Tal River Lodge

The Tal River Lodge is unique in Alaska.  We are incorporated and the corporation owns over 16 acres on the banks of the Talachulitna River with an airstrip.  There is no other lodge that has a shared ownership concept to it.  There are 18 equal member shares.  This lodge has operated successfully for over 20 years as a private entity and about 15 years prior as a commercial fishing lodge.

This is the only place I know where you can land your plane, be fishing within 15 minutes and not have to worry about getting your cabin habitable.  The ease and convenience is all thanks to the caretakers and the volunteer board members who run the lodge.

The success of the lodge is based on an engaged membership.  The members run the overall operations of the lodge with volunteer positions on the board.  It is expected that owners will take their turn helping to run the lodge and be on the Board. There is a fair amount of planning that takes place in the off season to ensure a successful summer season.  The good news is that we split the bills 18 ways and the burden is never significant to any one person.

Roughly half of the owners own airplanes and the rest charter through a couple of Anchorage-based air taxi's.  The costs of chartering are normally kept low by coordinating with back hauls for the lodge or with another owner who wants to use the lodge before or after.  Airplane owners are more apt to go out on more shorter trips throughout a season, but owning an airplane is not necessary to enjoy this unique property.

Landing at the Tal can sometimes be fairly technical and should only be attempted by experienced pilots with off-airport landing experience.  The strip is maintained by the caretakers and is normally in good bush conditions.  

The lodge can be booked entirely by one party or shared amongst other shareholders.  The lodge is rarely booked out for more than a couple of nights.  Owners are allowed to bring anyone they want out to the lodge, but the owner is required to be at the lodge with them, except for flying in/out the rest of the party.

 Lodge owners either own their own boats or share a boat with other shareholders.  None are owned by the lodge.  There are some seasons when the caretakers can be hired as a fishing guide, but normally the owners are expected to be proficient with their own boat on the river.  There are several other streams to visit along the Skwenta for more fishing.

The costs of operating the lodge are shared equally by all owners.  The average costs for operating the lodge is about $30K per year and assessments are made for major expenses if the annual dues aren't enough to cover an unforeseen expense.  Currently, the price to buy a share is $27,000.  Annual dues are $2400 and $15/night per person for use of the lodge.  There is no additional charge for day use.

The Shareholder Manual should be able to answer most questions about common usage rules.