Travel and Logistics

Flight Information

Please read this page carefully.

****UPDATE:  AS OF FEBRUARY 3, 2025, WE WILL BE SWITCHING BACK TO ILIAMNA AIR TAXI AS OUR CHARTER PROVIDER.  ALTHOUGH EXACT FLIGHT TIMES WILL NOT BE SET UNTIL MARCH, WE CAN EXPECT DEPARTURES FROM ANCHORAGE TO ILIAMNA ON SUNDAYS TO BE BETWEEN 12:00 P.M. AND 2:OO P.M.  RETURN FLIGHTS FROM ILIAMNA TO ANCHORAGE ON SATURDAYS WILL BE BETWEEN 3:00 P.M. AND 4:00 P.M.  ILIAMNA AIR TAXI WILL NOT BE TAKING RESERVATIONS UNTIL MARCH 1, 2025 AT THE EARLIEST, BUT PLEASE READ THROUGH OUR UPDATED TRAVEL PAGE  BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CHARTER FLIGHTS. PLEASE CALL PAT VERMILLION AT 406-222-0624 OR JOE HYDE AT 907-744-0255 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.****

AS OF JANUARY 2025, LAKE AND PENINSULA AIRLINES HAS NOTIFIED US THAT THEY WILL NOT BE FLYING ON SUNDAYS.  WE ARE CURRENTLY PURSUING A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.    THIS COULD AFFECT OUR SUNDAY DEPARTURE TIME, MAYBE SIGNIFICANTLY.  YOUR RETURN ON SATURDAY WILL NOT BE AFFECTED, AND WILL FOLLOW THE BELOW INFORMATION.   PLEASE CALL PAT VERMILLION AT 406-222-0624 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.  WE WILL UPDATE THIS PAGE AS SOON AS WE HAVE NEW INFORMATION.  

Commercial flight: Most major airlines  fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Check with your travel agent, online travel site, or airlines for schedules and pricing. It is your responsibility to book your flight into Anchorage. 

Charter flight  location: Your charter flight to the Copper River Lodge flies out from Ted Stevens International Airport with Iliamna Air Taxi (IAT). Please go to this address to check-in for your charter flight:


Iliamna Air Taxi flies out of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, but they ARE NOT part of the main terminal. If you are traveling from out of state, you will land at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and need to get a cab or Uber from there to IAT's location on South Airpark Place. The ride typically takes about 5-10 minutes so please budget this into your schedule. 

Charter flight cost: The roundtrip flight cost is $580 per person which includes 70 pounds of free and guaranteed baggage per person (including carry ons). Excess baggage costs are calculated as follows:  Up to 50lbs excess = $70.  51-100lbs excess = $100.  Over 100lbs excess = $1.00/lb.  Any excess baggage costs can be paid upon checkin.

How to confirm/pay for your charter flight: Call (907) 571-1248 to confirm your charter flight. Please tell them you are with the Copper River Lodge and request a confirmation to be sent to your email. Payment is due a minimum of 30 days prior to you scheduled flight.  You can pay with a Visa or Mastercard over the phone.  PLEASE NOTE THAT ILIAMNA AIR TAXI WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING PAYMENTS UNTIL MARCH OF 2025.

Deadline to confirm/pay for your charter flight: Please confirm and pay for your charter flight at least 30 days prior to your trip, otherwise IAT will release your reserved seats. Although these spots are temporarily reserved, it is the client’s responsibility to confirm and pay for your flight with IAT. 

Charter flight schedule: You will depart with IAT from Anchorage between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday (exact time will be confirmed in March, 2025). If you are flying to Anchorage the morning of your arrival date, please book your commercial flight to Anchorage arriving no later than 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. We recommend flying into Anchorage the night before, but there are many flights that arrive in the morning before this departure. Your return charter flight departs Iliamna between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday (exact time will be confirmed in March, 2025). The approximate arrival time in Anchorage is 4:00-5:00 p.m. Please give yourself at least a two hour cushion to get to/from the IAT terminal and your commercial departing/arriving flight. Check-in for your charter flight is one hour before scheduled departure time. If you are traveling out of Alaska on the evening of your return charter flight, please note that departures from Iliamna can change 15-30 minutes earlier to later due to weather. It is not recommended to book a flight to the lower 48 until after 7:00 that evening (8:00 p.m. for international flights). 

For last minute charter flight changes: If your trip is cancelled or flights are delayed, please call IAT at (907) 571-1248, or Joe at (907) 744-0255 immediately. 

Hotel Information

We suggest you arrive in Anchorage the Saturday before your week. There are many hotels in Anchorage and some of them provide courtesy transportation to and from the Anchorage International Airport. The most popular among our guests include:

Best Western Barratt Inn 4616 Spenard Road Anchorage, AK  99517 907.243. 3131 Hotel Captain Cook Forth and K Anchorage, AK  99517 907.276.6000 Sheraton Anchorage Hotel 401 East Sixth Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 907.276.8700

Lakeshore Inn & Suites 3009 Lakeshore Drive Anchorage, AK  99517 907.248.3485 Anchorage Marriott 820 W 7th Ave Anchorage, AK  99517 907.279.8000 Lake Front Hotel 4800 Spenard Road Anchorage, AK  99517 907.243.2300

Courtyard Marriott 4901 Spenard Road Anchorage, AK  99517 907.245.0322 Executive Suite Hotel 4360 Spenard Road Anchorage, AK  99517 The Puffin Inn - Anchorage Hotel 4400 Spenard Road Anchorage, AK  99 907.243.4044

Restaurants

Get out and explore the numerous eateries, bistro, bars, and breweries in Anchorage. Here are a few of our favorites.

Crow’s Nest Captain Cook Hotel 939 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 907.343.2217	Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse 610 West 6th Avenue Anchorage AK 99501 907.276.2337	Simon & Seafort’s 420 L Street Anchorage, AK 99501 907.274.3502
F Street Station 325 F Street Anchorage, AK 99501 907.272.5196	Orso 737 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 907.222.3232	49th State Brewing 717 West 3rd Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 907.277.7727
Glacier Brewhouse 737 West 5th Avenue, suite 110 Anchorage, AK 99501 907.274.4677	Crush Wine Bistro & Cellar 328 G Street Anchorage, AK 99501 907.276.3546	Southside Bistro 1320 Huffman Park Drive Anchorage, Alaska 99515 907.348.0088

More About the Copper River Lodge

Our lodge is located directly on the Copper River. This means you’ll never miss a minute of fishing due to weather that can ground many of the fly out operations in the area. Being so remote, our 110 electricity is provided by diesel generator. Copper River Lodge prides itself on the quality and freshness of its cuisine. Freshly baked bread, rolls, or pastries are served with each meal. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always available. Dinner menus vary and include entrees such as pork tenderloin, New York steak, roast duck, and fresh caught salmon. We are happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions or requests, but please let us know in advance.

Alcohol Beverages

Alcoholic beverages are not sold at the lodge. We are not allowed to sell alcohol, and alcohol is not included in the package. If you would like to place an order to have at the lodge when you arrive we can help you arrange it. If you do not order alcohol, there will be no alcohol available for your group. You must email pat@sweetwatertravel.com your order.

We use a very reputable liquor store in Anchorage, AK that has a huge inventory. We ask that you email pat@sweetwatertravel.com your favorite brands or give a price range for wine, beer and liquor.  Please include your name, group name, quantity, type, brand and price range. For beer, we do prefer to have cans instead of bottles for recycling and waste management.   Sometimes if an item is out of stock, the liquor store will find a similar substitute.  For example:

Communications

At the lodge there is wireless internet, and a telephone. You are welcome to use our telephone for limited amounts of time. It is our only phone line so we cannot have it used for long periods. There is no cell phone service, nor television at the lodge.

Emergency Contact and Facilities

There is a clinic for minor illnesses and injuries in Iliamna (30 minutes away by float plane, but this is not guaranteed nor is the availability of the plane). The closest major hospital is Anchorage (one and one half hour away from Iliamna by commercial plane). Please assess your medical problems before booking. If you have medications that you take daily, please keep them with you at all times as your luggage and you can get separated. We highly recommend travel insurance whenever you travel to Alaska. If you purchase travel insurance within 21 days of your initial deposit it covers pre-existing medical conditions. There is always the possibility of an arrival or departure delay and/or cancellation due to weather. Please give us a call if you have any questions about travel insurance. Please visit Global Rescue or TravelEx  for travel/medical evacuation insurance.

Emergency contact during your week
Sweetwater Travel Office:  406.222.0624
Copper River Lodge : 907.571.1464
Email: info@copperriverlodge.com

Daily laundry service

Guest rooms are cleaned daily.  We do not have laundry service available for clients. Please do not plan on our crew having time to do personal laundry.