Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information

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Port Alsworth

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The spectacular scenery surrounding Port Alsworth is quintessential Alaska: tundra-covered hills, an array of mountains, glaciers, coastline, the largest lakes in the state and two active volcanoes.

About Port Alsworth

Port Alsworth is community of 125 residents, located on the east shore of Lake Clark about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage. It is the only community within the vast wilderness of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, which makes Port Alsworth a major gateway for adventurous souls seeking a wilderness experience in the national park.

The centerpiece of the area is spectacular Lake Clark, a 42-mile-long turquoise body of water hemmed in by mountains. But the national park is also where the Alaska Range merges into the Aleutian Range to form the Chigmit Mountains and is home to Mount Iliamna, at 10,016 feet, and Mount Redoubt, at 10,197 feet.

Things to do

Visitors who head into the vast wilderness of the national park are often a mix of anglers, river runners and experienced backpackers. There are no roads and few trails in the park but there are three federally designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers, which are popular with rafters and paddlers in inflatable canoes and kayaks. The park's watershed is one of the world's most important producers of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, contributing a third of the annual harvest, and anglers arrive from around the world to hook a hard-fighting sockeye. Lake Clark also has a scattering of remote, isolated lodges, most accessible from Port Alsworth, where you can truly escape into a pristine wilderness for a few days without having to sleep on the ground.

Port Alsworth has lodging, raft rentals and other visitor services as well as a National Park Ranger Station with displays and videos on the park and a limited selection of maps and books for sale. A foot trail, one of the few maintained trails in the park, heads 2.5 miles from the village to serene Tanalian Falls.

Port Alsworth

Port Alsworth is on the east shore of Lake Clark, 100 miles from Anchorage, and is accessible by scheduled and charter air service from Anchorage.

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Port Alsworth

Nearby Parks

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

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Attractions

Charter Fishing +

Fly-in fishing trips are popular in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Many are one-day adventures out of Anchorage with guides and anglers landing on a river for an afternoon of salmon fishing.
Rafting +

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve offer numerous opportunities to raft portions of three designated wild rivers that include spectacular scenery and rapids that range from Class III to Class IV. Rafts can be rented in Anchorage and then flown to the start of the float trip. Lodges in Port Alsworth also rent rafts and can arrange transportation to the rivers.
Tanalian Falls +

From Port Alsworth a trail, one of the few maintained trails in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, heads 2.5 miles to serene Tanalian Falls.
Wilderness Lodges +

In and around Lake Clark National Park and Preserve are a scattering of remote, isolated lodges offering a comfortable escape into the wilderness. All offer accommodations, meals and numerous activities, from fishing and kayaking to hiking and wildlife viewing. Most are reached via a float plane from Anchorage, Port Alsworth or Iliamna.