The Iliamna River is a river in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

that flows into

Iliamna Lake Iliamna Lake or Lake Iliamna (Yup'ik: ''Nanvarpak''; Dena'ina Athabascan: ''Nila Vena'') is a lake in southwest Alaska, at the north end of the Alaska Peninsula, between Kvichak Bay and Cook Inlet, about west of Seldovia, Alaska. It shares a na ...

Old Iliamna Iliamna ( Dena'ina: ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 108 at the 2020 census, slightly down from 109 in 2010. History Iliamna was originally the name of an Athabaskan ...

was located near the confluence. Guth's Lodge is located along the river. The

Chigmit Mountains The Chigmit Mountains are a subrange of the Aleutian Range in the Kenai Peninsula and Lake and Peninsula Boroughs of the U.S. state of Alaska. Location They are located at the northeastern end of the Aleutian range, on the west side of Cook Inl ...

are to the northeast. The river is by Lonesome Point, Old Iliamna and Pile Bay Village. While no road connects the local communities to Alaska's road and highway system, a road connecting Williamsport, Alaska on Iliamna Bay along the Alaskan coast to Pike's Bay on Lake Iliamna provides an important transit route for boaters. The 15-mile road enables a shortcut for fishing vessels crossing from

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...

and landing in Williamsport. They can take the road to Pile Bay and then navigate across Iliamna Lake and down the

Kvichak River The Kvichak River (Yup'ik: ''Kuicaraq'') is a large river, about long, in southwestern Alaska in the United States. It flows southwest from Lake Iliamna to Kvichak Bay, an arm of Bristol Bay, on the Alaska Peninsula. The communities of Igiugig ...

to commercial fisheries at

Bristol Bay Bristol Bay ( esu, Iilgayaq, russian: Залив Бристольский) is the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km (250 mi) long and 290 km, ( ...

. The 320-mile route is an alternative to a 1,000-mile journey around the Alaska Peninsula. A company tows the boats over the road. Flooding held up transit operations in 2018. In 2016, a historic truss bridge over the river was offered for free to anyone that wanted it and could remove it as construction on a replacement was initiated. The river floods often.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska Rivers of Alaska