A Luxury Sailing Expedition in One of Alaska’s Least-Visited National Parks

A Sponsored Post with Sailing Lake Clark. April 2026.

One morning, while on a camping trip with her family in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park, Alison crawled out of her tent and noticed a bear paw print in the nearby beach mud of Lake Clark. Her husband, Dennis, was making a fire to cook breakfast, and their son was exploring around the campsite with their dog. Alison let them both know about the bear print and kept her eyes peeled.

The lake was glass calm. Mountains rose on every side. As a frequent camper at the lake, Alison had always considered this to be one of the most beautiful places to wake up. Today, though, she couldn’t escape the thought that a very large bear was roaming nearby. “Wouldn’t it be nice,” she said, “if instead of camping, we had a boat big enough to sleep on?”

That comment set in motion a chain of events that would bring a 50-foot sailing catamaran to a landlocked lake in a park considered one of America’s most remote, despite it being just 120 air miles from Anchorage. And it would launch a touring company, Sailing Lake Clark, where Alison and Dennis could share their favorite place with travelers.

Here’s how it all came about — and how you can experience this magical area yourself.

A New Way to Explore

Dennis and Alison have lived in the Lake Clark area for decades. But even after all these years, they still stop and marvel at the scenery. That was especially true when visiting the lake itself, and they wanted to explore every corner of it.

So, a few years ago, when Dennis wanted to teach their son that he could build anything, they started with boats. Their first creation was a plywood and fiberglass canoe. Then they moved on to a 17-foot powerboat skiff, which took a couple years to finish but was worth the effort. This beautiful boat allowed them all to explore parts of the lake they hadn’t laid eyes on before. They discovered new anchorages, new places for beachfront bonfires, and new campsites — like where they saw the bear print.

Realizing the Dream

After that camping trip, Dennis started watching sailing videos on YouTube of couples living aboard catamarans, crossing oceans, cooking good food, and sleeping comfortably in places where no traditional hotel could exist. He started researching how to build a catamaran himself and figured it would take 3 to 5 years. Alison thought it would be at least 10. Dennis realized she was probably right.

So they went looking for a boat to buy and found Odyssey, a 50-foot sailing catamaran that’s 27 feet wide and features four queen-size cabins, each with its own en-suite bathroom. Alison and Dennis felt that in every sense it would be the perfect floating wilderness lodge: super-luxurious, and so stable that waves barely caused ripples in a full cup of coffee.

There was just one problem: The boat wasn’t in Alaska; it was in the British Virgin Islands. But they were determined. So they hired two experienced sailing captains and sent them off on one of the more improbable delivery voyages.

The captains sailed Odyssey from the BVIs through the Panama Canal, past the Galápagos Islands, across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, north through the Bering Sea to Naknek, Alaska, and up the Kvichak River to Lake Iliamna. From there, only one option existed to get the boat to Lake Clark — load it onto a massive trailer and portage it.

The entire journey was more like an expedition: It took four months!

See One of America’s Most Remote Parks from the Water

Lake Clark National Park isn’t exactly on the grid: There are no roads to or within the preserve, so visitors have to fly in by bush plane. As a result, it’s one of America’s least-visited national parks, hosting fewer than 20,000 people each year. (Compared to 4 million-plus at Yellowstone.)

But those who make it here reap amazing rewards, starting with the hour-long scenic flight from Anchorage. When passengers land, 6 million acres of stunning wilderness stretch out before them: turquoise glacial water fed by rivers and creeks, mountains that rise almost vertically from the shoreline, eagles overhead, and yes, bears on the beaches.

Life Aboard Odyssey

That flight is how you’ll begin your adventure aboard Odyssey. After your bush plane lands in the tiny town of Port Alsworth, you’ll be ferried out to the catamaran. And over the next three or six nights, Odyssey will become your home and wilderness base.

Each morning, you’ll enjoy breakfast on deck or in the salon. Choices often include omelets with

reindeer sausage, bagels with smoked salmon cream cheese, or pancakes. Sipping hot coffee in the cool air while marveling at the craggy mountain reflections on the water is unlike anything else.

Afternoon activities are determined by your group’s desires and lake conditions. Options include kayaking along the shoreline; stand-up-paddleboarding; looking for bears, moose, and eagles; hiking; or venturing into Little Lake Clark by kayak or dinghy. Anglers can fish for salmon, lake trout, grayling, arctic char, or northern pike. You can even arrange for fly-out trips to experience the park’s other highlights, like bear viewing or visiting Dick Proenneke’s historic cabin.

Each evening, you’ll dine on a meal that makes you forget you’re on a boat in the wilderness. Entrees may include dishes like prime rib or fresh salmon. And on at least one evening, you can choose a special evening activity, like setting anchor near a quiet beach and enjoying a cookout with ribs and smores while taking in the views.

Who This Trip Is For

Odyssey takes up to 6 guests in 3 cabins. (The fourth is for the crew.) Couples can book by the cabin, while groups can reserve the whole boat. Children 13 and under are welcome on a full-boat charter.

The catamaran’s strong hull means the boat barely moves in the swells that the lake can kick up. It’s the kind of stability that makes the experience accessible to guests who might not otherwise consider a small-boat adventure. And if it’s rainy, you can wait for the sky to clear in the well-appointed salon, watching clouds move across the mountains through panoramic windows.

Trips run June through September. Guests fly into Port Alsworth on an air taxi and are met on

arrival. Click here to learn more and book your adventure with Sailing Lake Clark.