Cheryl and Cliff our stay this year was just as great as it always is. After three different stays at Anvik River Lodge it is still the same. It amazes me that you can find young people with such great work ethics and friendly personalities to work in remote Alaska. I am positive that it is the vibe that you two generate that passes on to them. Lori, Beth and Cheryl the food again was terrific,always fresh and prepared professionally. The variety of the menu is beyond expectations.The accommodations were immaculate as usual and it still amazes me that our laundry is done daily. Bush Alaska does not seem like bush Alaska at Anvik River Lodge until you go outside and see the diverse wildlife and experience the ultimate fishing with guides that really care. Blair, Nick, Nate, Zack, Zack, Drew, Seth and Noah you guys make our stay fun and do your best to put us on the fish. Thanks again to the entire staff and especially to you Cliff and Cheryl for operating such a friendly and professional lodge. We will see you again. Dick Pytko RIck Harvey…
Since I heard about fishing in the Alaskan bush from my best friend, Padge Dorne, of Flagler Beach, FL, who has been twice to the Lodge, I’ve been dying to go. I’ve been planning this trip for 3 years, with COVID delaying it last year. We chose our trip for late July for the weather and variety of salmon(plenty of king, chum and sockeye). My son and his best friend, avid fly fishermen in salt waters, accompanied me. We flew to Anchorage from Orlando and then the following day taking a 90 min. charter(included) to the the delta of the Yukon and Anvik rivers, then the lodge’s two jet boats took us up the Anvik River for two hours to the lodge, a fantastic group of log cabins sitting right on the river. Our hosts and owners, Cliff and Cheryl, were hands on the whole week, cooking, cleaning, managing and mingling with guests, truly treating everyone like family. The cooked-from-scratch meals were the best, including freshly baked bread - yummy! The fishing, OMG, exceeded our expectations! Each day the guides/fishermen departed 3 boats north and 3 boats south on the river, spaced out over 30 miles, fishing for mostly salmon, arctic chard(elusive), grayling, whiting(very elusive) and pike. I can’t emphasize this enough, our guides, Zak, Dru, Noah, and Seth(twice) we’re EXCELLENT, each knowing multiple hiding places for each type of fish and suppling us with lures and specific techniques to catch each type of fish in that particular spot along the river - WOW they’re all great guides! The lodge was clean and very accommodating, the group of guests always just 12-15, so you never felt crowded, the staff mingling with you throughout the day, which was special to me. Even though my son and friend had the best fly-fishing techniques of the season per one of the guides, I out fished them 2:1 spin casting! I hooked up 15 grayling in 18 casts, I’ll bet our boat caught 150 fish those 4.5 days in over 50 different spots along the Anvik River. This trip was a bucket list come true, thank you Cliff and Cheryl and especially your very competent and caring staff for a memorable trip. Of course I highly recommend it!…
This is the most incredible places that I have ever visited. It is truly remote which my son Travis and I wanted. The lodge was awesome. The food was better than any five star restaurants I have been to. Cheryl and Cliff treated you like family. The guides were the best and took care of your every need to catch fish and cooked incredible shore lunches. The fishing exceeded our expectations and lost count of how many Kings we caught. We will definitely return.
Whether a beginner or a seasoned fisher(wo)man, everyone is treated with respect and courtesy. The owners treat everyone as family and the guides are phenomenal. The lodge staff ensure that you are pampered from the time you wake up until time to go to bed. And the food! It is amazing. If anyone is thinking about a remote fishing experience but is hesitant because of uncertainty how they will cope in the wilderness or they do no feel that their fishing skills are "good enough," please consider going to Anvik River Lodge. All will be treated well. Those experienced with fishing will appreciate that they will be the ONLY ones on the river and the variety of fish is awesome. I can't wait until I can save up to go again!
This group sets the bar at it’s highest for Alaska wilderness adventure. Come as friends and leave as family. Feel safe, isolated, pampered, connected and remote at the same time. Impeccable staff, accommodations, dining, and fishing. Go for the adventure and live the remote Alaska experience. You won’t be disappointed. My respect to owner/operators Cheryl and Cliff and their gracious, professional staff. You do fantastic jobs making your plush, heavenly, well cared for facility look so good. Guests see very little of the painstaking laborious effort applied constantly to achieve the level of quality that shines through every aspect of the ARL experience. While it seems effortless, it is not. Wow. Great job again. Twelve guests can’t be wrong when unanimously singing praises from start to finish. Thank you for making every one of us feel like your favorite. Not one complaint was heard. Pretty special place. Thanks for sharing your home with us. Can’t wait to see you again. ML…
The owners of Anvik River Lodge are wonderful and terrific hosts. They have thought of everything to make your stay with them the fishing experience of a lifetime. Once you have been to ARL you will want to go back. The fishing was incredible, my friend Rick and I both achieved the Grand Slam every day, which symbolizes the quality of the guides, they knew where all of the different types of fish were and the best methods to catch them . They were also fun to be with for a day, we had Nick, Drew, Nate, Noah and Harry. Every day we had lunch, prepared by your fishing guide some prepared food and other days fresh cooked fish that we had caught that morning all the meals were delicious and as they are preparing your food you are still catching fish from the shore as a matter of fact so many grayling and char you need to take a break. The nightly meals are all fantastic. We had a delicious cookout on a gravel bar up river the first night which is perfect because you get to meet all of the people staying at the lodge with you that week in an extremely friendly setting. Every night after that we had wonderful meals all prepared by a great staff. Lori, Dani, Colton and Cheryl all have their own style and different responsibilities, from restocking the open bar, making wonderful appetizers to the main meals and home made deserts, all paired with your choice of wine. Breakfast is also great,fresh eggs,fruit, toast , bacon, sausage, juice and coffee. What could be better than an unbelievable day of fishing topped off by a fantastic home cooked gourmet meal. This was our second stay at AVR and it was exactly the same as the first time. Cliff and Cheryl keep up what you are doing because I am positive nobody does it better. We will definitely see you again. Dick Pytko Rick Harvey Edgartown, Massachusetts…
After 40 years in the hotel industry, and now retired, I can say without hesitation that the Anvik River Lodge has owners who will deliver a level of service unlike any that you may have experienced at other full service fishing lodges in Alaska, which by the way, is truly is in the big leagues for fly fishing. Upon arrival, our group of three met and were introduced to the entire staff. From that moment, going forward, we recognized by name by each and every one of them. You will find this level of service available by only the top resorts in America.
No doubt the best lodge and fishing experience of our lives! The service was impeccable, the guides were both competent and interesting, the lodge staff were a joyful and expert group, and the owners were exceptional. And, yes, the mosquitoes were abundant but controllable with 100% deet products. The July 4th celebration was truly unique—we will leave it at that. Finally, the fishing was great—never caught more nor with as much fun. Thanks!
This was my 2nd fishing ‘expedition’ to Alaska - quite a big undertaking when you live in Estonia and need 3 flights to get to Anchorage. Money spent on tickets and time spent in the air is considerable so it has to be worth it. My first trip to Alaska in the Kenai area was good but not good enough so we hoped the Anvik River Lodge would ‘tick all the boxes’ - did it? Yes it certainly did and more!! How do you write a review for such a remarkable establishment - it’s not just a fishing lodge it’s a family business, a logistic phenom’, a culinary delight and yes it’s a damn fine fishing lodge! I’m not sure I can do it justice, but here goes! So, after 2 years of planning and 18 months after paying the deposit we arrived in Alaska. The Anvik River Lodge topped my research of 30+ lodges all over Alaska and my fishing buddy and I were very lucky to bag places as the lodge is inundated with returning clients. There are so many aspects to include so I will go by subject matter. (1)‘The Lodge and accommodation’ - exactly as you would expect, stuffed animals, mounted fish, log burner and picture perfect location right by the Anvik River. Comfy rooms with good en-suite facilities, showers always hot (2) ‘Fishing’ - unbelievable! This trip fulfilled many fishing dreams and i have fished for over 40 years and never experienced such constant and varied action. Thanks to our fantastic guides ((Drew (only 1 month on this river guiding a he nailed it) Sawyer, Junior and Nick)) we were always on the fish. They never failed to put us on the silvers, find the char and catch grayling galore. The guides were not only great at ‘guiding’ but they were ‘top blokes’, great company and entertaining; the types of men you want to have a drink with in the evening. All equipment is supplied, but most people turned up with their favorite rod/reel. (3) ‘Food’ - excellent. Restaurant quality breakfasts and dinners and a couple of great bank side lunches - I can still taste the fish tacos cooked by the guides using freshly caught grayling and silver salmon. (4) ‘Owners/hosts’ - Cheryl and Cliff you are truly masters at what you do! You create such a serene, ordered, family like atmosphere where fishing is only interrupted by fine meals, great company and a bit of sleep! You have built a great team and I admire your true customer focused approach and the way you lead your team to provide perfection (4) ‘the Team’ in general - The whole team had worked over 100 days non-stop and the season was near to an end but they didn’t slack off at all and all dug in deep to ensure everyone had a great time - hats off to you all. Thanks to Colton for his hard work behind the scenes in the kitchen. Shelby, I hope you are back to full health. (5) Summary - I may have to sell my left kidney to return, but return I will, as long as there is a vacancy and if Cliff and Cheryl will have us back. To the whole team enjoy your ‘off-season’ and hope you get some time to relax before returning to your other jobs or working hard to prep for the next season. Can’t work out if I have written a review or a letter of thanks to all concerned - I hope in a way it’s both.…
What a gem! Great people, lodge, fishing, and location. Exceptional service, accomadations, and food. Truly an unforgettable Alaska wilderness experience. Can’t wait to return. Cheryl and Cliff know how to take care of folks in remote Alaska.
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