Odell Lake Lodge & Resort

The lake is lovely. However the place has much to be desired when it comes to service and conditions. We stayed in one of the camp sites. There is only one water spigot for all 28 sites at one end of the camp grounds. The fire pits did not meet USFS regs, so we could not have a camp fire. The vault toilets were not cleaned and lacked toilet paper (glad I brought some of my own). The lodge rents out boats and kayaks — the equipment was poor and the dock was looking like repairs were needed (and soon). There was insufficient staff at the lodge and when you could find someone they did not seem to be able to even tell you, I’ll be with you in a moment. There are other camp grounds around Odell Lake and we will go to them the next time.

My family of four (girls 7 and 11) booked one of the renovated two-​bedroom cabins for three nights, July 4−7^th. The rest of my family was a bit skeptical with the remoteness of the Lodge, but after the first few hours there, they could not have been any happier with it. The food was very good, the staff amazing and the fishing was insane! The owner, John, took us on a half-​day morning trip for Macks. The trip started off with Latte’s on the on the deck and ended with dinner of Kokanees and Macks. The fishing started off slow, but once John found the fish we had non-​stop action. We got four huge Macks and one little one. We also added a Kokanee to the mix. After fishing we went back to the lodge and relaxed and then were spoiled by John BBQing the fish for us. It was really a great trip to a very cool place. We will be happy to go back.

I really, really wanted to like this place, and was thrilled to book a cabin for two nights. The setting is absolutely beautiful and we were just fine with having a rustic cabin rather than a fancy hotel. However, we did expect a quiet and comfortable place to sleep each night and boy, were we disappointed. Little did we know that this property is extremely close to train tracks and about every 30 minutes, we were treated to the chugging, squealing, and rumbling of freight trains roaring past. All. Night. Long. I am typically a heavy sleeper and reasonable noise does not bother me, but this was unbelievably loud. The next day, when I explained to the hotel manager why we were checking out a day early and moving to a hotel, he offered no discount, no explanation, and no apology — just smiled, nodded and said, «Okay, sounds good.» I recommend you stay somewhere else.

We stayed two nights in wee cabin 1. It was tiny and we were roughin’ it a little, but it was clean and warm. The horseback riding was a blast; our kid had the time of her life! We also got to rent a boat and drive it around the lake for an afternoon. Many pirate jokes were had by all and I spoke like a crazy person, yelling things like, «HARD TO PORT!»
The restaurant was okay but a few pieces of my husband’s chicken wings weren’t cooked all the way. That was a bit off-​putting.
Also for some reason, there is a sink literally six inches away from the kitchen sink for the bathroom (but not in the bathroom) yet the shower is about 2.5’x2.5′ and it was probably not the best shower I’ve ever taken. That was puzzling but they were built probably decades ago and it seems they are each slowly being updated and remodeled, which is great news.
TIPS: Take bug spray! I have so many mosquito bites but that’s really my own fault.
Book a cabin on the water! It’ll cost more but it would have been worth every penny to have been able to stay there. It was difficult to judge this based on the website, but again, I could have called to find out more.
Overall, it was a great little getaway and we would and probably will go again.

We booked our cabin 4 months in advance, but had to cancel 3.5 weeks in advance due to TOXIC algae bloom health warning from the Oregon State Health Authority. Our pediatrician advised us not to bring our child there. Their policy says they give back the deposit if the cabin subsequently gets booked. The cabin we cancelled was booked by another party, yet we did NOT receive our hundreds of dollars back. To add insult to injury, I have contacted them repeatedly regarding the matter with no resolution. I highly recommend staying at Crescent Lake, Crescent Creek, or anywhere to avoid doing business with these folks.

We made our company fishing trip at Odell Lake Lodge this year. Rented two cabins (7 & 8) and 3 hotel rooms. We stayed at the newly renovated cabin (#7) and it was fabulous. The view outlook to the beautiful lake equipped with a TV, two bedrooms, living room, a bathroom, and kitchen. To top it off, there was a hot tub outside in the back of the cabin.
The staff was very personable and friendly. We were especially impressed by the owner’s younger son at age 12 taking over as a waiter and getting our orders for food. He was just awesome! The owner, John was incredibly friendly and was really helpful with providing us tips and advice for fishing since this was our first time at Odell and trolling. He even made a comment that he would come out for a few hours with us to show us how to troll and point us to the hot spots for salmon. We were impressed by his world class customer service that even though we were discouraged about not catching much fish after day 2 that we would consider coming back again just because our stay here at Odell Lake was exceptionally incredible.
As for the food at the lodge — Favorite Dinner here was the Salmon and Dessert was the Apple Pie. For Breakfast, the pancakes was incredibly fluffy and yummy. On Saturday, there was a live band outside with a fire. Watch out for Big Foot which was a scary part of the live entertainment for the kids!
Thank you John and staff. We will be back soon!

Stayed 2 nights in cabin 16, midweek in Dec, 2013. Cabin was clean, with a fantastic view of the lake. Website pics didn’t do the cabin justice. For example, the pic on the website showed the smaller bedroom looking featureless. A change in camera angle would’ve shown the beautiful lake view from that bedroom.
Gas fire stove, wood paneling, etc. Cozy (yes that means small but that works since it was just me and my gf.
Staff was friendly and ported our stuff to the cabin with their atv (the road to the cabin was pretty icy) but gave us privacy (very much appreciated).
Only negative was train noise. Turns out that there are train tracks not that far — but the noise was pretty subdued and not a real problem.
Was surprised that the place was so empty. It seemed like we were the only guests on site. Surprising considering it was mid-​Dec.
Really enjoyed our stay and will probably look to turn this into a tradition.

So sorry to say it was a disappointment. Nice people, though. Just a run-​down place with poor management. The cabin we rented was filthy on arrival (gross microwave, live/​dead carpenter ants everywhere, dust so thick I was afraid to turn on the ceiling fan). Old stinky couches in Cabin 17. The mosquitos were horrible as well (though not the fault of the lodge). The menu in the restaurant was very limited, though the chef knows how to make good soup. Wish I could report better, as the scenery is nice. Try the other lodge on the NW side and you’ll be happier (we drove up there and checked it out … really wished we had stayed there instead).

My girlfriend and I stayed at the Lodge between Christmas and New Year’s Day ²⁰¹⁰⁄₂₀₁₁. There was a major storm coming in when we arrived at the lodge. The first night power was lost to the area and then there backup generator went out. We were told it was a very old generator. We asked how long before they would have water and electricity. They could not give us an answer, hours or days. I am on cancer medication (Tarceva) I explained to the lady at the desk I needed restroom facilities with the medication and would have to find other accommodations, she said she understood. I was told I would receive a medical consideration and receive a refund. It is now May 0f 2011 and I have emailed John Ditgen numerous times and was told he would look into it, but nothing ever happens. I would not recommend this Resort based on their unethical behavior.
6÷2÷2011
Konni with Lake Odell Lodge and Resort contacted me on 6-​2-​2011 and said they were sorry for the confusion on my refund. Konni agreed to give me a $ 100.00 credit for my stay at the lodge in December of 2010 when they lost all power, I am glad this is finally resolved.

While the resort is charmingly situated on Odell Lake and incredibly convenient to Willamette Pass ski resort, I would NOT recommend it to anyone. The matresses are painfully thin and uncomfortable, with springs poking through. They require you to leave the water running in the sinks during the winter, which results in a loud water clang/​drip sound throughout the night. Why we will never return, however, is their cancellation policy, which is aggregiously mercenary and unreasonable. (We were charged full stay price ($ 536) for a reservation we made four weeks out and had to cancel almost immediately– giving more than three weeks notice.)

Oh, fer cute! This resort is operated under U.S. National Forest Service special use permit and they sport an official Forest Service sign!
We arrived here one chilly October night, expecting to camp lakeside in our Vanagon. But once we set foot in the lodge and felt the warmth of the café and saw nice clean beds and hot showers, we decided a cabin was more to our liking. While it was nice to be there in October, I’m sure that this place really shines in snow season with it’s groomed trails and cozy feeling. Rates were reasonable and the people were friendly.