Sometimes getting to a national park can seem like a chore and other times it can be pure pleasure. The latter was our experience with Lake Clark National Park. Rust's Flying Service and our pilot, Paul, exceeded our expectations. When meeting Paul, my first impression was that he was a cross between Santa and an outlaw biker. I honestly wasn't entirely sure I wanted to fly with him, but he quickly put me at ease as he gave a detailed safety briefing. Our one-hour flight was on another de Havilland DHC-3 Otter equipped with floats. After taking off from the Lake Hood Seaplane Base under the direction of the Anchorage International Airport tower, we circled around the east end of the airport and flew down Cook Inlet. Once clear of the controlled airspace around the airport, Paul transitioned into a great tour guide by telling us what was to our left, right, ahead, and below as well as stories about the area. It was obvious that Paul is a professional who has been flying tourists for a long time as he effortlessly paused his commentary to communicate on the radios with his company, other pilots, and air traffic control as needed. Once we got to Crescent Lake, Paul landed the plane on the lake so smoothly that I had to look out the window at the spray kicked up by the floats to confirm we had indeed landed. We visited Lake Clark National Park in early September 2022.
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| Mount Susitna (4396') |
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| Oil platform in Cook Inlet |
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| Big River |
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| Big River Lobe of Double Glacier |
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| A closer view |
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| Rust Slough |
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| Another view of Double Glacier |
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| North Fork Crescent River |
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| Mount Redoubt (10,197') |
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| Crescent Lake (599') and Lake Fork Crescent River |
There is no entrance fee at Lake Clark National Park.
The Lake Clark National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/lacl/index.htm.
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