Winema Lodge

This lodge is located near the Klamath Wildlife Refuge. The rooms are clean, and there is a large community room with board games, pool table, and comfortable sofas. Quiet and well kept. We hope to come back soon.

If you should find yourself in the Tulelake this would be an ideal place to stay. The lodge is close to two wildlife refuges and the Lava Beds National monument. We stayed here 3 nights. The cottages are like an old style motel. The beds are comfortable and the towels are soft. There is also a gun rack for duck hunters. Staying here during off season it was very quiet, the only the sounds I heard at night was an owl.
The large main wood paneled room made me feel I was in a hunting lodge. There are stuffed geese on the walls and deer heads too. There is a pool table, books, TV, and comfortable chairs and couches. It is a warm and welcoming place to sit a spell here after a busy day.
It rates 5-​stars if you can accept that it is not fancy. It is not a luxury hotel, and it is not a chain. It is a lodge tucked against a mountain looking out on farmland and wildlife owned by pleasant woman.

Imagine you’re a duck hunter who’s been roughing it in the woods for several days, no toilets, no running water, sleeping on whatever duck hunters sleep on. You arrive at the WInema Lodge and it feels like LUXURY! Heat. Showers. Walls to protect you from the wind & rain. Mattresses on cots, and even a gun rack right inside the door for all four of your rifles. Ahh, this place feels like a palace to you. There’s even a fake potted plant hanging near the window for ambiance. Perched atop the gun rack is a fly swatter. We wondered aloud whether this was for décor or utility, but then our question was answered when we spotted a dead fly smashed into the wall.
Everything, from the motley collection of your grandma’s old bath towels, to the rustic wall heater your late grandpa installed for your grandma in the 50’s, to the electric wiring running in conduits outside the bare painted cinder block walls, to the outlet adapter necessary because the original structure wasn’t built with enough outlets for the lamp, fridge AND microwave (let alone the five electronic devices you brought with you and need to charge), to the mustard yellow 1960’s flannel blankets will bring back a flood of fond memories of your weeks in a summer camp cabin, or staying in Grandma’s spare bedroom back in her old house. Love natural light? Perfect, because you’ll see slivers of it through the door. Bathroom toiletries included a regular pump soap dispenser about half full, and a large pump dispenser of body wash about ¾ full, but nothing more.
But don’t let this review deter you. There was absolutely nothing really «wrong» with the place, and we’ll stay here again the next time we’re out this way. It’s meant to be a hunting lodge, and it’s as clean and tidy as one can get a hunting lodge. You’ll be warm & comfortable. The hot water was plentiful. The mini-​fridge and microwave are modern. And the best feature of the place are the friendly and helpful mom & pop-​type people who run it. So if you’re planning a trip to the nearby lava beds or wildlife refuge, then you should definitely stay here. Just plan to dial back your expectations to the 1960’s and come for the location, not the amenities.

Enjoyed our time here. Has an old fashioned hunting lodge feel. It’s not fancy, but clean and comfortable. The location can’t be beat. It’s close to both Lava Beds National Monument and the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge.

The best thing about this place is the woman who runs it. She is very nice and friendly, and keeps the place as clean as possible. There is a nice game room with a pool table (most of the cues are missing the tip, but we were able to find one that was straight and had a tip), a nice card table, multiple boardgames, cards and poker chips, and a big screen TV. The game room is lined with stuffed ducks and deer and antelope from hunting expeditions.
They serve a continental breakfast that includes coffee (not great), cereals (raisin bran, Cheerios, and Apple jacks when we were there), and some bread and bagels with jam and cream cheese. No protein.
The rates were quite reasonable and very close to lava beds national Monument. Overlooks a great birdwatching area.
So why not more stars? Well, I think it’s really seasonal. We stayed here in July and it was extremely hot. We just spent one night and where they’re only from the evening till the morning, so it wasn’t too bad. Daytime temperature though was 101°, and the room doesn’t have any air conditioning. Because of the cinderblock construction, the walls radiated heat all night long and it was about 85° in the room at the coldest part of the night. That’s pretty hot! Also, the room was infested with bugs. There were tiny flies all over the bathroom, hundreds of them. There were more flies surrounding the lamp in the bedroom. There were so many, we even had to brush them off of our pillows before we lay down. It was pretty disgusting. I know that the woman who runs it does her best to keep this place is clean as possible, but I guess there’s just no way around all these flies without better construction.
I think if you’re coming in the spring or fall this might not be a bad place to stay, but I wouldn’t stay here again over the summer.

We had a wonderful stay at Winema Lodge. It is in a great location for exploring Lava Beds National Monument or birding in the Tulelake area. We planned our own birding loop of Northern Central California and found this place on Trip Advisor. We stayed June 26 and 27, 2014. We found interesting birds around Tulelake (not to mention two Great Horned Owls living right next to the property, and adult and young Prairie Falcons at Petroglyph Point (part of Lava Beds near Tulelake).
The lodge is an old Hunting lodge and during the non-​hunting season is very quiet. There is a main lodge with rooms which have several bunk beds and large bathrooms with multiple sinks, showers etc. and several motel type private rooms in a separate building within 50 yards of the main lodge. We stayed in one of these. It was quiet, comfortable and clean.
Verna, the woman who runs the Lodge, provides free continental breakfast or will make a hot breakfast for a low price. She is relaxed and accommodating and really made us feel welcome there. We had pleasant breakfasts there, with her giving us some background on the area.
Having said all this, you are likely to have a good experience as long as you understand and accept in advance that it is not fancy. The motel type rooms are clean, but made of painted cinderblock and the furniture inside is simple and sparse. The bunk areas in the main lodge reminded me of where you would put a group of campers or perhaps a hostel. We have stayed in much plusher lodging, but we knew what to expect and we were delighted with the accommodations, the quiet, the cleanliness, Verna’s hospitality, free internet, pool table, TV in the main living area inside the lodge, the bed and breakfast atmosphere for breakfasts, and the location.
If you are staying in the area, this is the place to stay!

Winema Lodge is right on Tule Lake, a great place for bird watching. When we arrived several women were sitting outside their room watching birds with their binoculars. So, if you are coming to bird watch, this is a great location, very close to wonderful Tule Lake, where thousands of birds nest for the winter months, and pass through in the spring on their way north. We saw many eagles, ducks galore, geese, and more exotic birds.
Accomodations are modest — like a motel, with a row of rooms. Really clean, well kept up, good amount of towels that actually match the space, microwave, good lighting, really warm, good shower. The morning Continental breakfast is great, with good choices. You can order a warm breakfast for a fee. The people who run the place are really helpful, warm and friendly.
An excellent choice for the location!

We stayed here with our dog in August. Yes, they are very dog friendly since they cater to duck hunters. We were the only people at the place because the real high traffic season for them is in October when hunting season apparently starts. The staff was very nice and told us that we had the run of the common area at night which I appreciated because I work night shift and was going to be up late. They also agreed to let us stay past check out time because I was sleeping in. The place is clean, simple, and in a great location for birding in the NWR and for getting into Lava Beds NM.
Now for some minuses to go with the pluses. Afterall, I did give it 4 stars.
There are no air conditioners in the motel rooms. While it doesn’t get blazing hot, it was warm in August. We had a fan that we put in the window. That window faced east, and in the morning, the sun just about killed us. Had we not had the fan in the window, we still would have had issues with the sun, since all there is, is mini blinds, no curtains.
There are no TVs in the rooms. There is one in the big common lodge, which also has a pool table. We didn’t care about the lack of them in the rooms since we were the only ones there and the manager said we could be in the lodge all night. Problem was, so was she… asleep on the couch in front of the TV. We didn’t want to disturb her, so no TV, no pool table. We luckily had our little portable DVD player in our room.
There is nothing fancy about this place. Hey, it’s Tulelake! Don’t expect anything amazing, and you will be happy with it’s cleanliness and complete silence at night. The silence may be lessened during hunting season, but still, it’s a good little place to stay.
One major thing to keep in mind. There is a soda machine in the lodge, but there is no food. Anywhere. For miles. If you need a snack, bring it ahead of time. You have a fridge and freezer in the motel rooms, so stock up, or you will be SOL. In the morning, there is breakfast items provided.
If I could recommend a few things to the ownership: 1. Install ductless HVACs. They are very efficient and will work well in your motel rooms. Even a few rooms would be great. 2. Put up some curtains. We used the comforter. 3. Fence off an area for dogs. Your dog friendly place really sold me, and my guy needed a spot to stretch off leash without the temptation of rabbits and squirrels leading him onto the street. 4. Bring in a snack vending machine. You could make a killing.
Overall, I’d stay here again.