Elk River Inn & Restaurant

Jerry Gilliam

Elk River is a wonderful and comfortable place to stay. lots of charm very quiet and the breakfast is to die for. I highly recommend it to anybody that wants reasonable yet with great accommodations. I've stayed there many times over the years and everyone has been wonderful.

John Alli

Definitely the best fly fishing trip of my life was 10-14 June with the professional fly fishing guide John Schmidt of Elk River Inn and Cabins! When I scheduled the guided fishing trip months prior with Mary, I asked to fish with a guide that could take me to places where we wouldn’t see anyone. I was willing to hike many miles a day to enjoy the West Virginia beauty and catch a variety of fish. I’m an avid fisherman with a lot of fly fishing gear that has more book and video knowledge than on-the-water actual experience. I have taught myself to cast with either hand fairly accurately, mend the line very well, and have a good hook set. Day 1 was brook trout day. We hiked in a couple miles through the forest passing under rhododendron groves on our way to a special creek. Casts were short and to tight areas, with very little room for back casts. John knew the fish lies, fishing flies, and best presentations. We caught 30 or so beautiful brookies. John helped me refine my hook set, reinforced the trout lies, and showed the best way to present and cover the water. An awesome day with beautiful scenery, active trout, and great conversation. We finished up with a streamside meal and more great conversation. One takeaway, fishing for brookies can be in extremely tight spaces so practice your bow cast as it will help! Days 2 through 4 were on the Upper and Lower Elk River, and the Lost River. Nature was good to us with cloud cover, good water flows and impressive hatches. We spent at least eight hours per day hiking, fishing, and conversing. No doubt a hard but fun series of journeys. Once again John delivered every single day. His knowledge, experience and tenacity put me in position to cover the water thoroughly, with the right flies, drifts, presentations, hook sets, and fish fighting techniques that netted the three largest and most beautiful brown trout of my life. And there were nice rainbows too! There was so much good news you have ask, “Were there any downsides?? No, other than I lost a fair amount of John’s favorite flies to the trees above and behind me, and to several nice size fish, in undisclosed locations, that snapped my line. But John rolled with it, tied on more flies, and got me more aware of my back cast! All in all, an outstanding experience including my stay at the Elk River Inn and Restaurant. Mary and Gil treated me right. My cabin was clean, comfortable and had a hot tub. COVID19 limited dining to breakfasts only. Mary served up a delicious, affordable, made to order breakfast, just for me. Now back to fishing which was the purpose of the trip. John is an awesome guide, and I value his outstanding knowledge, skills, and camaraderie. I’m a better fisherman thanks to him. He made this trip a resounding success and I cannot thank him enough. I’ll be back!

Gary & Denise Gonthier

We just returned from a weekend stay with three other couples at Elk River Inn. The accommodations were excellent as were the owners, Gil and Mary. We felt like we were at home. It was very private. We all sat as a group in the living room area each night, enjoying each other’s company. Mary and Gil prepared an awesome delicious breakfast each morning. Mary and Gil would chat with us at breakfast asking us about our adventures. It was a great place to go to hang out and enjoy each other’s company in private and explore the area. It really felt like home away from home. Hoping to go back in the fall to enjoy the foliage.

Thomas

Comfortable beds, great breakfast and great owners. The owners would chat with the people at breakfast and helped me find good biking and hiking in the area that I would've otherwise missed. I will stay here again next time I'm in the area