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Home in the Wilderness

Located on the south shore of Upper Twin Lake, the remote Alaskan wilderness where the Richard Proenneke Cabin is situated provides prepared travelers opportunities to discover firsthand why countless individuals have connected to this place. This page provides the information you need to plan your trip.

 

Dena'ina Place Name

Twin Lakes is known as Niłqidlen Vena in Dena'ina, translated into English meaning 'lakes that flow into one another.'

 

Richard Proenneke's home on Upper Twin Lake is a popular destination for visitors to the park.

NPS Photo / Kent Miller

 

In the distance, a plane lands at Upper Twin Lake for a Proenneke Cabin tour led by onsite backcountry rangers. The cabin is in a remote location, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

NPS/K. Lewandowski

Getting to Upper Twin

Flying to the Proenneke Cabin
Landing gear: Floats
Dick Proenneke's cabin is located in a roadless wilderness, so unless they are backpacking from other locations in the park, visitors arrive by small planes that land on Upper Twin Lake. There are no suitable beaches or runways for wheeled planes, so visitors traveling in the summer will need a plane that operates on floats. Winter landings can take place on wheels, skis, or wheeled-skis depending on the snow and ice conditions. The flight from Anchorage is just over an hour. The flight from Port Alsworth is typically 30 minutes. Site staff have air to ground radios on the local area frequency 122.9.

Air taxi prices depend on group size, type of airplane, length of flight, and where the flight originates. Contact each air taxi operator directly to determine availability and the cost for your trip.

Air taxi operators are permitted to operate within the national park under FAA Part 135 air taxi regulations which require three miles visibility and glide distance to shorelines while crossing open water such as Cook Inlet. There are also guide services permitted to guide in the park who fly aircraft, land outside the park and walk into the park for guiding purposes. Those guides operate under FAA part 91 regulations which have lower safety visibility and glide distance requirements.

 

Latitude and Longitude

Approximately 60° 38' 54.64"N 153° 48' 47.195''W
Located on Upper Twin's south shore immediately up-lake of the Hope Creek delta, the Proenneke cabin is easy to spot from the air, as it is the only cabin on the lake flying an American flag

 

Park rangers and volunteers lead tours of the Proenneke Cabin in summer.

NPS/T. Vaughn

Proenneke Cabin Hours, Seasons and Considerations

Late September through late May
The Proenneke Cabin is locked during the winter months. You may explore the area year round, but may only enter the cabin in the summer months. The spring opening date of the historic cabin is tentative due to ice melt.

There are a few amenities and regulations at the Proenneke site designed for your safety.

 

Discover why Proenneke loved the Twin Lakes area by taking a trip into the wilderness.

NPS/K. Lewandowski

Camping and Backpacking The Twin Lakes area is one of the busiest camping and backpacking areas in the park. For this reason, each year between April 15 and September 30 camping within two miles of Twin Lakes is limited to a total of 21 days.

Camping is prohibited within the National Historic Register boundaries and sleeping in or occupying the cabin, cache, or woodshed is prohibited by law.

Bear resistant food containers (BRCs) are required when camping within half a mile of the shoreline along Upper and Lower Twin Lake or in any location where food cannot be hung at least ten feet above the ground and four feet horizontally from a post, tree trunk, or other object on a line or branch that will not support a bear’s weight. Trees large enough to properly hang food are rare in this area; therefore, we highly recommend that all campers not staying at Hope Creek campsite bring enough BRCs to store all food, garbage, harvested fish, and other scented items. BRCs may be borrowed from the visitor center in Port Alsworth or rented from a variety of outdoor gear shops in Anchorage. For campers utilizing the Hope Creek Campsite, all food, garbage, harvested fish, and other scented items must be stored in the bear-proof food lockers provided on site.

Camping at Hope Creek Campsite is limited to a total of 14 days. There are no time restrictions October 1 - April 14. A few hardened tent sites are available for overnight camping on a first come, first served basis across Hope Creek from the Proenneke cabin. The area is intended for sharing with other groups.

To prevent public health hazards, campers should utilize the "outcan" provided at the site instead of digging cat holes nearby.

Be prepared for a creek crossing to access the Proenneke cabin from the camping area. As with any river, Hope Creek may not be passable if flooding due to heavy rainfall or at the peak of spring breakup.

 

Alaska's Different Backpacking in Alaska

 

Lodging and Guided Camping Trips

Windsong Wilderness Retreat rents a private cabin on the opposite shore of Upper Twin Lake. Several licensed commercial outfitters rent backpacking, kayaking, and other outdoor equipment and/or specialize in guiding day-long and overnight trips to the Twin Lakes area.

Click the link above to see a list of all the companies that are permitted to operate in the park. Contact each company directly to determine the cost for your trip.

 

A ranger works on the exposed cabin roof in 2017. While the park has ongoing work at Upper Twin, protecting a cabin in a remote wilderness takes everyone's help.

NPS/L. Rupp

Protecting a Treasure

Help us protect Dick Proenneke's cabin so that generations of visitors will be able to experience what it has to offer.

Leave everything you find behind. Removal of artifacts from public land is prohibited by law.

Please stay on the trails. The tundra is fragile. Even Dick Proenneke admonished his guests to stay on his trails to protect the vegetation.

Be gentle with the door. The handcrafted door mechanisms are fragile and have been repaired.

Camp at the Hope Creek campsite or on other durable surfaces in the Twin Lakes area so that others may also enjoy the cabin and area.

Build fires in the fire ring at the Hope Creek campsite or use personal camp cook stove outside. Fires are not allowed in the stove, fireplace, or any other location within cabin or other historic structures.

Eat and prepare food outside. In order to maintain the integrity of the historical items in the cabin and other structures, we ask that you please cook and eat outside. Many visitors enjoy the view from the beach in front of Proenneke's cabin during their lunch break.

Report any damage or suspected violation to the National Park Service at (907) 781-2218. Damage to the site including the structures, furnishings, and fixtures is prohibited by law (36CFR2.1).Thank you for your assistance!

 

Staying Safe in Bear Country

You may encounter either brown or black bears during your trip to Twin Lakes. Learn how to stay safe.

Fishing in Bear Country

Become familiar with the responsibilities that come with fishing in bear country prior to your trip to Twin Lakes.

 

Proenneke: the Man, the Myth, the Legend

The source of Sam Keith's book "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey," Proenneke embodies humanity's fascination with wilderness.

Proenneke's Cabin

Explore details of how Proenneke built his cabin.

Proenneke's Wilderness Ethos

From hunter to conservationist - explore the evolution of Richard L. Proenneke's wilderness ethos.

Richard Proenneke Journal Collections

Proenneke was a tireless writer, documenting his observations in a series of journals that span nearly 30 years.

Photo Gallery: Proenneke Collection

Explore a few of Richard Proenneke's belongings now in the park's museum collections.

Explore Lake Clark's Museum Collection

View Lake Clark's entire online museum collections which includes some of Richard Proenneke's belongings.