Alaskan M(oo)sings: Lake Clark NP: Getting There (06-14-2023)

Today we continue our quest to visit all of Alaska's National Parks. Eight of the sixty-three national parks are in Alaska:

Denali
Gates of the Arctic
Glacier Bay
Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Wrangell-St Elias

BB and I have visited the 4 parks in bold. Today we are off to a new one, Lake Clark NP.

Lake Clark NP is 100 airmiles southwest of Anchorage. It is on the other side of Cook Inlet (west) from Soldotna and Homer. Access to the park is by plane or boat as Lake Clark is not on the road system. Several sources recommend arriving by plane as the boat trip can take 2 to 4 hours and involve rough open waters and extreme tides.

BB discovered Silver Salmon Creek Lodge while researching Lake Clark NP. The Lodge is on 40 acres of private land within the park and offers lodging, meals, guide services and transportation.

Our plane to Lake Clark leaves from Soldotna tomorrow morning at 9:00. Today's plans include a leisurely drive to Soldotna and an evening of music at Soldotna Creek Park.

We say goodbye to Grey and are on the road by 10:30. As we drive south on Seward Highway we discuss a side trip to Hope, a small, picturesque, gold mining community. It is 87 miles south of Anchorage across Turnagain Arm. We've heard people talk about Hope and it is on the way. When we reach the Hope turnoff we take it and drive 16 scenic miles to the end of the road. We drive through Hope, enjoying the views and checking out the historic buildings. We are looking for coffee and find not much is open. Historic Seaview Cafe is temporarily closed. The For Sale sign might explain why. We try the Creekbend Cafe and find it is closed on Wednesdays. We end up getting coffee and cookies at The Dirty Skillet. On the way back to Seward Highway we stop at an overlook for a picnic lunch of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, coffee and cookies. The view is beautiful and a Steller's Jay provides entertainment.

Sterling Highway parallels Kenai River and Lake near Coopers Landing. The water is an amazing blue/green!

We see gulls flocking and fishermen congregating in the river...fishing for salmon!

We arrive in Soldatna late afternoon. First stop is at the airport to locate and check in at Natron Air. I have fun playing with the two dogs, Boxers, while we check in and talk with one of the owners.

Next stop is check in at the Kenai River Lodge. We catch our second wind and head out to explore Soldotna.

The hotel is on the Kenai River. From our hotel window we see a riverwalk directly across from us. We walk by the river, read the info signs on salmon and river conservation and look for salmon. (We don't see any).

On to music in the park. We arrive at Soldotna Creek Park to find much more than live music! There are food trucks, a beer and wine garden and local arts and crafts vendors. We have fun perusing the food options and the arts and crafts.

Dinner is halibut.