Anchorage to Chelatna Lake

Getting out of town on a Saturday after work to salvage a beautiful end of summer weekend is always stressful because one is in a hurry to make the most out of the remaining weekend. This weekend's trip was from Lake Hood to our cabin at Chelatna Lake. Approximately 90 miles northwest of Anchorage, one can head there by the traditional compass heading or by using your pilotage and following a simple network of rivers. The river trail for this flight leads you up these rivers in order: Susitna River, Yentna River, and finally Lake Creek. Chelatna Lake is the headwaters of Lake Creek and is very scenic in its location in the Alaska Range. The lake has beautiful blue green colored water that is common of glacially fed lakes.

The weather forecast was for clear skies with winds light and variable - perfect. Well, almost perfect, even a clear day such as this can have its downfalls. A gusty fall wind out of the north made for some light chop in my little piper on the hour long flight. This forced my girlfriend and dog to stay awake with me and enjoy the scenery.

As soon as we crossed Cook Inlet, the first landmark of interest seems to be the farm projects. I get the same reaction from all my passengers: "What do they grow there?" I always smile a bit and reply with, "It looks like they're growing grass to me!"

Since it was such nice day the Alaska Range was unavoidable. A sight that never gets old, no matter how many times you see it. This is from about 80 miles away. I imagine the climbers on the mountain must be more thankful than me for the good weather!

Mt. Foraker, the second tallest mountain in the range, is my favorite for its pure ruggedness. For every 80 people that attempt to climb Denali, 1 attempts to climb Mt. Foraker. Needless to say, what a great day to be flying.

After an hour of flying we finally made it to the lake. I was eager to land and begin relaxing and what a perfect day to do so!

Finding a place to tie up for the night could take some time. I suggest trying to find a sandy beach from the air, there are a few. We have made a tie down amidst the large boulders(not an easy task!). Due to the location of the lake being so close to the Alaska Range, wind and weather can come up with a moments notice - be prepared to stay an extra night or two if need be!