Best Hikes in the Parks: Trail Maps
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
Telaquana Lake to Twin Lakes
When to Go: June to September
Round-Trip: 25 miles
Level: Moderate Backpacking Trip
You have to be willing to go native to do this classically Alaskan hike—in and out by floatplane, and not a trail in sight. That said, the going is fairly easy (just head south) across a huge landscape of contoured high tundra, and the rewards are immense. You’ll see caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and possibly brown bears as you hike beneath towering mountains and hanging glaciers perched above the east end of Turquoise Lake. Allow six or seven days and some time to check out the handcrafted cabin built by locally fabled naturalist/mountain man Dick Proenneke on Upper Twin Lake at the end of your hike.
Insider Tip: Lake Clark Air (www.lakeclarkair.com) can set up your floatplane taxis, or go with Alaska Alpine Adventures—they guide the route and arrange the floatplanes (www.alaskaalpineadventures.com).
Lake Clark National Park Guide
- Nat Geo Expeditions
