The lushest carpet of untouched grass and forest stretches below me to the water’s edge. It’s an Alaskan paradise. And to think, I assumed yesterday’s hike was as good as it could get.

July 26–29, 2025

A trip to an Alaskan national park is never simple or cheap, so stringing as many parks together as possible always helps the bottom line. The plan for this particular visit is to hit Lake Clark National Park, Katmai National Park, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in one large loop, making this by far the most expensive and complex trip I’ve coordinated. That’s why I booked this trip 7 months ago in January with my parents. The thought is that by booking together, we are able to share the costs of lodging and activities together, making this bucket-list trip a reality for all three of us. And now the moment has arrived, so with all our reservations locked in place, all that’s left is to close our eyes, hold our breath, and trust all the meticulous details will pan out as planned in the 10 days ahead.

After a rough start to the trip involving a delayed flight and a nearly missed connection in Seattle, I find myself bleary-eyed in Anchorage at 2 a.m. A quiet corner of the airport allows us to catch a few valuable hours of sleep before venturing on to Port Alsworth, the remote gateway town of Lake Clark National Park. At 5 a.m. we hail a taxi and ride 15 minutes to Merrill Field Airport to check in for the flight with Lake Clark Air. The baggage allowance is 50 pounds per passenger so we reshuffle our necessary items (including groceries for meals—another cost-saving tactic) into our carry-on bags and make our way to the tarmac.

A small twin-prop plane meets us on the runway gearing up for the 1-hour scenic flight through the Alaska Range mountains. I’m bursting with excitement. Not only am I checking off another national park, but I’m boarding a small charter plane and sailing through gorgeous mountain passes to a charming Alaskan town for the next 4 days. Not to mention our travel plans booked months ago are actually working as expected. What more could you want?

Even though I never really got a full night’s sleep, landing in Port Alsworth at 8 a.m. feels like a new day. The sun is shining bright and the sky is a cheery blue. We exit the plane and wait at the Cranberry Cache, a quaint coffee shack on the coast of Lake Clark, for our host to pick us up and shuttle our bags to our lodging. Everyone we meet is friendly and happy to be alive as we watch sea planes roll into the small Hardenberg Bay under Tanalian Mountain. Soon our host rolls up in her truck, hops out, and greets us in classic Alaska charm. Because our flight is early in the day, the previous guests have not checked out so we stash our bags on the porch of our townhouse and head a mile down the road to Beaver Pond Loop Trail to kill some time and take advantage of this rare sunny weather.

Beaver Pond Loop Trail is the start of a 8-mile roundtrip route up Tanalian Mountain. I hardly feel tired as I begin hiking, energized by the prospects of a new trail in a new park. Though brown bears are rare in Port Alsworth, we hike with our host’s complimentary bear spray—just to give us added confidence. After about 1.5 miles we reach Beaver Pond, an idyllic scene with ducks gliding on the surface below mountaintops perfectly reflected in the mirror-like water. The golden morning is too perfect to believe.

At this point, having ascended a good amount of elevation, I decide to continue up Tanalian Mountain while I’m here and my parents return to town to find some food and rest after a long night of travel. I hike the 3,000 vertical feet under spruce and birch trees and come to the moment I’ve been waiting for: the Alaskan alpine tundra. As trees and shrubs give way to grass and rock, the view opens up dramatically. I can see the entire Lake Clark stretched out like a blue mat before me. Chains of mountains layer the distance beyond. Rocky pinnacles give way to lush green slopes on their way down to turquoise waters. Everything seems too beautiful to be true. Now feeling exhausted myself, I grab some water and a snack before heading back down the 4 miles to Port Alsworth basking in the beauty of Alaska backcountry. Back in town, we move our bags into our townhouse and find some burgers for dinner at a local food truck. Not a bad start to our first day in Lake Clark.

The next day at 8 a.m., I leave my parents to board a day trip to Upper Twin Lake and the historic site of Richard Proenneke’s hand-crafted cabin. Proenneke arrived in the 1960s challenging himself to survive a year in Alaska’s wilderness with nothing but hand tools. What began as a single year soon turned into 30 as he fell in love with the Alaskan wilderness. The flight to Twin Lakes is only about 30 minutes from Port Alsworth, but worth every cent, as I watch sapphire lakes in green forests pass below. The sea plane lands right on the lake outside Proenneke’s cabin. I can see a park ranger waiting to greet our small group of 5 as we step off the plane onto the rocky beach.

The ranger spends the next hour giving us a tour of the historic site, inside the cabin, around the woodshop, and up to the food cache, detailing Dick Proenneke’s meticulous resourcefulness in surviving the wilderness alone. We hold pots and pans made from up-cycled tin gas cans and find tools hand-carved from nearby trees. Everything here speaks of intentionality and conservation.

It’s about mid-morning by the time the tour ends. With a couple hours left at Upper Twin Lake, I venture up a small trail to Teetering Rock, a well-balanced boulder on the side of the mountain only a mile from the cabin. Black spruce trees grow sparse as I climb up the slope. Reaching Teetering Rock, I look back over the lake and can hardly believe my eyes. The scene unfolding before me is overwhelming. The colors are so vibrant they don’t look real. Purple rocky mountainsides dip down to the pure turquoise water of Upper Twin Lake. White puffy clouds punctuate the deep blue sky of midday casting dappled light on the landscape. The lushest carpet of untouched grass and forest stretches below me to the water’s edge. It’s an Alaskan paradise. And to think, I assumed yesterday’s hike was as good as it could get. I could spend the rest of the day up here. Alone, quiet, peaceful in the mountains. I see why Proenneke never left.

Returning to Port Alsworth in early afternoon leaves plenty of time for more exploration. After all, the sun doesn’t set around here until 11 p.m. So, reuniting with my parents, my mom and I revisit the Tanalian trails, this time choosing Falls and Lake Trail. The path parallels yesterday’s Beaver Pond Loop Trail for 2 miles reaching the famous Tanalian Falls, a 30-foot thundering waterfall along the Tanalian River. For the more adventurous, the path continues past the waterfall and terminates at Lake Kontrashibuna at the foot of Tanalian Mountain.

Arriving at the falls, we explore the lower and upper sections, dipping our feet in the rushing water and breathing in the mist of the river. The sun floats in and out of clouds all afternoon. Nearing evening, we walk back to our townhouse and cook up some tacos for dinner. Time seems to slow down in Alaska as sunsets last hours with the sharp angle of the sun’s path. I have no concept of time. With the sky still light with dusk I crawl into bed around midnight, and fall asleep.

The next morning is exciting for it has been much anticipated for the last 7 months. Because Lake Clark is a short plane ride away, our plans take us to Katmai National Park for the day. (For details on my visit to this park, check out my separate trip report, Walking with Grizzlies in Katmai National Park.) After returning from Katmai, we savor our last night in Lake Clark with a home-cooked dinner and post-meal card game. We need to check out of the townhouse by 10 a.m. tomorrow so we get a jumpstart on laundry and packing before turning in for the night.

Our flight back to Anchorage doesn’t leave until 6 p.m. so in the morning we make a quick breakfast and stow our bags on the porch to check out. Just like us, the lodge’s next guests are already in town and ready to move in. Captivated by the waterfall, my mom and I insist on another hike to Tanalian Falls, this time with my dad. Again, we explore the cascades and dip our toes in the water, this time sharing the new experience with my dad. The sun is bright and hot, another atypical Alaksan day, making the water refreshing. We are beyond grateful for the decent weather so far. With an afternoon to kill, we press on to Lake Kontrashibuna. Windows in the trees give us glimpses of the long lake as we approach. Though pretty, Kontrashibuna is not especially thrilling so we linger 15 minutes and return 2.5 miles to Port Alsworth.

Back in town, we lounge on the deck of the Cranberry Cache, soaking in the sun as we watch planes take off and land on the pristine water of Hardenberg Bay. Soon 6 p.m. rolls around and we check in for our flight to Anchorage. A tiny three-seat, single-prop plane transports us back through the Alaskan Range to Merrill Field Airport. It’s disappointing to leave the beauty of Lake Clark (and Katmai) behind us as we drop back into civilization, but our spirits are buoyed by the prospect of still one more park on our itinerary. And besides, our Alaska adventure is only half done. We still have 5 days to spend in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.