Minnesota may be known as the land of 10,000 lakes, but Alaska has that beat! This incredible state boasts over 3 million lakes. Many of them are valleys carved out by glaciers, and they can get incredibly deep. One stunning one is so deep it feels like a completely bottomless lake! Lake Clark, in Lake Clark National Park, is more than a whopping 1,000 feet deep! When it comes to the best lakes in Alaska, this one might just top the list thanks to its amazing depths.

Lake Clark is the deepest lake in Alaska, coming in at 1,054 feet deep. This makes it seem like a completely bottomless lake!
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve / Flickr
That beats out Tustamena Lake, which is 950 feet deep, and Iliamna Lake, which is the largest lake in Alaska. It's about 40 miles long, and 5 miles wide.
This lake comes in at about 128 square miles, making it the seventh largest freshwater lake in Alaska.
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve / Flickr
It's located in southwest Alaska, within Lake Clark National Park. Lake Clark National Park is almost 4 million acres of prime Alaskan beauty!
It has many of the landmark features that Alaska is famous for.
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve / Flickr
You can find glaciers, waterfalls, volcanoes, and tundra here! It also has an incredible array of wildlife, including our famous Alaska brown bears!
It also has some incredible fishing within its waters!
Caitlin Marr / Flickr
Expect to spend a fabulous day fishing for salmon, arctic char, dolly varden, and many other delicious species! And Lake Clark isn't the only lake to fish in inside Lake Clark National Park. Many of the lakes in the park offer an incredible day on the water!
It is located in a remote and undeveloped area, however, and the only way to access this lake is by plane.
Caitlin Marr / Flickr
The good news is there are plenty of commercial flights from Anchorage. It's located close to the Cook Inlet, so the flight isn't too long to get there!
Even though this lake, and the park, are an incredible representation of Alaska, it's rarely visited!
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve / Flickr
As one of the least visited National Parks in the entire United States, it has only around 4,000 annual visitors! This makes it the ideal place for some quiet rest, relaxation, and exploration.

This amazing video showcases some of the wildlife at Lake Clark, as well as its astonishing beauty.

Have you ever visited Lake Clark? What about Lake Clark National Park? What was your favorite thing to do there? How many lakes in Alaska have you seen? Let us know in the comments!

Looking for some other great spots to go fishing? Check out some of the best fishing spots in Alaska!

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More to Explore

Lakes In Alaska

Tori Jane | June 22, 2023
  1. How many lakes are there in Alaska? 

This might sound totally unbelievable, but it’s true: Alaska is home to 40% of the nation’s surface water. It has more than three million lakes larger than five acres in size and more than 12,000 rivers. Of these literally millions of bodies of water, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that isn’t absolutely breathtaking. You probably couldn’t even explore every one of Alaska’s lakes in one lifetime if you tried. Check out 15 of the most beautiful lakes in Alaska.   

  1. What are some of the most beautiful lakes in Alaska? 

Beautiful might be subjective, but objectively speaking, the lakes in Alaska are some of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Notably stunning Alaska lakes include ones like:  

  • Crater Lake – This incredible blue lake is literally nestled within the caldera of a volcano. It’s tough to access, but oh-so-rewarding.  
  • Kenai Lake – This Alaskan lake is so beautiful that it’s famous for it! With incredible panoramic views of the mountains and sparkling water, Kenai Lake is a feast for the senses.  
  • Lake Clark – This stunning lake is located at Lake Clark National Park and is known for its brilliant blue appearance.  

Learn more about each of these wonderful lakes in Alaska. 

  1. What other Alaska lakes are worth checking out? 

With millions of lakes to choose from, the “must-see” list of the best Alaska lakes is nowhere near complete with just the above-named ones. There are so many more that they cannot reasonably be listed in even a few sheets of paper, but some other Alaska lakes that are definitely worthy of checking out are ones such as:  

  • Reflections Lake – This lake is so amazingly clear that it produces near-perfect reflections of the sky overhead and the mountains in the distance.  
  • The Donoho Lakes – These lakes are very hard to reach and are typically only accessible by the best of hikers, but the trek is worth the obscenely picturesque views.  
  • Portage Lake – This little beauty is a relatively “young” lake, having only been around since 1914. Geologically speaking, that’s the blink of an eye!  

Learn more about these wonderful, beautiful lakes in Alaska.   

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Lake Clark, Alaska, USA