Lake Clark 



3 2 7 



count nothing further has been pub- 

 lished about the region. It was, there- 

 fore, with considerable interest that I 

 started in July, 1902, on a trip, the itin- 

 erary of which was to include Lake 

 Clark. 



There are two practical routes to the 

 lake, one by way of Iliamna Pass, where 

 it is necessary to cross the mountains 

 between Iliamna Bay and Lake Iliamna, 

 and another, almost entirely by water, 

 by way of Bristol Bay, and thence up 

 the Kvichak River to Lake Iliamna, 

 which receives the waters of Lake Clark 

 through the Nogheling River. It is 

 also possible to go in summer or winter 

 by the route of Clark and Schanz by 



the lower Nogheling and impassable for 

 boats. The portage is about 6 miles in 

 length, the first half being over rather 

 swampy open country and the last 

 through open forest on comparatively 

 hard ground. The Nogheling is a large, 

 swift stream from 25 to 30 miles in 

 length ; above the portage there is one 

 stretch of a third of a mile of swift water 

 easily descended by canoes, but difficult 

 of ascent except at low water, when 

 tracking is practicable ; otherwise the 

 stream is easily ascended. 



Our first view of Lake Clark from 

 some low hills near the head of the 

 Nogheling River was not particularly 

 impressive, as we were so situated that 



Mountains on Southeast Side of Lake Clark 



Photo by Osgood 



way of the Nushagak and Chulitna 

 rivers ; but this is rather an arduous 

 trip at either season. The natives use 

 all three routes, although the last named 

 has been rarely traveled in recent years. 

 Our party entered at Iliamna Bay, and 

 being fortunate enough to secure pack 

 horses at the head of the bay crossed 

 the 12-mile portage in one day to a small 

 native village on Iliamna River, about 

 6 miles above its entrance into Lake 

 Iliamna. Another day took us by canoe 

 across some 30 miles of the upper end 

 of Lake Iliamna to the Nogheling Port- 

 age, about 10 miles east of the mouth 

 of the Nogheling River. A portage is 

 necessary here to avoid the Petroff 

 Falls, so called by Schanz, which are in 



we could see only the lower end of the 

 lake, where the shores are„comparatively 

 low ; but when once on the lake itself, 

 with an unobstructed vista of the greater 

 part of its length before us, the view was 

 magnificent. The mountains, which 

 are from 500 to 1,000 feet in height 

 at the lower end of the lake, extend 

 down either side of the narrow stretch 

 of water, gradually becoming higher 

 and higher and more and more rugged 

 until in the extreme distance some of 

 the highest with snow-capped summits 

 seem to merge with the hazy clouds. 

 Near the head of the main lake several 

 detached peaks rise up seemingly from 

 the middle of the lake, but a nearer 

 view shows them to be some distance 



