Little Lake Clark is our favorite place to go in a boat from Lake Clark. The water is beautiful, the cliffs are awe-inspiring, shooting straight up on both sides, there is an amazing waterfall with a false cave you can hike to in a morning or afternoon. There are great camping and fishing locations. It is far enough away from the villages and difficult enough to get to that you will rarely see another person there.
Located at the head of Lake Clark, Little Lake Clark looks like it should be part of the same lake. However, they are separated by a very shallow sandbar and the only access into Little Lake Clark is a narrow river against the cliffs. The water is murky from the glacial silt, and you can not easily see the channel through and have to trust to memory, blind trust, and the knowledge you will likely hit bottom at some point. (we will often put an old prop on my skiff when we go in there, just so we won’t ding up my nicer one)
Once into Little Lake Clark, part way up, there is a peaceful little bay with two creeks running into it. The larger creek, almost a river, has a great flat raised beach area that is great for setting up camp. The smaller creek still has a significant amount of water flowing through but can be waded across and has a game trail alongside it, crossing back and forth until you get to the massive waterfall, which is even more awe-inspiring up close than it is when viewed from the lake or an airplane.
From that bay, we explore farther along the cliffs by dinghy, looking at the hollows in the rock and the small waterfalls coming down the cliffs across the lake.
Further up the lake are more feeder streams and while we have never tried or learned, we have always wondered if it would be a good place to try gold panning. Even if it isn’t, the fishing and scenery has always been enough for me. You might even see a bear.
Odyssey stays near the head of Lake Clark, outside the shallow entrance to Little Lake Clark. We take guests in by dinghy when time and conditions allow. The distance makes this a dinghy-only outing, rather than a trip by kayak or paddleboard.