Other Links
Leave No Trace

Wilderness Hiking and Camping

Webster defines wilderness as "an empty or pathless area or region". Most of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve qualifies under that definition of wilderness.  There are no "improvements" to hiking or camping.  All camping is primitive, no facilities or designated campsites exist.  Use Leave No Trace guidelines to minimize your impacts.  Backcountry permits for camping and hiking are not required, however there are rules and regulations governing one's behavior in all national park areas.  Become familiar with them. Resist the urge to take, shape or alter the wilderness around you.

Still want to go camping or hiking here?  Good!  A further caution then, take it upon yourself to be extremely knowledgeable and prepared. Lake Clark is wilderness: exceptionally remote and isolated. Weather can often be uncooperative. Adventures such as these demand self-sufficiency and advanced backcountry skills. Help is what you bring with you: common sense and skills.  Assistance maybe days away. Travelers should also be prepared for the possibility of inclement weather delaying scheduled pick-up, again by perhaps several days.

There are no trails.... one hikes cross country, using map and the lay of the land to get where you want to go.  There are rivers to ford, mires to avoid, weather to sit out and experiences of a life time to be found here.  As varied as Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is, so is its hiking.  Vegetation and terrain usually dictate the difficulty of the hiking.  Plan on covering one mile per hour (allowing for errors in navigation, route selection and tough going).  Generally the western slopes of the park and preserve are higher and dryer than the eastern or coastal portions of the park, which tends to have more precipitation and denser vegetation. Be aware that willows, alders and birch brush found along the water courses and on many of the lower mountain slopes generally mean slower and tougher going. Some areas are virtually impassable because of the vegetation. Hikers should also be prepared for wet feet, from either occasional soggy tundra or river fords. Keep in mind that all streams and rivers must be forded, and during high water levels, this may prove to be impossible.

You may want to leave your itinerary with us at our field headquarters at Port Alsworth before departing into the backcountry. If you have additional questions, rangers on staff will be happy to assist you: "To give our eyes, legs, and hearts to those who thus far have not seen as clearly, walked as swiftly, or felt as strongly."    Dylan Beeson

They can be reached at (907)781-2218, or you can drop by our field office if your travels bring you into Port Alsworth.