Parking
Start behind the Richard Proenneke cabin on Upper Twin Lake’s south shore. There is no road access; summer visitors arrive by floatplane unless hiking in from elsewhere in the park.
Overview
About Teetering Rock Trail
Why go
- A balanced boulder above Upper Twin Lake
- A worthwhile short hike from the historic cabin site
Heads up
- Unmaintained tread with brush along its edges
- Remote access takes more planning than the mileage suggests
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake Clark map
Full mapElevation1,985–2,408 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake Clark Tour Guide
Your drive to Teetering Rock Trail, 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 tour- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Teetering Rock Trail
A short hike, a remote startTeetering Rock Trail is an out-and-back from the Richard Proenneke cabin to a balanced boulder…
Teetering Rock Trail is an out-and-back from the Richard Proenneke cabin to a balanced boulder above Hope Creek, with a wide view over Upper Twin Lake. The mapped way is about 0.8 mile each way, so this record treats it as a 1.6-mile round trip with about 425 feet of climb. Published figures vary from 1 to 1.8 miles, and the upper end is not pinned consistently, so use the worn path to the rock as your cue instead of treating mileage as exact. Allow about 1½ hours. The distance is short, but the climb is noticeably steep. I’d add it if you’re already at the cabin; reaching this remote start takes far more planning than the hike.
Follow the worn pathStart behind the cabin and follow the path as it winds through spruce and brush beside Hope…
Start behind the cabin and follow the path as it winds through spruce and brush beside Hope Creek. The creek runs over small boulders, and you can hear it on the climb. The route rises out of the trees; brush isn’t fully cleared along the edges. This is an unmaintained trail, so follow the worn line instead of cutting fresh tracks through fragile tundra.
The viewpointA balanced boulder marks the end and opens a broad view of Upper Twin Lake.
A balanced boulder marks the end and opens a broad view of Upper Twin Lake. The pale turquoise water and distant mountains are the payoff. Take your time at the rock: a view that keeps the boulder and lake together shows why this is a named destination.
Make access part of the planThe trailhead is at the remote cabin site on the lake’s south shore, with no road access.
The trailhead is at the remote cabin site on the lake’s south shore, with no road access. Summer visitors arrive by floatplane unless they backpack in from elsewhere in the park. Be ready to stay overnight if weather delays your return. A pit toilet is on a separate fork behind the cabin; take the left branch. The cabin is a National Historic Landmark connected to Sam Keith’s One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey.
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.
