Accommodations
Season
Species
Ideal for
Conservation
A Unique Alaskan Heli-Fishing Operation
Set at the base of one of the most geographically diverse mountain ranges in all of Alaska, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is one of the finest and most unique operations we have come across in Alaska – if not the world. Located at the foothills of the Tordrillo Mountain range on the beautiful Judd Lake and outlet of the Talachulitna River, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge offers anglers and outdoor enthusiasts numerous options for fishing and adventure – all in a beautiful, high-end, relaxed environment. A quick 40-minute floatplane charter from Anchorage delivers you to the Lodge, with great home water and tons of angling and non-angling options for all group members. Equipped with an arsenal of helicopters and watercraft, you will be fishing each day on different waters that have primarily remained untouched due to rugged terrain and little room for conventional floatplane aircraft. The Lodge also offers one of the most exclusive fishing/heli-skiing combo package trips in the entire U.S. called “Cast and Carve,” where you can cast to running king salmon and ski untracked corn snow all in one day!
Accommodation Details
Lodging Details
Just 40 minutes from Anchorage via floatplane, the Lodge sits on the bank of the beautiful Judd Lake and outlet of the Talachulitna River. The remote lodge has panoramic views of the Tordrillo Mountain range, as well as two 11,000-foot volcanoes and Mt. McKinley, America’s tallest peak at 20,320 feet. The 5,600-square-foot Lodge itself has all the amenities and comforts for your Alaskan vacation and will serve as your haven after a long day of fishing the remote rivers and streams of the area. The Lodge is equipped with a full bar with local beers on tap, an “Alaskan-style” hot tub, a large dining area, a lounge, and beautiful surroundings to explore when you are back from your daily excursions. Each two-bedroom is equipped with a private bathroom, hot shower, and comfortable bedding and sheets.
Food and Beverages
All meals at Tordrillo are prepared by a world-class chef and staff who cater to your needs each day. Breakfast consists of fresh fruits, pastries, hot dishes, international coffees, and teas to get you going before your day. Lunches in the field include homemade soups, gourmet sandwiches, snacks, and treats to keep you going until dinner. The Lodge’s “field-to-table” approach means menus are prepared with fresh herbs and produce from the garden, Alaskan seafood, regional game dishes, and courses that leave you full and ready for the next day on the water. The Lodge is happy to accommodate specialty diets if notified in advance.
Typical Length of Stay
Trips of any length can be arranged during your stay with Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. Guests should plan on arriving in Anchorage the day prior to your trip start date with T.M.L. to catch the early morning charter flight to Judd Lake the following morning. For the Cast and Carve program, trip lengths are six-day packages through August before custom lengths begin through and the rest of the year.
Non-Angling Activities and Options
A true outdoor enthusiast’s dream, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge offers numerous options beyond its world-class fishing opportunities. Non-angling activities at the Lodge include heli-skiing (seasonal), heli-hiking, single day and overnight rafting trips, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding, wildlife viewing, bird watching, and much, much more. The Lodge also has an “Alaskan Style” hot tub, sauna, massage services, and a great lounge to relax and watch movies when you are back from your daily activities.
Internet / Communications
Internet access is available during your stay and cell phones will not work during your visit.
Travel Details
How To Get There
Your trip with Tordrillo Mountain Lodge begins upon arrival into Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC). From there, guests will typically spend their first night in Anchorage before departing early the following morning via floatplane to Judd Lake and Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. The floatplane flight to Judd Lake is included in your package price. Yellow Dog’s full in-house travel service can assist you in setting up hotel accommodations for your first night’s stay in Anchorage. Please call Yellow Dog for details.
Arrival and Departure Details / Times
All Lodge trips can be customized to fit any packaging request. Whether it be a quick one or two-day add-on to a longer Alaskan visit or a seven to ten days-long adventure, the Lodge will provide custom packages to meet your needs. Guests should plan on arriving into Anchorage the day prior to the beginning of their trip dates, where you will stay one evening before departing early the following day for the Lodge. If you plan on flying out of Anchorage the same day as your departure from Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, you will want to schedule a late afternoon flight.
Documents Required
Photo identification is required by airlines to purchase your Alaska Fishing License. Licenses can be purchased on the first day of your trip or online before your trip by visiting this website: Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Travel Arrangements
Yellow Dog provides airline reservations ad ticketing assistance through etcTravel Group, and a full-service airline logistics agent that can help book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more. You can click here to request a quote or contact Yellow Dog for more information at 406-585-8667. etcTravel Group offers dedicated support services for all Yellow Dog clients. Service fees may apply when booking or researching tickets, and etcTravel will discuss this with you before sending quotes.
Travel Tools
– Airline Ticketing
– Moon Phases
– Rent This Rod
– Trip Insurance and Emergency Evacuation
– Global Rescue Membership
Fishing
General Information
Tordrillo Mountain Lodge sits at the outlet of the Talachulitna River at Judd Lake. “The Tal”, as it is called by the Lodge guides, offers guests incredible access to great home water fishing right off the back deck. The Tal has an excellent population of resident rainbow trout, along with healthy runs of king, chum, sockeye salmon, and huge Arctic Char. The Tal is a smaller stream where you will find easy wading opportunities, pocket water, shelves, and hole after hole stacked with rainbows and Arctic char.
The Lodge also has access to numerous helicopters, which can be added on to any package for a truly remote fishing day. In almost 20 years of fishing the surrounding rivers and lakes, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge has rarely had to compete with any other angling outfit in the area. Most of the rivers fished from the helicopters are too rugged and remote to access by conventional aircraft or off-road vehicles, leaving the waters untouched for you and your group. Each stream is accessed by helicopter only, so you will not be competing for casting room – or fish for that matter. Also, because of this limited access, days begin after a relaxed breakfast where you do not find yourself racing to the floatplane to be the first on the water!
Unique to the Lodge is the Cast-and-Carve program offered each June and early July during the famed king salmon runs. Days begin after breakfast, where you will depart via helicopter to ski untracked lines of spring snow in the stunning Tordrillo Mountain Range. After a day on the slopes and mountain-top margaritas, you will return to the Lodge for a quick lunch before swapping gear and heading out to cast to king salmon in the surrounding area. Kings at this time usually weigh between 35 to 50 pounds, with shots at the true monsters occurring daily. This timeframe also gives the angler great shots at rainbow trout, fresh out of the winter season, and willing to eat almost anything presented in front of them. For an angling/adventure experience, the Cast-and-Carve program is unmatched by any outfit that we know of in Alaska.
Boats and Equipment
Tordrillo offers access to numerous helicopters as well as jet boats, 13-foot rafts with fishing frames, one-man inflatable kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and other numerous watercraft. For accessing the remote waters of the area, the Lodge will pick and choose the right helicopter that can get you into the stream that no other outfit in the area can. Each well-equipped helicopter is piloted by seasoned guides with countless hours operating in the Alaskan wilderness. Tordrillo Mountain Lodge also provides smaller one-man inflatable kayaks that will allow you to float tight water and access hundreds of runs, holes, and shelves in a single day on the surrounding streams.
Rates and Terms
Package Rates
Remember that Yellow Dog’s services are completely free! When you book a trip with Yellow Dog, you never pay more than when you book directly with the lodge or outfitter. All prices listed below are per person and based on double occupancy. Below are outlined rates for Cast-and Carve and Standard Fishing Packages.
STANDARD SUMMER PACKAGES (July – September 2023)
3 Nights / 3 Days – Friday – Monday (includes 2 heli-excursions) = $8,950.00 per person 4 Nights / 4 Days – Monday – Friday (includes 3 heli-excursions) = $11,500.00 per person 7 Nights / 7 Days – Mon – Mon or Fri – Fri (includes 5 heli-excursions) = $18,900.00 per person
What’s Included:
- Float plane flight from Anchorage’s Lake Hood to Judd Lake
- Lodging at Tordrillo
- All meals and non-alcoholic beverages
- Professional guide services each day
- Fishing tackle, flies, lures, and tippet
- Fishing gear and recreational equipment
- 1 complimentary massage per person
- All sporting equipment for lake-based and remote activities
What’s Not Included:
- Additional Heli-flights for fishing, hiking, and sightseeing
- Retail merchandise at the lodge gift shop
- Additional massage services
- Bar tab and alcoholic beverages
- Airfare from original destination to Anchorage
- Overnight accommodations in Anchorage on the first night
- Meals in Anchorage
- Alaskan fishing license
- Gratuities for guides and lodge staff (15-20% recommended)
Tordrillo Mountain Lodge (Judd Lake, Alaska)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – CANCELLATIONS
A deposit of 50% per person is due at the time of booking for all trip packages, and final payment if due 90 days prior to arrival. All cancellations must be submitted – in writing – to Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures. In no event will the operator or Yellow Dog be responsible for any cancellation of services due to inclement weather, any event of force majeure, airline delays or flight cancellations, or any other reason beyond the control of the lodge. If your flights are cancelled and connections are missed, the operator and Yellow Dog are not responsible for alternative travel arrangements including flights, hotels, meals and any other expenses incurred, and operator will not refund payments in the event of poor weather. Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance for this trip. You may change the date of your trip if space is available, up to 120 days from start date. If a trip is cancelled by the lodge, you will be given a refund or the option of applying the money on account to another trip the following year, subject to possible price increases. For cancellations outside of 120 days from the start of a trip, deposit and payments will be refunded less a cancellation fee of $1,000.00 per person charged by the lodge and $100.00 per person charged by Yellow Dog. For cancellations 119 to 90 days prior to the start of trip dates, no refund will be given, but deposit and payments may be carried forward to another trip the following season, subject to possible price increases. For cancellation inside of 90 days from the start of the trip, no refund will be given, and all payments will be forfeited. If a cancelled package is resold by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, then a full refund will be issued minus a $100.00 per person cancellation fee charged by Yellow Dog. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgment that registrant has read and accepts the deposit, cancellation, refund and responsibility clauses for these packages. Once again, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance these Alaska packages.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW YELLOW DOG GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND CANCELLATION POLICIES
Payment Terms For All Yellow Dog Trip Bookings
In order to lock in your trip reservation, we ask that you please remit payment at the time of receipt of invoice. For your convenience, Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a direct and secure ACH platform – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Note that all Yellow Dog invoices include a live link that takes you directly to the Yellow Dog ACH platform for fast and easy payment. For open and existing invoices with a remaining balance, payment reminders also include this easy link to the ACH page.
Other customary forms of payment that are accepted are checks or wire transfers. If you would like to pay in a different way or have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (888) 777-5060 or (406) 585-8667. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Beginning September 1st, 2020, Yellow Dog will apply a 3% convenience fee for all credit card transactions.
Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures Standard Forms For Payment
- ACH online payments (for US banking institutions only).
- Traditional checks (sent via mail)
- Electronic wire payments (client is responsible for any wiring fees)
*Please contact us if you prefer or require a different payment option. Convenience fees may apply for other payment methods.
**Please be aware that the ACH platform is only available for US financial institutions and bank accounts. International payments can be made via wire or with a credit card.
Yellow Dog Client Reviews
“The experience was great! Family really loved it.” – Paul C.
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“Our family travels a lot to fish and this trip rated right at the top of our experiences. Great lodge, great fishing, great experience.” – Richard P.
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“Perfect. Food was phenomenal. Guides were great fun on and off the rivers. The lodge was Alaskan comfort and helicopter, thrilling as we flew close above the fall colors on the Birch trees. It was fortuitous to be the only guests at the lodge.“ – Nikki P.
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“Tordrillo runs a very high end operation. The lodge experience (food, staff, etc) is terrific and they have things to entertain non-anglers. The fishing opportunities are excellent.” – Charlie K.
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“Tordrillo Lodge is as fine a place as we’ve ever been. Top notch lodging, food, location, water, staff, activities and fishing.” – Scott C.