Much like Katmai National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska is famous for its brown bear-viewing opportunities. Multi-day guided wildlife and photography tours, as well as one-day outings are offered for watching these big brown bruins – some with adorable little cubs in tow. Brown bears, however, are not the only wildlife living and roaming within this park and preserve’s boundaries.
Red foxes on a cold, windy day, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / NPS file
A visit there might find you within close telephoto range of Dall sheep, moose, caribou, wolves, foxes, or any of the other 37 species of terrestrial mammals. Walk along the coastal boundary between park and Cook Inlet and it’s also possible to spot seals, sea otters, or even a breaching whale in the distance.
Bald eagles along the coast, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson
If you are a birder, your binoculars or telephoto lenses might point you to one or more of 187 species of winged wildlife, including bald eagles, black-legged kittiwakes, trumpeter swans, and pine grosbeaks. Different birds stake out different territories during different times of the year. Sea ducks (white-winged and surf scoters) numbering in the tens of thousands visit the park’s coast around mid-August. During spring migration, 86,000 to 122,000 shorebirds, primarily western sandpipers and dunlin, use intertidal mud flats in Tuxedni and Chinitna Bays. Fifty pairs of nesting bald eagles and 5-10 pairs of golden eagles nest within park boundaries. To keep track of the birds you may spy during a trip to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, you can download a PDF checklist of birds (or even other animal species) by clicking on the “winged wildlife” link above.
Sockeye/red salmon, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / NPS file
Bring your rod and reel to test your angling skills in the park’s lakes, streams, or rivers, and it’s possible to catch any of five Pacific salmon species (including sockeye salmon), several species of trout (including lake and rainbow trout), or other fish such as pike or burbot (a type of freshwater fish related to cod).
Where To See The Wildlife
While you can see (or hear) birds throughout the entire park (except at very high elevations), it's doubtful you will find many mammals in the same spot. Depending upon what you want to see during your visit, you’ll need to venture forth into different parts of the park.
Look for wolves in mountainous regions below 5,000 feet (1,524 m) in elevation at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / NPS-J. Mills
For instance, wolves (Canis lupus) are found mainly in the park's mountainous areas, generally below 5,000 feet (1,524 m) in coniferous forests, and in open tundra. Moose (Alces alces) are found below treeline in transition areas between forest and tundra, between aquatic and terrestrial environments, and in areas that have been burned or disturbed. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) range through the foothill lakes and tundra plains of the western preserve.
Just like Goldilocks, Dall sheep need a mountain home that is just right, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / NPS file
Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are like Goldilocks: they love their mountains but the mountains must be just right. Not enough vegetation for food grows along the slopes of mountains too high in elevation. Heavy winter snows bury food sources on mountains too close to the coast. The western slopes of the Chigmit Mountains along the boundary of Lake Clark Park and Preserve, however are perfect, so look toward Tanalian Mountain or the peaks near Twin Lakes and you may spot the white coats and curving horns of Dall sheep dotting the slopes.
Black bears may be found throughout the park, but they prefer to steer clear of their much larger relatives, the brown bear, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / NPS-J. Mills
Brown bears are a mammal species you may see during a visit to Lake Clark, but did you know this national park and preserve also has its share of black bears (Ursus americanus)? While one of the most common bear species in North America, you may not see them as often at this national park and preserve, although they are found throughout the park except at the highest elevations. Black bears are simply outnumbered by the much larger brown bears. For a better chance to see a black bear, you’ll want to stay near the coastal areas of the park, since that’s where prime feeding habitats are, from sedges, to salmon, to roots and berries. These coastal areas must be fairly isolated from the brown bears, since black bears don’t care for conflict with their much larger relatives.
How can you tell the difference between a black bear and a brown bear?
Black Bears
- The black bears at Lake Clark are predominantly black.
- Shoulder lies level or flat with back/lacks shoulder hump.
- Rump is higher than front shoulders.
- Face profile is straight from between the eyes to tip of muzzle.
- Ears are taller and more oval shaped and can appear to be very prominent on the head.
- Front claws are less than 2 inches long and curved.
- Toes are separated and fairly arced. A line drawn under the big toe across the top of the pad runs through the top half of the little toe on black bear tracks. Claw marks do not always show in the tracks.
- Black bears are smaller than brown bears, standing 2 - 3.5 feet at the shoulder when on all fours.
Brown Bears
- Distinctive shoulder hump.
- Rump is lower than shoulder hump.
- Face profile appears dished in between the eyes and tip of the snout.
- Ears are short and round.
- Front claws are slightly curved and 2-4 inches longs, depending on how much digging the individual bear does.
- Toes are close together, and form a fairly straight line. A line drawn under the big toe across the top of the pad runs through or below the bottom half of the little toe on grizzly/brown bear tracks. Claw marks are often visible in the tracks.
- Brown bears are larger than black bears, standing 3-5 feet at the shoulder when on all fours.
A coastal brown bear, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson
