Recreational Properties
8/2/2012I recently had the opportunity to visit Ed Galvez in Lake Clark. Ed has built a cabin in the Keyes Point Subdivision and for several years extended an invitation to come visit. Well the stars finally aligned and I was on my way. I caught a flight from Merrill Field in Anchorage on Lake Clark Air; they flew me to Illiamna in a Piper Navajo and then I jumped in Cessna 206 for the flight to Keyes Point.
Keyes Point is located on Lake Clark approximately 250 miles from Anchorage.
- Lake Clarkis a lake in southern Alaska. It drains through Six Mile Lake and the Newhalen River into Iliamna Lake. The lake is about 64 km (40 mi) long and about 8 km (5.0 mi) wide.Lake Clark was named for John W. Clark, chief of the Nushagaktrading post in 1891 and the first American non-Native to see the lake. The Dena'ina Athabascan name is Qizjeh Vena which means "place where people gather lake"
- Lake Clark is within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
Wow, what a beautiful place. The flight was great and when I landed in Keyes Point Ed and Phil were there to meet me. Phil is the Caretaker for Keyes Point and is there to meet the guest when they arrive. He will meet your guests and bring them to your cabin when they arrive. Ed and I jumped on his Honda (ATV) and headed for his cabin. Ed h
as spent approximately 12 years building this cabin, and yes, it is very nice. His cabin is located on the eastern shore of Keyes Point and looks across the Lake at the Alaskan Range.
Over the next couple of days Ed took me around Lake Clark in his boat. We spent a day down on Six Mile Lake fishing across from the village of Nondalton. The river was full of Sockeye Salmon. As we pulled up to the river the bottom of the small bay was dark with thousand of salmon. As we made our way up into the river the amount of fish we saw was just staggering. We spent the afternoon fly fishing for Rainbow trout. As I stood on the bank looking into the water I would watch 20 to 30 Sockeye Salmon (reds) swim upstream. We were fishing for the Rainbows that follow them up the river.
This stream was very clear so it was very easy to see the salmon and the sight was amazing. every few minutes, the fish would surge by. We were not successful in landing any Rainbows, but we did catch several Grayling as well as dozens of Reds.
On the way back to Keyes Point we drifted the narrows, a small river that flows from Lake Clark to Six Mile Lake. Many fisherman fly in to local lodges to fish for Grayling here.
I was successful and land several very nice fish in the 30 minutes we spent floating this short stretch of water. My first full day on Lake Clark exceeded my wildest expectations. We finished off the day with a great dinner back at Ed cabin. I slept well that night.
The next days we met with perspective buyers and toured the lots we have available on Keyes Point. We discussed the logistics of obtaining building supplies and crews to build a cabin or home. Most homes on Keyes Point are in the $250,000 to $500,000 rand with one close to $1,000,000 and a lodge that is, well I'm not sure what its worth, lets just say its not for sale and probably won't ever be.
We did finally get out on the water and headed up the lake to the Kijik River. The Kijik River is in the Lake Clark
National Park and this is where the ghost town of Kijik is located. We spent the afternoon fishing this area for Grayling and Lake Trout. The weather was awesome and we did get a little sunburned. But all good things must come to an end; the wind started to pick up, and wind and Lake Clark can be very dangerous. We were approximately 20 miles up the lake from Lake Clark, so we high tailed it out of there before the water got too rough.
On the way back we took a side trip into Chilitna Bay for some Northern Pike fishing. We made a short run up the Chilitna River to Long Lake, and along the way saw a huge Moose. I'm not going to tell you were because this boy was trophy class. He was big and the velvet was just coming off his rack (antlers). We watched him for a few minutes (yes I have video that I will post on my Facebook Site), before he wandered off into the woods. Too bad hunting season does not open for two weeks.
The wind was picking up as we came back to Chilitna Bay so we headed carefully back out onto the lake. Lucky for us the wind was switching and we made our way home before the east wind picked up. We were lucky, 15 minutes later and we would have been sleeping on the beach for the night. the weather got pretty ugly as we arrived home for the night.
The next day the weather kept us off the water, but I did enjoy myself on Keyes Point. We spent our time taking photos and video of the Keyes Point area.
My time on the Point with Ed Galvez was wonderful and I hope to do it again soon. Ed is a great host and was able to explain to me about the history of Keyes Point and the Lake Clark area. This is a part of Alaska that you must visit. Lake Clark National Park is the has the lowest visitor count of any National Park. Most likely because of its remote location. This is beautiful country.
Please contact me if you would like to know more about this beautiful area. We do have several lots available ranging from $15,000 to $50,000. One already has the well and septic installed. The views are tremendous and the area is truly breath taking. I am currently working out the logistics and we should have completed home estimates available if you would like to build your Alaskan dream home.
Eric Bushnell Comment