Talvista Lodge

The Talachulitna River is graced by all five species of Pacific Salmon, including the King or Chinook Salmon. The Sockeye, Pink, Chum, and Coho all follow the Kings in migration. Each species migrate upriver to their own spawning grounds. The Kings are the most sought after salmon by sports fishermen, simply because they grow so large. The record in Alaska for King Salmon is 126 pounds. A 50-pound salmon is about four feet long and has a mouth that is nearly big enough to fit a grown man's head inside of it. Big fish. The Reds or Sockeye Salmon are considered the best eating of all the Pacific Salmon. Their beautiful red freshwater coloration is known to make the waters look red due to the millions of salmon swim upstream. The Chum and the Pink Salmon are smaller and often are used for commercial canning. The Coho Salmon is the last to enter the rivers. It is also the wildest of the salmon to target. These are fighting fish and once you set the hook it's game-on. The Soho are known to hurl themselves out of the water in true dramatic fashion. They also strike the line hard so be prepared for a jolt. The rainbow trout are in the local waters year round, and the big ones reach 20-30 inches.

The fish cycle is always predictable to within a couple of weeks. The Kings arrive from mid-June through mid-July. The Sockeye and the Pink Salmon show up just as the Kings diminish. So expect them from mid-July through mid-august for the Sockeye and only on the even-numbered years for the Pinks. The Chum Salmon start their migration from mid-July through the end of August. The Soho Salmon show up the last week of July and stay until the first of September. Scattered through the summer are Rainbow Trout and Arctic Grayling. Both depend on the rich deposit of salmon roe. The Rainbow Trout follow the Salmon so during the peak run its very possible to target trophy rainbow trout. The Arctic Grayling are just beautiful fish that get to about 8-14 inches here. They have a tall dorsal fin and often set up in a lovely color scheme. They are very good eating too. The lodge provides all of the fishing gear including flies and lures.

This is prime snowmobile territory and dog sledding is just an amazing adventure. Skiing is also good. There are marked and groomed trails for snowmobiles that stretch for 90 miles. Beluga Mountain and Hayes glacier are near the lodge and make for excellent backcountry skiing. The lodge is accessible by snowmobile, ski plane, or helicopter. The lodge is cozy in winter and for the kids there are miles of snow for building snowmen.