Crystalwood Lodge, your pet friendly and family welcoming vacation rental destination near Crater Lake National Park is proud to be hosting not one but two weddings this summer. The first one was this past weekend.  Congratulations to Briana and Rory and their families!

Rory’s family and groomsmen stayed at Crystalwood for the weekend, and the happy couple spent their wedding night here as well. With the long summer days, many of the family took a quick trip to nearby Crater Lake after the ceremony and reception.

The reception was catered by Yummy’s Cowboy Catering (which was yummy!), and some of the kids visited with my sled dogs after the reception as well.  With plenty of parking available, it was easy to accommodate the ceremony and reception for over 100 guests.

  All in all, a great weekend! We’re getting 2012 reservations already for July, August and September, so make plans early to get your first choice of dates!  Family reunions and extended family trips still top the list of reasons to rent the entire lodge, but we’re also having Sierra Club trips, workshops, healing retreats and of course…weddings.

The dogs and I look forward to hosting YOU soon! You can click here to check Crystalwood Lodge availability. As always, I’m just a phone call away if you have more questions or prefer to talk to a human being to make your reservation:  (866) 381-2322.

Have a wonderful summer 2011!

A point to note:  Fall reservations guarantee you the absolutely best time to hike and explore this area in depth. This year we had unseasonably late snow in the mountains, resulting in most trails being snow-bound and closed until late in July. You are guaranteed easy and complete trail access throughout September and most of October…with the fall colors being an added bonus! I’m betting the colors will be awesome this season given all the snow and rain we had earlier in the spring.  We typically have about 6+ weeks of beautiful “Indian summer” during September and October — warm days, crisp nights, dry conditions, no bugs, beautiful ever-changing fall colors — my favorite time of year, can you tell? 

Crystalwood Lodge, your warm and cozy base for winter fun

We’re OPEN for Winter Play…plenty of snow, warm temps, Crater Lake is mantled in her winter glory, special winter-only events and activities coming up…and it isn’t even officially winter yet!

Brick Says...Come Visit Me!

First I should pass along a request from Brick…he wants you to know that he’d love some company, and please bring treats. Lots of them. As everyone knows who’s visited and been charmed by Brick, he’ll be the first to tell you I never, ever feed him and so he depends on handouts for his sustenance. (yeah, right). But he truly does love the busy summer season and visiting with guests, and takes his job of Crystalwood Lodge Official Meeter and Greeter quite seriously. He’s getting pretty frail now at 18 years young, so he’s slowed down quite a bit…but his nose certainly still works just fine!

What a magnificent early fall we had — drop dead gorgeous Indian Summer, with beautiful soft days, crisp nights, and as always it was a great time to hike and enjoy our natural wonders. I had the chance to explore a few miles of the Nannie Creek trail, just north of Crystalwood Lodge, which goes into the heart of the Sky Lakes Wilderness and connects with the Pacific Crest Trail. My good friend Karen came to visit, and we took advantage of the grand weather to check out the trail…

Looking North Toward Pelican Butte at the Nannie Creek Trail Overlook in the Sky Lakes Wilderness

Puck Lake off Nannie Creek Trail

Then, in November and early December…SNOW! Lots of it, much earlier than normal for this much snow — we usually get quite a bit to enjoy, but we had January type storms in November. I kept digging out to keep access to the Lodge easy and open, but once the dog yard did get kind of buried:

First Big Snow in the Iditarod Dog Yard at Crystalwood Lodge, Southern Oregon Cascades

Luckily the dogs love it and are good at keeping their circles stomped down and quite usable. With this much snow, and no base, it did mean we were grounded in our seasonal “no fly zone” — way too much snow to train the team using 4-wheelers, and no trails established to be able to safely run a sled.

But that is changing this week! The groomer is finally getting out on the trail system, and I expect we may be able to get out on the sled very soon. We’ve had quite a bit of rain in the last couple of weeks, which melted some of the snow and compacted the rest, so now terrific base conditions upon which we can build the rest of the winter with more snow.  Let it snow, let it snow!

Crystalwood Lodge Easy Winter Access

As a reminder, Crystalwood Lodge has easy winter access — I maintain the driveway and parking areas, the country keeps Westside Road well plowed since it is a country truck bypass route, and the state takes care of the main highways. I’ve never had guests who couldn’t get here…and in fact, we have served as an emergency way station for travellers from Klamath Falls to Medford. It is definitely recommended you bring chains or traction tires — we are in the mountains, so even when Crystalwood itself and Westside Road are perfectly open, you may need them for safe traveling over the higher passes on your way if a storm happens to blow in.

Crystalwood Lodge is located just outside the south entrance to Crater Lake National Park, which is the entrance open year-round. Crater Lake too has plenty of snow this year, so a great time to explore and feel like you have the Park to yourself. Additionally, there’s a number of upcoming winter-only events:

• Winter Wings Festival in February, celebrating the terrific birding available in the Klamath Basin, especially visiting the wintering bald eagles, the largest population in the lower 48 states. Workshops, field trips and activities for the whole family…mark your calendars and make plans to attend!

• Crystal Cave Tours at Lava Beds National Monument. Crystal Cave is only open on a limited basis during the winter months due to its delicacy. Tours are by reservation, only on winter Saturdays, and only 6 people are permitted per tour. Be sure not to miss out on this very exclusive adventure!

• Ranger led snowshoe hikes at the Rim of Crater Lake. Guided snowshoe hikes are every winter Sunday afternoon.

Snowshoe Paradise at Crystalwood Lodge

Don’t forget to plan a few extra days to explore Crystalwood itself — go sledding, snowshoe outside our front door on the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, and visit with the Iditarod sled dog team (yes, Brick will share, grudgingly…).  Be completely relaxed and on your own schedule, indulge and enjoy yourself in our fully outfitted commercial kitchen (all you bring is your food), and watch a movie or read a book while cuddling up by the wood stove in the Great Room. A winter vacation just doesn’t get any better than this!

Well, Are Ya Coming?

So what should I tell Brick? Will you be visiting him this winter?

It’s a win-win for everyone.  Your group of up to 16 can enjoy the entire Lodge and property and have it all to yourselves!  I am excited because this enables me to have the Lodge open this winter, for if folks come and rent the entire lodge for 3, 4 or 5 nights, it makes it economically viable for me to open it up and make it available.  We’re due to have a great winter, so make plans now to come and enjoy it!

As we have all season, a Lodge Exclusive rental comes with use of the fully outfitted commercial kitchen at no extra charge.  Of course, this means that one and only one group will be here at a time…so first come, first served!  If you’ve been thinking about having a family get-together for the holidays, or a group outing to enjoy Crater Lake National Park in all her winter glory, book now!  When its taken, its gone!

Since this is a new official offering for us (we’ve been doing Lodge Exclusives upon request for years), I’m offering some incredible deals to kick start the process.  The longer you rent the Lodge, the less per night it is.  The cost per night drops dramatically, depending on how many nights you need to explore all the recreation opportunities in our area!

For example, if you wanted to do a 2-night rental (our minimum) for a getaway weekend, the basic rate is $497/night (plus lodging tax), a savings of over $212/night from our per-room nightly rates.  However, if you wanted to have the Lodge as your Thanksgiving holiday getaway, say for 4 nights Wednesday – Saturday, the price per night drops to $347.  And if you wanted to have Crystalwood Lodge as your home for the holidays for the week of Christmas or New Years, your investment per night drops to $297!  NO holiday upcharge.  NO surcharge for high season rentals.  Just come and enjoy!

We’re still pet welcoming, and for those of you who’ve stayed with us before, Brick wanted me to tell you he is looking forward to some visitors, and please bring treats.  I think he’s afraid I might forget he’s retired and try to hook him up with the dog team when we go out.  Not likely! 

So whether you’re looking to book an artist workshop, family reunion, church retreat, scrapbooking weekend, adventure experience or just an incredibly private and utterly relaxing getaway with those closest to you…we look forward to hosting you, making sure everything is taken care of for you, and helping you create some extra special memories in our corner of paradise! Check availability and book now!

This coming weekend is the first of three summer weekends that visitors can see to National Parks free of charge! The National Parks Service has waived the entrace fees for this coming Saturday and Sunday at many parks including the Crater Lake National Park to encourage tourism.

In light of this opportunity, the Crystalwood Lodge is offering a last-minute hot deal to anyone who wants to take advantage of the deals at the National Parks. If you make a last-minute reservation mention this blog post, you will recieve 50% off of your stay! This offer is valid for Friday the 19th through Monday the 22nd only. A minimum stay of two nights is required.

Hot here today, it feels way more like mid-summer than early spring.  But this heat wave is not supposed to last, and more temperate conditions will return in a couple of days.  Today’s blog post is mostly to introduce our summer 2009 offerings and room rates, but I did want to point out where to get fairly reliable weather information for our area.  The weather site I like the best is the NOAA weather, it seems to be fairly accurate and they do account for our micro-climates in the area.  Just enter Ft. Klamath, Oregon in the search bar, and you’ll get a snapshot of the weather in our little corner of paradise.

OK, on the the main topic for today — vacationing at and around Crater Lake has never been more affordable than this year!  Crystalwood Lodge is opening up our commercial kitchen for guest use, and reducing our room rates for this season to boot.  We’ve been operating this way quite successfully in the off seasons for several years, and it worked really well for guests as they felt they could take care of their own needs, make their own schedules and completely and utterly relax.  A number of guests always called to find out exactly when the offseason would start, so they could time their arrivals to correspond.  Likewise, when folks arrived and saw the kitchen, they were like kids in a candy shop at the thought of getting to play in a real commercial kitchen.  So we decided to take the plunge and open it up for the summer season and see how it goes.

Our 2009 lodging rates reflect that change — removing the cost of preparing breakfasts, with no additional charge for the commercial kitchen use.  So anywhere you look for lodging in the Crater Lake or Klamath Falls area, you’ll find we’re your best value, especially for those folks who want to stay a few days and economically explore all this area has to offer and make a true vacation of it.  This is the place to really get away, without going far and spending tons of money!

One recent guest asked if there was an historical reason why we have a commercial kitchen…the answer is yes!  Turns out when the original Brown family homestead was converted into a hunting and fishing lodge, it was also a saloon and restaurant.  That was in the 1980s, and it was known as Crystal Creek Lodge in those days, and had quite a reputation as a local watering hole.  The kitchen has been updated and expanded through the various owners since then, and I know how fun it is to cook in there — I want to share that opportunity with my guests!  Everything you might need is there, so relax, have fun, experiment, enjoy!

What does a fully outfitted commercial kitchen mean?  What if I don’t feel like cooking?  More details are on the Crystalwood Lodge website on our News and Specials page. 

Also a point to note:  we’re the perfect size for the small family reunion or pet-and-family-friendly getaway.As we’ve done in years past, the entire lodge is available for “Lodge Exclusive” rentals by groups, for family reunions, retreats, board meetings, volunteer groups, church gatherings, etc.  We have a full list of caterers in the area, any of whom would be glad to provide whatever services your group might need.  For overnight accommodations, we can sleep 16 when all the beds and rooms are full.  Ask about our Lodge Exclusive package deals and find out how to have this incredible property and area all to yourselves!

The first staff member you’ll likely meet is Brick, whose self-appointed official title is Lodge Meeter and Greeter. He’s a very mellow old guy, a retired sled dog just turning 16 years young, and at that age he kinda figures he has outlived the rules. Mostly, he’s right! He welcomes everyone, 2 or 4 footed alike…he’s quite convinced you’re here to see him!

Brick is Crystalwood Lodge's official Meeter-and-Greeter

Next is Jeana, who is our summer staffer joining us all the way from Alberta Canada.  We’re thrilled to have Jeana join us, and in this first week she’s jumped in with both feet to quickly learn the Lodge facilities and amenities.  If you’re lucky enough to get her on the phone when you call, please welcome her and enjoy her delightful accent — after all, its definitely Canadian, eh?

Jeana is here to provide excellent guest service

Last, but certainly not least, is Orval, our maintenance and landscaping expert.  Orval is one of those rare individuals who can fix anything (and does).  With the historical nature of the Crystalwood Lodge and property, keeping everything working smoothly is a full time job!  Orval does a great job whether he is tending the garden, completing a project enhancing the guest experience, or providing advice on the many recreation opportunities in our area.

Orval keeps the place humming and beautiful.

And, of course, there’s myself — Liz, your host.  I manage to keep pretty busy running Crystalwood Lodge, training and caring for my sled dog team, and developing a speaking, writing and coaching career based on the life lessons I’ve learned from my sled dogs.  Since we accomplished our goal of completing the 2008 Iditarod Sled Dog Race (in celebration of my 50th birthday), the dogs and I are sharing our learnings with others, and Crystalwood Lodge makes a wonderful place to host those type of gatherings, events and workshops!

Liz is your host and owner of Crystalwood Lodge

We all look forward to welcoming you to Crystalwood Lodge this year, whether you’re visiting Crater Lake, attending one of the Cuttings, Ropings or other special events in the area, or just enjoying the multitude of things to do…we will make your hard-earned vacation extra special!

As you can see, it’s still early, but spring is sprung!  Fishing season is open, the water is high for canoeing, and there’s plenty to do in the area.  Our seasonal staff is onboard (more about that in another post) and we’re looking forward to a great summer season.  Hope you can join us!

Oh yes, and the cliff swallows are back and already nesting on the Lodge!

sunrise at crater lake, OR, originally uploaded by Pavan Chitumalla.

The summer is always a popular time to visit Crater Lake, and it is beautiful in the summer. But if you have never seen the lake in the winter or the spring, then you are definitely missing out on many of its charms.

A Crater Lake sunrise is a special occasion, and one made possible by a stay at Crystalwood Lodge, one of the closest lodging options to Crater Lake National Park.