Tordrillo Mountain Lodge

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is about 40 min by float plane from Anchorage

Located on Judd Lake in the Tordrillo Mountains,

the lodge provides a luxury Alaska experience

Every where you look on the property, you see Alaska’s beauty

Judd Lake has terrific fishing and the lodge provides a variety of boats for water fun

Tordrillo offers a fun, exciting, and safe trip for beginners and experts alike

The main log building sits on a rise above the lake

The lodge is beautifully crafted with several decks and plenty of space to enjoy

The decks provide beautiful views and tranquil solitude

There is a wood-fired hot tub for soaking

And a wood-fired sauna with a small porch on the lake

This deck has views of the lake and the Tordrillos in the distance

Inside, the lodge is just as beautifully crafted with a copper bar and knotty details

The main area is a cozy and inviting place to get to know the other guests

Twin staircases lead to the 2nd floor where the guest rooms are located

Throughout the lodge, the Alaska details add a rustic, authentic touch

The 2nd floor has a cozy little area with books and a small deck overlooking the lake

At the opposite end, there’s a comfy bed and a second deck

Guests can almost watch the fish from here

The decks are a great way to relax and reflect after a day of fun

Each of the rooms has two twin beds that can be pushed together to make a king

The guest rooms also have private bathrooms, some with standup showers only

From the doors to the decorations, each detail says “Alaska”

Next to the main building, near the dock, is the boat house

Our guide shows us the options available and helps us decide on an activity

Behind the lodge is a trail leading to some great fishing

We decide to go for a hike and check out the rest of the property

We head out, with lots of bug dope

The hike takes us past some beautiful flowers…

And some tasty berries!

Bruce gladly volunteered to be the subject of this photo shoot

These berries aren’t quite sweet yet

But they do offer a yummy treat for hungry hikers, and Bruce can’t stop eating them

Along with blueberries, we see several other kinds of berries

It’s not a good idea to eat berries without confirming what they are first

Some poisonous berries look a lot like edible ones and vice versa

As we hiked, we saw some delicate flowers along the way

The guides are very knowledgeable and can help guests identify what they see

Bringing a book of Alaska plants and flowers along adds fun to the hike

The grounds at the lodge provide many opportunities to take photos, even for Alaskans

After the hike, it’s time to pick out waders and boots to go fishing

Our guide Chris helps choose the right gear for every one and checks for licenses

The lodge provides some gear, but not for fly fishing usually

Bruce snapped a photo of a birdhouse made out of a western boot

Talk quickly turns to who will catch the most fish

Now it’s time to head back down the trail and go kill some fish

This creek feeds into Judd Lake and runs alongside the trail

The trail is an easy walk and doesn’t get steep when it heads uphill

Bears poo in the woods…

And so do people….

A ways down the trail, we see a weir used for counting fish returns

You could almost walk across the water on the fish, there are that many of them

It’s illegal to fish within 100 yards of the weir, so we keep going along the trail

Shortly we arrive at a good spot and make our way down to the creek

Even here, we can see reds right away

Ruth takes a look around to see where the prime spot is

And then she’s off and casting!

Not surprising, our guide immediately hooks a fish

It’s a runner!

The lure “snags” in the side of the fish

This type of catch is not legal, since it has to be in the fish’s mouth

Everyone plays by the rules, so Chris unhooks the lure from the fish

and gives it a nudge to get it back into the water

Now it’s Peter’s turn…he’s hooked a rainbow trout

Yea baby!

Ruth is up next, with a splashing silver

She decides to coax him into shore

He knew he didn’t have a chance, so he gave up peacefully!

Our guide gets the hook out and hands Ruth her bloody trophy

Ruth happily shows off her catch

Bruce got fish too!

You can fish from right in front of the lodge, or head out to the lake for fun

Paddle boarding is another activity the lodge offers

As are heli-fishing and heli-hiking

Ruth and I took a canoe out and paddled around the lake

We stopped at a spot that was teeming with fish

They were so thick they looked like blood in the water

The lake is small enough that two people can easily paddle around it in an afternoon

Too soon it was time to get ready to go

Our pilot helped us stow our luggage and bags of processed fish

It started raining a little as we taxied across the lake

But was sunny again once we were above the lodge

We had a great time at Tordrillo!!