Epic Travel → North America → Alaska → Becharof Lake

Location: Becharof National Wildlife Refuge, Northern Alaskan Peninsula, Alaska

Red Tape/Notes: Review and observe all regulations for game and wildlife in Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and be aware of where you are in relation to park boundaries and designations.

What’s Nearby? King Salmon, Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

On our week-plus sojourn in southwestern Alaska, we spent time to the east and west of Becharof Lake (Alaska’s second largest lake, and part of the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge), using the lake as a landing strip. On the west side of the lake is the Egegik River, where the salmon come in from Egegik Bay on the west side of the Alaskan peninsula (most of the river is outside of Becharof NWR). To the east is Featherly Creek, a wonderful spot for fly fishing. If you’re not interested in fishing, you can hike the Kanatak Trail – a 5 mile (one way) trail following an historic route from the Pacific Ocean (at Kanatak) to Bristol Bay via Becharof Lake. Or get the best of both worlds – part of the trail follows the Ruth River, where you can find excellent fishing in the form of greyling, char, and salmon. More avid hikers in your party can ditch the anglers at the Ruth and continue down the trail as far as they like before returning.

We spent a day fishing the Egegik outlet, easily reaching our salmon quota for the day, and enjoying a freshly cooked picnic lunch amidst a vast quantity of bear tracks found on the banks of the river. We flew in a couple of days later, landing on the east side of the lake and setting off for a hike overland to Featherly Creek, where we caught (and released) loads of Char (including some that looked undeniably like they were wearing lipstick) and Greyling. The hike to Featherly Creek would have been a worthwhile outing on its own, yielding a vast quantity of wildflowers, breathtaking scenery, and the occasional visit from a grizzly bear.

Egegik

Featherly Creek

Epic Travel → North America → Alaska → Becharof Lake