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Watching the photographer watch the bear, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson
Contributing photographer and writer for the National Parks Traveler since 2012, Rebecca Latson has ventured out to units of the U.S. National Park System, as well as national parks within Canada, on behalf of the Traveler. With her writing and photography, Rebecca authors the Traveler's monthly Photography In The National Parks column as well as various other national park-related articles (hiking, itineraries, photography guides, quizzes) for the Traveler.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska? Is it bears, salmon, volcanoes, glaciers, fishing, paddling, or backpacking?
If you were asked to describe this national park and preserve using a single word, would that word be “dynamic?”
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is all the above, and yes, this remote, rugged landscape is indeed dynamic. Movement is one of the constants within this 4,030,006-acre (1,630,886-hectare) national park and preserve. Two active volcanoes belch steam from vents along their snow-covered flanks, dozens of glaciers continually sculpt the 849 mi2 (2,200 km2) of landscape within the park as they slowly flow down from and around the mountains, and enough sockeye (aka red) salmon migrate from Lake Clark into Bristol Bay to maintain the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
Within the boundaries of this national park are the 2.61 million acres (>1 million hectares) of a National Wilderness Preservation System, four areas listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Dr. Elmer Bly House, Dick Proenneke Site, Libby’s No. 23 Bristol Bay Double-Ender, Wassillie Trefon Dena’ina Fish Cache), three National Wild Rivers (Chilikadrotna, Mulchatna, Tlikakila), two National Natural Landmarks (Redoubt and Iliamna volcanoes), and a National Historic Landmark (Kijik Archeological District).
Add to that the 10,000 years of human presence, 253 wildlife species (mammals, birds, amphibian, and fish combined), approximately 800 plant species, a superlative-laden landscape of mountains around which are dotted the sparkling jewels of pristine lakes linked by strands of countless rivers and streams, and you have a national park and preserve attractive to photographers, backpackers, paddlers, birders, botanists, anglers, and hunters.
Of course, you must first get to the park. Inaccessible by car, the only way to reach this out-of-the-way location is via wheeled plane, floatplane, or boat. Authorized air taxis, as well as guided outfitters and organized tours, are available to help plan your bucket-list trip here. The pages below will also aid planning and preparation as well as teach a little about Lake Clark’s cultural, geological, geographical, and natural history. Here, you will learn about Dick Proenneke, the Dena'ina Athabascan people, sockeye salmon, the coastal brown bears, archaeology, volcanoes, and so much more.
Traveler’s Choice For: wildlife, geology, photography, backpacking, fishing
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