Chute Lake Lodge, the waterfront mountain retreat, ups its game

When PentictonNow first wrote extensively about Chute Lake Lodge, the high-elevation lakefront retreat situated on the KVR Trail midway between Kelowna and Penticton, it was November of 2018 and a brand new ownership group was trying to resurrect it from decades of neglect.

Indeed, the Lodge, built a century earlier as a sawmill bunkhouse and expanded upon over the years, was in such rough shape that many had simply written it off as dead and buried.

But it wasn't. And by the spring of 2019, following months of grueling work, it reopened sporting fully renovated cabins and lodge guest rooms, a revamped restaurant and kitchen and numerous upgrades across the property.

It was a heck of a turnaround. But it left room for further enhancements, particularly if the place wanted to make a serious play for the summer crowd.

So a couple weeks ago, we chatted with Lodge project manager Stephanie Chambers. And by the end of the conversation, we were convinced. We'd make a return trip.

We set off from downtown Penticton, motoring past the vineyards and wineries of the Naramata Bench until we hit the forest. Then it was a right turn onto the desolate but well-groomed all-dirt thoroughfare called Chute Lake Road, which snakes up into the mountains and ultimately delivers you to the front door.

In less than 60 minutes, driving a front-wheel drive car, we were there.

It was still early morning and our contact, assistant manager Gio Tisi, was doing her daily yoga routine on one of the two docks (the second of which was built since our last visit) that extend out into the lake.

The scene made for some great photos.

Tisi explained that she's been traveling the world for the past seven years, working at remote resorts.

"I love mountains," she laughed, "and I love lakes and remote places. And this is all of that."

Then she toured us around the grounds. And it didn’t take long to realize that the bulk of the recent upgrades have occurred outside the lodge (six guest rooms) and cabins (eight in all) that saw so much work in 2018-19.

A smart move when gunning for summer traffic.

First up were the yurts -- essentially rounded tents supported by wooden frames and cloaked in flexible fabric. There are four in all, and they're just a minute walk from the lodge.

Theoretically perfect for those who want the outdoor experience with none of the hassle, the quartet of Chute Lake yurts features niceties like stoves (for heating, not cooking), electricity, wooden floors and real beds and furniture.

But in the great tradition of yurts, they also have roof holes right in the middle, covered by transparent domes. And that means they keep naturally bright during the day.

One has a double bed, two have queen beads, and the largest -- named Big Meadow -- has two queens.

We liked all of them. We found them deceptively spacious, and we quite quickly fell in love with the built-in sunroofs.

From there it was on to one of Chute Lake's brand new accoutrements, the glamping village, a cozy grouping of eight glamping (glamorous + camping) tents.

Here, the accommodations are marginally less sophisticated than up the hill in the yurts, but not much. You still get real beds, floors, furniture and electricity, but the walls are a bit thinner and there's no stove or sunroof.

But you're far closer to the lake. Indeed, most of the eight glamping tents have views of it from their mini decks out front. What's more, three more glamping tents will be built this summer right at the water's edge.

It's important to note though that none of the yurts or tents have refrigerators. Nor do they have sinks, running water, or washrooms. For that, you'll need to make the short walk to the bathhouse adjacent to the lodge or the lodge itself.

Next we checked out the rentable transportation. And there's a ton of it.

For the water, there are paddleboards, kayaks, and rowboats. They'll even rent you fishing tackle and gear if you want to try your hand at catching rainbow trout. For the land, there are e-bikes and fatbikes, both of which are well suited to the crumbly dirt and gravel of the KVR.

Perhaps the most compelling sight of all was the Lodge's new portable sauna, currently set up on the lakeshore. And by the shore, we mean it's about five steps from the water to the sauna. What a way to begin the day.

Our final stop was the big area directly in front of the main lodge, which has traditionally been a mix of grass and dirt and assorted foliage. But now, it's a patio that's open seven days a week.

According to project manager Chambers, "We've completely landscaped the grounds where the patio area now is. We can seat up to 90 people over the two different zones."

There weren’t quite 90 people on the patio while we were there, but those we chatted with, several of whom were cycling from Kelowna to Penticton and opted to stop for refreshments and a bite to eat, were beaming.

"We have 50 people or so just drop by every day," said Tisi. "Lots of people don't even know we're here yet, and they're happy to find a good meal. And some of them decide to stay the night.

"But we get pretty busy on the weekends. From Friday to Sunday we're getting close to being fully booked."

Tisi talked about the newly expanded kitchen and menu, adding that the massive Chute Lake Signature Burger, with stuff like a prime rib patty, bacon, and a huge onion ring, is a favourite.

"And now we have beers on tap," she added. "We serve beer from Penticton breweries Bad Tattoo, Neighbourhood, Slackwater, and Cannery. And our wine comes from Deep Roots, La Frenz, and Daydreamer on the Naramata Bench and Echo Bay in Okanagan Falls."

And with that, yet another enjoyable trip to Chute Lake Lodge was complete.

Later, we spoke again with Stephanie Chambers, who believes the Lodge is a great solution for folks craving a break from their cloistered pandemic lifestyle.

"We think we're a great opportunity for a staycation for the people in our own area," she said. "People still want to get away from it all, get the kids out doing something active, be out in the fresh mountain air.

"You don’t have to think about packing sleeping bags or pillows or any of that stuff. And you'll feel like you've gotten away from it all even though you don't have to make a day's investment to get there."

But you will have to take your time, especially if you're coming from Kelowna. Until work is completed on the rutted KVR -- tentatively sometime this June -- Chambers recommends prospective guests bring their four-wheel drive vehicles and follow the route detailed in this link rather than the KVR itself. Or jump in their front-wheel drive cars, zip down to Penticton, and double back along the same easily navigable route we followed.

Also of note, cellular and Wi-Fi service remains spotty in the Lodge region until promised upgrades are enacted later this summer. In the case of the former, the Rogers network seems just fine but others are less so. As for Wi-Fi, you'll need to be in or near the main lodge to get a workable signal.

For more information on the unique and uniquely positioned Chute Lake Lodge, hit up its website here.