
Trip Stats
- Price:
- $3,850 /person
- Duration:
- 4-days
- Length:
- 20+ miles
- Intensity:
- Level 2
- Begins In:
- Anchorage
- Ends In:
- Anchorage
- Airport:
- Anchorage International (ANC)
- Location:
- Lake Clark National Park
- Wildlife:
- Bears, Dall Sheep, Caribou
- Great For:
- Families, Couples, Individuals
- Activity:
- Hiking Family Quick Getaways
Itinerary
Your adventure begins this morning with an orientation and gear check at our shop in Anchorage. We'll then make the transfer to Merrill Field where you'll await the flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth. From Merrill Field, located in the heart of Anchorage, you’ll fly west through the glacially carved splendor of Lake Clark Pass, one of the most spectacular bush flights in Alaska, arriving 1 hour later in the small community of Port Alsworth. You'll enjoy lunch with your guide team, discuss the adventure ahead, and then load into floatplanes bound for the southwest shore of Turquoise Lake. We’ll establish camp along the shore of the lake and position our tent doors to frame the views. With light daypacks filled with the essentials, we’ll head out on an afternoon hike into the high country to get a lay of the land. As we enjoy our dinner back at camp, we’ll discuss the upcoming hikes and head to our tents filled with excitement for the days to come.
The options are staggering! We have the full days to choose hikes that best suit our desires. Whether crossing the mighty Mulchatna and exploring the country to the north, or making an ascent of 5500’ Crag Peak, we are sure to find true adventure. Our guides know the country well and will be happy to suggest hikes to their favorite locations!
Saving the best & biggest for the last full day, we set out early from camp for a visit to the magical sheep lick – a mineral lick where sheep have been known to congregate in groups of 20 to 30. As we make our way over open tundra and up Deserted Valley, our anticipation of seeing these amazing creatures is sure to quicken our pulse. With any luck, the sheep will grace us with their presence, allowing us to see nature at its finest.
While enjoying a leisurely morning and delicious breakfast, we’ll break down camp and await our float plane. We’ll return to Port Alsworth, the gateway community of Lake Clark National Park, by mid-morning. 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 before boarding an afternoon charter flight to Anchorage. If you are departing Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights for after 9PM.
What's Included
- All group gear: Expedition quality tents, group tarp, all cooking equipment & eating utensils
- Safety Equipment: Satellite phone, maps, GPS, and medical kit
- Toilet supplies including portable loo, TP, trowel, and hand sanitizer
- Large, backpack-style drybag for transporting and storing personal gear while on trip
- Water treatment options
- Trekking poles
- Scenic flight tour between Anchorage and Port Alsworth with the Lake Clark Resort
- All necessary float plane flight tours
- 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
Alaska Factor: The Real Deal
While Alaska Alpine Adventures endeavors to follow our itineraries as written, odds are in fact slim that you actually will during the camping portion of this trip. The expeditionary factors at play quite often compel our guides to deviate from the written itinerary. Guide considerations could include weather conditions, group preference, individual ability, specific safety considerations, or unforeseeable circumstances; collectively what many have called “The Alaska Factor.” Flight times into and out of the wilderness may also vary based on any number of similar factors. Therefore we strongly suggest that you approach any adventure in Alaska with an open mind.
Location
Trip Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. If anything, I would have planned for a longer stay! Thanks to all of you who made it easy for me to enjoy the Alaskan wild! The trip exceeded all of my over the top expectations!
Organization and logistics were all great. This seems like a great company. Meals were wonderful and surprising. I don’t think I eat such great food on a daily basis, let alone whenever I am backpacking.
The trip was excellent in every way possible. I had every confidence in the guides. They were friendly, generous and knowledgeable. The food was the best I have had on a backpacking trip!
Lake Clark National Park is probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It was an experience of a lifetime that I rate at the top of all vacations – the guides were absolutely awesome, the itinerary could not have been better and the rest of the clients will be lifelong friends.
Looking for more reviews? View all trip testimonials.
Trip Photos
Trip FAQs
Have questions about this trip? We’ve got answers.
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 disappoint.
Lake Clark and its surrounding 4 million-acre national park is located approximately 150 miles West-Southwest of Anchorage.
Access to Lake Clark National Park is solely by small aircraft or, in some instances, by boat.
Absolutely, our trips are all inclusive from Anchorage. The trip includes roundtrip flights from Anchorage to Port Alsworth and floatplane flights into and out of the wilderness.
We all meet at our shop in Anchorage on the morning of Day 1 for an orientation and gear check. We’ll then transfer by van to Merrill field for the flight to Port Alsworth - the gateway community to Lake Clark National Park.
You’ll be flying with Lake Clark Resort, located at Merrill Field. We schedule our flight from Anchorage after an orientation and gear check.
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.
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.
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 all 5 species of Pacific salmon, the park is home to grizzly and black bears, Dall’s sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremendous seasonal populations of migratory birds.
For additional information, please reach out to us.
Related Trips
Backpacking the Talkeetna Mountains
