Lake Clark is an incredibly stunning, but quite remote, Alaska national park. The park protects over 2.5 million acres of volcanic mountains, brilliant blue lakes, coastlines, and more. It’s known for being home to a large number of brown bears and other wildlife, and for being the headwaters for the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
This pristine wilderness isn’t easy to get to. As is the case with multiple Alaska national parks, you can’t just drive there. You’ll need to do some extra planning and arrive via boat or small plane.
After arriving to Lake Clark via seaplane from Anchorage, I spent a magical day boating around and looking for brown bears along the shores of a bright blue lake. It was an incredible experience to see bears go fishing, and to watch a particularly playful mama and cub.
In this guide, I’ll be sharing all about my journey taking a day trip to Lake Clark. There are multiple ways to experience this park, so I’ll list a few other options as well. This is based on my experience visiting Lake Clark in August 2025.
Things To Know About Visiting Lake Clark National Park
- Lake Clark National Park is not accessible by road. It is only accessible by boat or small plane, and many visitors arrive via small plane. This means that travel to the park can be very expensive. The prices for small planes in Alaska are very high, primarily due to fuel and maintenance.
- It’s not uncommon to run into weather delays and cancellations when traveling via small plane in Alaska. I recommend having a back up day available in case your trip gets cancelled, and adjusting your expectations in case you experience a delay.
- It is extra important to keep your distance from wildlife when you’re visiting a park like this. As I’m sure you know, brown bears can be very dangerous, and you don’t want them to associate humans with food. Follow the rules and suggestions of your guide carefully, as the guidelines may be different depending on how you’re experiencing this park.
- This park protects some very pristine wilderness, so take extra effort in packing out all of your trash, never feeding wildlife and following rules regarding campfires. Please leave no trace.
- This is a remote park, so you won’t be able to stop at a drug store if you need something. Bring any medication you might need.
How to Take a Day Trip to Lake Clark National Park
When it comes to how to visit Lake Clark National Park, there are several different options. If you’re not very experienced in exploring the Alaska backcountry on your own, you’ll want to book an experience with a guide. And if you’re short on time and/or unable to drop the thousands that most multi-day trips cost, you’ll probably want to take a day trip.
For my day trip to Lake Clark, I booked the Lake Clark National Park Bear Viewing experience with Rust’s. This is an 11 hour day trip that takes passengers to Lake Crescent, where you’ll travel by pontoon boat and look for bears.
The bear viewing guides worked at Redoubt Mountain Lodge, which sits on the shores of the lake. The adventure also included a homemade lunch at the lodge.
We started our day with a flight from Lake Hood in Anchorage (the busiest seaplane base in the world). Unfortunately, we had a two hour delay due to fog in Anchorage. This is quite common, so bring your patience. The small planes need clear conditions to fly.
Our flight from Anchorage to Crescent Lake took a little over an hour. There were incredible views of mountains and water on the way. The flightseeing alone makes this a fantastic journey, but you’re just getting started. The plane carried about 10 passengers.
When we arrived, we spent the day traveling all over Lake Crescent looking for brown bears on a pontoon boat. Throughout the day, we saw 6 bears and 3 bald eagles. The best part was watching a very playful mama and cub. They were roughhousing in the water, chasing each other, splashing, and having a great time. We also saw other bears fishing. We had plenty of time to observe the behaviors of each bear, which was really special.
We also had lunch at the lodge. It was simple, but good. I’m vegetarian, so I was served a special veggie patty, while everyone else was served salmon. It was accompanied with rice, salad and chocolate chip cookies. The lodge also had a small gift shop where they sold stickers and other items.
Pro Tip: If you like getting a stamp at every national park, they have them at Redoubt Mountain Lodge! But make sure to ask for it.
We spent the majority of the day on the water, but also had a little bit of time to explore around the lodge, and to explore a beach where the boat landed. But as you can imagine, it’s possible to run into a bear, so you’ll want to stay in groups and be aware of your surroundings.
While seeing the bears was definitely the highlight, the views at Lake Crescent were also incredible. The water is a brilliant aqua blue and the lake is surrounded by mountains. You can also see some waterfalls flowing down the mountains. It’s a serene place.
If spending longer at this lake sounds dreamy to you, Redoubt Mountain Lodge offers overnight stays that include activities such as fishing, hiking, and more. It would be a beautiful place to spend a few nights.
Overall, the day trip to Lake Crescent booked with Rust’s costs $1,395 (as of this writing, and plus tax). I really enjoyed this adventure with one caveat…. I did a day trip to Katmai in the same week, and saw a lot more bears on that trip. When comparing the two, I enjoyed my experience at Katmai more. However, I still think this is a wonderful option for anyone who wants to take a day trip to Lake Clark.
Pro Tip: Lake Clark bear viewing tends to have a longer and later season than Katmai. So if you’re visiting in August or September, Lake Clark may be a better option. Katmai tends to be better in July.
What to Bring on a Bear Viewing Day Trip to Lake Clark
Here is a quick list of things you should bring on a day trip to Lake Clark!
- Binoculars
- A camera
- A water bottle
- Layers. Be prepared for both rain and sun.
- Sun protection
- Any essential medications
- A portable battery to charge your phone
When to Visit Lake Clark National Park
This is a remote park that has harsh winters, so it’s difficult to access during much of the year. This is a park that you’ll want to visit during the summer. The experience that I did operates from August 1 - September 25th.
When it comes to when to visit Alaska national parks in general, early August is better if you also want to visit Katmai. However, September is really nice to experience fewer crowds in many parts of the state. And mid-September brings some beautiful fall foliage to much of Alaska.
Other Ways to Visit Lake Clark National Park
I shared about my experience taking a day trip to Lake Crescent, but this is a large park, so there are several other ways to visit Lake Clark. Here is a quick list of other options for visiting Lake Clark.
Take a boat ride from Homer with Jake’s Saltwater Adventures. This adventure involves taking a boat from Homer over to Chinitna Bay in Lake Clark, and focuses on bear viewing. No small plane is involved, so it’s a more affordable option.
Visit Lake Clark Resort. They have several options ranging from day trips to 2+ week days that include time in Katmai as well. The day trip option includes hiking and is more affordable than the bear viewing experience to Lake Crescent.
Visit Lake Clark Lodge. They offer packages that range from 3 to 7 nights, and include activities such as bear viewing, hiking, fishing, and more.
Visit Lake Clark by boat. Discovery Voyages offers a cruise that includes stops in the Prince William Sound and a stay at Lake Clark National Park.
Fly from Homer with Smokey Bar Air. They offer bear viewing trips to both Katmai and Lake Clark that leave from Homer.
This is just a quick list of different experiences. Find more options on alaska.org and on the Lake Clark National Park website.
As you can see, there are several different options for visiting Lake Clark, and you can decide what works best for you based on your budget, interests, time and location.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helps you plan a trip to Lake Clark National Park! It can be intimidating to figure out how to visit all of the remote Alaska national parks, but it becomes simple when you decide on an operator and book your trip. Whether you visit on a day trip or are able to spend the night, Lake Clark is a special place that very few people get to visit. I’m grateful to have had this experience and to have seen so many brown bears in their natural habitat.
For more Alaska travel guides, check out my other blog posts:
- How to Take a Day Trip to Katmai National Park
- The Best Things To Do in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
- An Epic 7 Day Alaska Road Trip
- The Best Things To Do in Seward, Alaska
- A Guide to Visiting Matanuska Glacier
- A Guide to Visiting Denali National Park
- A Guide to the Denali Transit Bus
Thanks for Reading!
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