Overview
About Kontrashibuna Lake
Why stop
- Turquoise water and steep peaks make a memorable wilderness shore.
Heads up
- The established trail ends at the lake; the longer shore route is rough and unmaintained.
Fly into Port Alsworth, then follow the Tanalian trail system about 2.9 miles one way to the shore, or arrive directly by floatplane. The approach gains less than 200 feet and passes Tanalian Falls, worth stopping for on the way. Near town the route crosses a private-property easement, so stay on the marked path. Summer floatplanes can land on the lake; winter landings depend on safe ice.
Parkwolf’s verdictGet there from Port AlsworthMap
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake Clark Tour Guide
Your drive to Kontrashibuna Lake, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake Clark National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lake Clark audio tourRecorded for this place
Tanalian Trails and Falls“You're approaching the Tanalian Trails access, where I'd choose the walk to Tanalian Falls. It's roughly four miles round trip and takes about two and a half hours through birch and spruce.”
Plays as you drive up to Kontrashibuna Lake in the Parkwolf Lake Clark Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cissie's Kitchen
- Port Alsworth Visitor Center and Fish Cache
- Libby's Orange Sailboat
- 18 audio storiesacross Lake Clark’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Brown Bear, Bald Eagle, Common Merganser
- Works offlinemaps, 5 trails, 34 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Kontrashibuna Lake
A lake in the backcountryKontrashibuna Lake is a long, narrow mountain lake between steep slopes near Port Alsworth.
Kontrashibuna Lake is a long, narrow mountain lake between steep slopes near Port Alsworth. Its blue-green water and reflected peaks are the payoff. Keep it on your list if you want a real wilderness shoreline, not a road-side stop.
The trail ends at the lakeThe established trail stops at the outlet.
The established trail stops at the outlet. The lake continues about 14 miles to its head, but the shoreline beyond the outlet is a separate backcountry outing: rough game trails and beaches, uneven ground, brush and two small stream crossings. Low water in spring and late fall can expose more walkable beach; winter storms may leave wind-thrown trees across the route. Don't mistake the first shore for the start of an easy maintained lakeshore walk.
Plan for a wilderness stopNo developed facilities are listed at the lake, and camping is primitive.
No developed facilities are listed at the lake, and camping is primitive. Brown and black bears use the lakeshore route; mosquitoes and biting flies may be around. Use bear-resistant food storage, including scented items. A canister is strongly recommended because suitable trees for hanging food can be hard to find; ask about borrowing one at the Port Alsworth visitor center. Don't count on toilets or potable water at the shore.
Look for the peaks on the waterFishing for Arctic char and lake trout is one of the reasons to come.
Fishing for Arctic char and lake trout is one of the reasons to come. The defining view is the rugged mountain wall reflected in the turquoise lake. On a calm day, include both the shore and the peak reflections in your photo; wind can break up the mirror.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake Clark
142 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
11 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
13 sightingsCommon MerganserMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake Clark. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
