THEY (almost) LEFT US FOR DEAD! My three daughters and I stayed 2 nights in their lodge and booked them for their shuttle service as we embarked on a 2 day paddle down the John Day River. The room we stayed in was pretty awful, AC, lights, and electric outlets were all not working.But the real kicker was the potential life-threatening situation they put my daughters and I in as they completely FORGOT to pick us up from our extraction point on the J.Day River. This area is very remote. After waiting 3 hours without food or water, I decided to hike out of the area to try to find help. Fortunately after about 3 miles of walking I was able to find someone with a phone that had service, and called Service Creek Lodge. After clearly forgetting about us, they oddly were unapologetic about their monumental scew-up and said they'd be at our location in an hour to pick us up. They finally showed up 3 hours later. We waited 6 HOURS for them to pick us up, and again, they were strangely unapologetic when finally arriving. After arriving back to Service Creek and speaking to two of their managers, they were AGAIN UNAPOLOGETIC! In fact, the demeanor of their body language was they did not care one bit. This completely shattered my stereotype about country folks being friendly. I asked for a refund, their response was "email us in a week" to ask for a refund. I emailed them a week later, and they agreed to refund us for everything (lodge, shuttle), but after 4 months I still have not received a refund nor gotten any more email responses from them....and still have not received ONE APOLOGY. Incredible.
Service: 1
Johnny stewart
Great place for the wilderness. Old Town stuff not everyone's cup of tea, but a step back into the mid 1800s kinda vibe like that. Great food, all you need before or after an awesome trip. Shuttle service is excellent. Friendly people. Happy Rafting and stay safe ❤ verizon .us. cellular I know gets service sometimes maybe. The wild wild west .
Service: 5
C G
Had booked two nights in the lodge, Sunflower room, for Memorial Day weekend, but only stayed one due to being disappointed with lodge and room. We are not fancy people, but there were many dead flies on windowsill and in overhead light; there was no sheet under the bedspread; it was stuffy air and we could not get any fresh air and because the only window in the room had and ancient air conditioning unit; bathroom across hall was advertised as private to Sunflower Room but then found out from another guest whose shower was not working that they were told by management that it was a shared bathroom. Would have expected for me to be told that by management ahead of time that this had been offered to another guest rather than have a surprise awkward encounter with another guest in a towel. When we decided to check out early and shorten our vacation by a day, I sent an email and explained briefly that it was because I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness and lack of private bathroom as advertised, but never got a reply, so again, disappointed by customer service and communication. Location in this part of Oregon is gorgeous and pretty convenient to both fossil beds and painted hills, but would recommend staying in the town of Fossil or Mitchell instead.
Service: 1
Rob McCallum
It was great not having to pitch a tent, inflate a mattress and roll out a sleeping bag; but it still felt like camping. The hot shower was nice too. Only downside: the previous campers left little bits of trash all over.
Service: 5
Randall Tate
Renter beware. If you can avoid renting rafts from this outfitter, I strongly suggest it. Their customer service and communication are horrendous. The antiquated website and the fact that their rental forms are Excel spreadsheets say it all. Their rafts are not properly outfitted (no taglines or dry-boxes, coolers that require you to lift them out to open, broken pumps, no straps) as they obviously have no experience in that domain and are just looking to cash in on the rental business. I requested their newer rafts on three occasions in writing and on the phone and they had no notes or recollection the day before we put in. There was no confirmation, no itemized invoice, no receipt and they waited to charge me the remaining 50% until 3 weeks after the trip ended. Their prices are higher than outfitters on the Rogue ($100/day for an IK vs $50/day on the Rogue) and their equipment is subpar. To be fair, the rafts were delivered and picked up on time and our vehicles were shuttled with no issues. After the trip, I contacted them because I left a med kit on one of our rafts. After two phone calls and two emails, they did not respond. Customer service is their lowest priority. I will not be using this service in the future.
Service: 1
Beth Tate
Renter beware. If you can avoid renting rafts from this outfitter, I strongly suggest it. Their customer service and communication are horrendous. The antiquated website and the fact that their rental forms are Excel spreadsheets say it all. Their rafts are not properly outfitted (no taglines or dry-boxes, coolers that require you to lift them out to open, broken pumps, no straps) as they obviously have no experience in that domain and are just looking to cash in on the rental business. I requested their newer rafts on three occasions in writing and on the phone and they had no notes or recollection the day before we put in. There was no confirmation, no itemized invoice, no receipt and they waited to charge me the remaining 50% until 3 weeks after the trip ended. Their prices are higher than outfitters on the Rogue ($100/day for an IK vs $50/day on the Rogue) and their equipment is subpar. To be fair, the rafts were delivered and picked up on time and our vehicles were shuttled with no issues. After the trip, I contacted them because I left a med kit on one of our rafts. After two phone calls and two emails, they did not respond. Customer service is their lowest priority. I will not be using this service in the future.
Olivia T.
The food is good, The Service is nice and the restaurant was kinda dirty. I think it is an ok place to stop if your hungry
Joshua M.
Stopped in here on a motorcycle trip, located in the middle of beautiful Central Oregon, Delicious food, friendly staff, recommended!
Clare Marshall
The glamping facilities are amazing and beautiful. The beds were very comfortable and the surprise of having a shower hut available was great. Their website leaves a lot to be desired, but don’t overlook this place. It was super convenient on our road trip to the Painted Hills to stay here and not have to bring all our camping supplies. Next time, I’ll plan ahead and book an extra night to take advantage of their river offerings.
Tristan Todd
Stopped by during a motorcycle trip. Super friendly staff, great service, excellent food, fully-stocked store. This is definitely one of my go-to places when I'm riding or driving near the John Day River! Thank you for the road hospitality!
Just stopped by today after fishing the John day . The food was incredible and the staff was so friendly and funny! I was able to get whatever I needed in the little store as well. Highly recommend this place. I may even drive all the way from Prineville to eat dinner here in the future. Thank you!
MR. derp
I’m from Minnesota, didn’t plan on stopping here, but so glad I did, the service was amazing, the people were extremely friendly and the burger I had was hands down the best burger I’ve ever had! And the store itself was quaint and a slice of
Service: 5
Natasha Smith
Perfect for the getaway we needed. Roger was the most joyous and epic host and the beds were super comfy. No internet or phone service but the surrounding nature made up for it.
Service: 5
Kate Brennan
Stayed here overnight in between rafting the North Fork and the John Day. The lodge was lovely. Kelly and Roger were very welcoming and the room was cozy and comfortable. The kitchen and central gathering room were warm and inviting. We enjoyed dinner next door at the cafe. Get the tots!!
Wheeler SWCD District Manager
Our agency office is a few miles away and this is genuine rural america John Day River style. Our office staff eat here frequently and love their chicken strip or burger baskets for lunch - it's all you can do to get it all down and quality is excellent. Their desserts are huge and the home made style that you would expect out in this amazing rimrock country. Incredible good hearted and friendly people here!
THEY (almost) LEFT US FOR DEAD! My three daughters and I stayed 2 nights in their lodge and booked them for their shuttle service as we embarked on a 2 day paddle down the John Day River. The room we stayed in was pretty awful, AC, lights, and electric outlets were all not working.But the real kicker was the potential life-threatening situation they put my daughters and I in as they completely FORGOT to pick us up from our extraction point on the J.Day River. This area is very remote. After waiting 3 hours without food or water, I decided to hike out of the area to try to find help. Fortunately after about 3 miles of walking I was able to find someone with a phone that had service, and called Service Creek Lodge. After clearly forgetting about us, they oddly were unapologetic about their monumental scew-up and said they'd be at our location in an hour to pick us up. They finally showed up 3 hours later. We waited 6 HOURS for them to pick us up, and again, they were strangely unapologetic when finally arriving. After arriving back to Service Creek and speaking to two of their managers, they were AGAIN UNAPOLOGETIC! In fact, the demeanor of their body language was they did not care one bit. This completely shattered my stereotype about country folks being friendly. I asked for a refund, their response was "email us in a week" to ask for a refund. I emailed them a week later, and they agreed to refund us for everything (lodge, shuttle), but after 4 months I still have not received a refund nor gotten any more email responses from them....and still have not received ONE APOLOGY. Incredible.
Service: 1
Great place for the wilderness. Old Town stuff not everyone's cup of tea, but a step back into the mid 1800s kinda vibe like that. Great food, all you need before or after an awesome trip. Shuttle service is excellent. Friendly people. Happy Rafting and stay safe ❤ verizon .us. cellular I know gets service sometimes maybe. The wild wild west .
Service: 5
Had booked two nights in the lodge, Sunflower room, for Memorial Day weekend, but only stayed one due to being disappointed with lodge and room. We are not fancy people, but there were many dead flies on windowsill and in overhead light; there was no sheet under the bedspread; it was stuffy air and we could not get any fresh air and because the only window in the room had and ancient air conditioning unit; bathroom across hall was advertised as private to Sunflower Room but then found out from another guest whose shower was not working that they were told by management that it was a shared bathroom. Would have expected for me to be told that by management ahead of time that this had been offered to another guest rather than have a surprise awkward encounter with another guest in a towel. When we decided to check out early and shorten our vacation by a day, I sent an email and explained briefly that it was because I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness and lack of private bathroom as advertised, but never got a reply, so again, disappointed by customer service and communication. Location in this part of Oregon is gorgeous and pretty convenient to both fossil beds and painted hills, but would recommend staying in the town of Fossil or Mitchell instead.
Service: 1
It was great not having to pitch a tent, inflate a mattress and roll out a sleeping bag; but it still felt like camping. The hot shower was nice too. Only downside: the previous campers left little bits of trash all over.
Service: 5
Renter beware. If you can avoid renting rafts from this outfitter, I strongly suggest it. Their customer service and communication are horrendous. The antiquated website and the fact that their rental forms are Excel spreadsheets say it all. Their rafts are not properly outfitted (no taglines or dry-boxes, coolers that require you to lift them out to open, broken pumps, no straps) as they obviously have no experience in that domain and are just looking to cash in on the rental business. I requested their newer rafts on three occasions in writing and on the phone and they had no notes or recollection the day before we put in. There was no confirmation, no itemized invoice, no receipt and they waited to charge me the remaining 50% until 3 weeks after the trip ended. Their prices are higher than outfitters on the Rogue ($100/day for an IK vs $50/day on the Rogue) and their equipment is subpar. To be fair, the rafts were delivered and picked up on time and our vehicles were shuttled with no issues. After the trip, I contacted them because I left a med kit on one of our rafts. After two phone calls and two emails, they did not respond. Customer service is their lowest priority. I will not be using this service in the future.
Service: 1
Renter beware. If you can avoid renting rafts from this outfitter, I strongly suggest it. Their customer service and communication are horrendous. The antiquated website and the fact that their rental forms are Excel spreadsheets say it all. Their rafts are not properly outfitted (no taglines or dry-boxes, coolers that require you to lift them out to open, broken pumps, no straps) as they obviously have no experience in that domain and are just looking to cash in on the rental business. I requested their newer rafts on three occasions in writing and on the phone and they had no notes or recollection the day before we put in. There was no confirmation, no itemized invoice, no receipt and they waited to charge me the remaining 50% until 3 weeks after the trip ended. Their prices are higher than outfitters on the Rogue ($100/day for an IK vs $50/day on the Rogue) and their equipment is subpar. To be fair, the rafts were delivered and picked up on time and our vehicles were shuttled with no issues. After the trip, I contacted them because I left a med kit on one of our rafts. After two phone calls and two emails, they did not respond. Customer service is their lowest priority. I will not be using this service in the future.
The food is good, The Service is nice and the restaurant was kinda dirty. I think it is an ok place to stop if your hungry
Stopped in here on a motorcycle trip, located in the middle of beautiful Central Oregon, Delicious food, friendly staff, recommended!
The glamping facilities are amazing and beautiful. The beds were very comfortable and the surprise of having a shower hut available was great. Their website leaves a lot to be desired, but don’t overlook this place. It was super convenient on our road trip to the Painted Hills to stay here and not have to bring all our camping supplies. Next time, I’ll plan ahead and book an extra night to take advantage of their river offerings.
Stopped by during a motorcycle trip. Super friendly staff, great service, excellent food, fully-stocked store. This is definitely one of my go-to places when I'm riding or driving near the John Day River! Thank you for the road hospitality!
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Just stopped by today after fishing the John day . The food was incredible and the staff was so friendly and funny! I was able to get whatever I needed in the little store as well. Highly recommend this place. I may even drive all the way from Prineville to eat dinner here in the future. Thank you!
I’m from Minnesota, didn’t plan on stopping here, but so glad I did, the service was amazing, the people were extremely friendly and the burger I had was hands down the best burger I’ve ever had! And the store itself was quaint and a slice of
Service: 5
Perfect for the getaway we needed. Roger was the most joyous and epic host and the beds were super comfy. No internet or phone service but the surrounding nature made up for it.
Service: 5
Stayed here overnight in between rafting the North Fork and the John Day. The lodge was lovely. Kelly and Roger were very welcoming and the room was cozy and comfortable. The kitchen and central gathering room were warm and inviting. We enjoyed dinner next door at the cafe. Get the tots!!
Our agency office is a few miles away and this is genuine rural america John Day River style. Our office staff eat here frequently and love their chicken strip or burger baskets for lunch - it's all you can do to get it all down and quality is excellent. Their desserts are huge and the home made style that you would expect out in this amazing rimrock country. Incredible good hearted and friendly people here!