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-THREATINING situation they put my daughters and I in as they completely FORGOT to shuttle my car to our extraction point along 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 were oddly 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 all together for them to pick us up. Emergency rescue services were in pursuit to rescue us after my wife reported us missing. After arriving back at the Service Creek Lodge, they were again strangely UNAPOLOGETIC when confronting their managers. In fact, the demeanor and their body language told us they did not care one bit. Very weird behavior. This completely shattered my stereotype about country folks being friendly. My daughters (two out of the three of them are African-American) started to wonder if there was some weird racial elements going on...I don't blame them, at this point it seemed like a fair inquiry. 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 or any more email responses from them....and still have not received ONE APOLOGY. Incredible. read more

I have taken time to read reviews Thank you all. You have saved us a lot of money, I knew service creek was in poor shape but we love the location & we thought we could build it back to life. When a business is this far gone, there is no hope & that is so very sad read more

This is the most horrible rafting outfitter/shuttle service I have ever used. It has gotten worse every year. Details do not matter to them even though they require you provide them. On the shuttle side of things, they will leave you stranded with no disregard or explanation as to why they didn't shuttle your vehicle or meet their end of the agreement. Service Creek offers anything but service. read more

NO Service Creek. Bad communication + clunky reservation process = multiple opportunities to fail. We should have cancelled, but your options are very limited in that area. We found out the raft we reserved was not available, only thanks to our persistence in confirming our reservation. I guess double-booking is common here (clunky reservation process). The floppy mess of a backup raft was delivered on time and picked up on time by a really nice guy (hence the 1 star), but the pump was broken. Luckily we had one that worked or we would not have been able to do our trip. Thankfully we didn't have any major leaks. I'm sure the patch kit is garbage. I'm surprised they remembered life jackets, but no whistle was provided. By law there has to be one on every boat. We found this out when we got stopped by OSP at the Thirtymile put in. They were cool about it letting us off with a warning. No dry bags, straps, or ice(which we paid for) - all were confirmed on our call the day before we left. We barely eeked through our trip on the small amount of ice we brought ourselves and cobbled things together with the drybags and straps we brought. And the cherry on top-the shuttle service only shuttled one of our two cars! This was the worst part since we just wanted to get home before the kids went to bed. One of the guys had to hitch a ride to the put in to get his truck getting him home at 9pm. We heard other people at the take-out saying their keys were left in plain sight on the dash by the shuttle drivers. A thief could have had their pick of cars to choose from. Can't confirm they used the same shuttle service, but since your options are limited in that area I'd put money on it they were the same drivers. I can only imagine what their "resort" offers. No thanks. Hard pass. read more

Last winter sometime by girlfriend and I went camping near John Day in order to check out the fossil beds and surrounding awesomeness. After a night of chilly weather and rain we decided to find a place to stay the night and grab some food. Though service was spotty in the area we called and made a reservation even though the lady working didn't think it was necessary. Our room was fairly small and the bathroom was separate from the bathroom, being that the lodge is an old house it's pretty normal. I really liked the room and the house. Next door is the diner and store, we ended up eating both dinner and breakfast For dinner had the Philly cheesesteak, it was great diner-ish food. The breakfast sandwich was outstanding, made for a great road snack. If you're heading out towards John Day this place is definitely worth the stop! read more

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I rented a raft from Service Creek a couple of weeks ago and the reservations and pickup went fantastic. The person I dealt with was pleasant and accommodating to my many questions since I was unfamiliar with the area. The issue was when I returned the raft. I walked into the rental office and there was a larger man speaking to the reservations person, he looks at me and says, "here is another one, where do all these F'n people come from? He quickly exited the rental building and on his way out said to another employee, "I had to cut my conversation short because another god damn person came in". I was a little irritated at this point seeing that I just spent $125 dollars renting a raft. I asked the lady, "what is his problem?" Her response, "Oh, he is just having a bad day". I returned the raft and exited without any further issues. Upon leaving, the gentleman was outside asking two employees, "what the F they do all day around here. I know you run shuttles, but what the F do you do?" He then proceeded to announce again, with children on the porch and families eating ice cream on a 98 degree day. "Where the F do all these F' ing people come from?" He then started tossing a bunch of gear into the back of a truck from 25 feet away. I could tell the other employees were mortified from the look on their faces. I can only assume this guy owned the joint the way he was barking orders at everyone and asking what they do around here. You would think as a business owner the gentleman would be happy the place was buzzing and everyone had their wallets out. Well, not this guy!!! If you visit the area you will find out that stores are very scarce in the area and you may need to visit Service Creek out of necessity. There is the Lone Elk Market in Spray and the people their are wonderful. I'd stay out of this place if you can. This guy doesn't appreciate your money or business. Personally, I'll drive another 30 miles to make sure he doesn't get another penny of mine. He treats his customers and employees terribly. read more

Nice to talk to over the phone, but if you're renting a raft be aware of a deposit policy not found in any other rental business I've done business with. I had to cancel a raft rental 17 days prior to the date of use, and turns out they have a no refund policy. I've worked thirty years in outdoor businesses that took deposits for gear rental, lessons, and guiding services. The most stringent refund policy was to deny a refund if cancellation occurred under 24 hours. And I had to cancel lodging reservations at two locations this past winter due to Covid travel restrictions, and received a full refund. Really shocking to find such a customer unfriendly policy such as Service Creek Raft rentals, I didn't think policies like that would allow such a business to survive. read more

We stayed here a a couple of weeks ago for two nights. We were visiting the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and we wanted somewhere out of the way. Service Creek Stage Stop fit the bill beautifully. Staying here reminds me of staying at your cool relatives' house. The house is old and quirky, which is part of its charm, as far as we're concerned. We stayed in the Thomas Condon room, which has a separate, but private, bath. (See the photos of the bathroom with the striped wallpaper and the room with king-size bed and the gigantic wood bed frame.) The cons: both our room and our bathroom could have used a bit of sweeping/vacuuming. It's dusty out there, but it seemed as if the rooms hadn't seen a vacuum in a while. Also, as one or two other reviewers noted, the floors are very squeaky. Very. We had some folks who were in the rooms above us. Nice folks, not doing anything out of the ordinary, but the squeaking was so loud that we were awake until these folks went to bed (a couple of hours after we did). The pros: very comfortable and welcoming. We had the use of the television in the living room and the entire kitchen, which was handy because we had leftovers to heat up. (The portions in the restaurant are huge.) There are porches, front and back, to sit and enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful surroundings. The owners and other folks who work here are as nice as they can be. As I mentioned, it's like staying with your cool relatives. The food is not fancy, but it is delicious and plentiful. (Three words: chicken fried steak.) The service in the restaurant is friendly and attentive. The veggie scramble for breakfast was great. M., envying my chicken fried steak for dinner the previous evening, had it for breakfast. A note on cell and internet availability: when I called to make reservations, the woman I spoke to was very clear that they have neither here, and that in fact, they had lost guests because of it. She could not have been clearer. I believe she mentioned it at least twice, and perhaps three times. They very kindly allowed us to use their land line to make calls back to civilization. (We codgers, who lived a good deal of our lives before tech took over everyone's lives, appreciated the unplugged-ness.) Service Creek isn't the Ritz, and they don't pretend to be. They do a pretty darned good job of providing comfortable lodging and great grub, though, and we intend to return. read more

Very poor shuttle service. Our vehicles just did not arrive at the take out. Response.....oh sorry . Plus a bad attitude overall. Avoid

This place does not even deserve 1 star. We rented 2 rafts ahead of time for 8 people to raft from Twickeham to Burnt Ranch from Sat. to Sun. Sent in all the paper work and everything seemed fine. We even stopped in Kellies Service Creek the day before to confirm everything with Linda. We showed up at the put in at 9am. They were a half hour late and only brought 1 raft. We then had to wait at the put in for 3 hours until they brought the other raft we rented. Also, AFTER they made us REFILL out all the paperwork again. That's just the start. We had also asked for 3 car shuttles. I told them a month ahead of time I had a lock box on my truck for my key. Gave them the code they said no problem. Got off the river on Sunday only find they they never shuttled my car. We were very lucky we had two other vehicles with room for people and gear to get me back to my car. Everyone's story, from Linda with the reservations, to the car shuttle people, to the person that brought the boat was different. Beyond frustrating. I called them the next day to tell them the situation and figure out what my credit card was going to be charged for the whole trip. They said Linda was not there (the person I made the reservation with) and she would call me back later. I left my number, but she did not call me back. I them called the NEXT day again, and Kellie answered the phone. I started to explain everything, and immediately, very meanly, she accused US of being late and leaving the rafts at the put out. She was awful to me. She also said if I wouldn't have waited to give them the code for my lock box I would have known they didn't do them. I said I put it on the paperwork over a month ago? If I would have known, I wouldn't have used one. We actually WAITED for THEM at the put out for 2 hours to show up and didn't abandon the rafts at all. We actually pulled the rafts out for them to make it easier and not to block the take out. I started saying none of that was true again and she got so frustrated with me, because she couldn't' accuse me of going against my paperwork, she just handed the phone to Linda, (whom I guess was there?!) Linda starts immediately rehashing the whole situation, rather than being customer friendly. Saying things like, well you didn't have to pay for the shuttle. That's not the POINT! I WANTED to pay for the shuttle. They brought stuff in the raft we didn't ask for and I said I don't think we should pay for that. Also, please note, they charge thier customers 75.00 per hour when they are late, so I think based on this raft service making us wait a total of 5 hours we should negotiate this. She said "I can tell you right now I'm not going to do that". They started accusing me again of false actions and I said it was on the paperwork. Then she said she'd pull the paperwork (that I had to send them twice and fill out at the put in) and that she would call me back in 10 mins. She did call me back 10 mins later with my paperwork up. Get this. She "took off" the cost of the equipment we didn't ask for and that was it. WHAT?! I was so mad at this point, I just said fine. I also told her I didn't appreciate being talked to like that from Kellie. No apologies. Worst raft rental company I have every used in my life. I told my coworker the experience and she said "Oh Kellies, yeah I'd never use them again. We had then shuttle our trucks once and we had two flat tires". So there ya have it. Awful. read more

My sister and I stayed here in January for two nights and had a great experience! We got in late and they waited around to get us all checked in and situated. The lodge was empty so we got to choose whatever room we wanted. We chose the horse room. The bed was very comfortable. Its the perfect spot to disconnect and put your electronics away. This is my favorite stretch of river in Oregon, between Service Creek & Spray. I have been fishing out here for 15 years or so. This is the 3rd set of owners I have met. They seem to be doing a great job and really cleaning up the place and adding some sweet additions. The first time my sis and I had breakfast with the current owners we ordered an omelet. We still talk about this dang omelet. We call it "Randys Omelet" and it was MASSIVE! A different time a group of us came in after a float from Spray to Service Creek. We were starving after being on the water all day. I ordered a cheese burger and a beer and I swear it was the best burger of my life! Looing forward to many more visits! read more

Stopped over here on a tour of Eastern OR after a stop at Painted Hills. We were a group of 2 adults and 2 teen/tweens arriving without a reservation. We asked about a room for 4, and one was cleaned for us. The lodge is an old home with a shared downstairs sitting area and kitchen which we found cozy. We read and had a glass of wine here after dinner. I enjoyed playing guitar on the porch. Overall, there is plenty of work for someone willing to do a bit of sweeping or cobweb removal. There is a "for sale" sign on the place and it does not look like much effort is being put into the place by the current owners. Our room was also cozy-- second story with a soft queen bed for us and bunk beds for the girls. Everything was clean and basic. The shower seemed to have a pressure problem and the water stopped every couple of minutes. The window AC unit worked well. Would have loved to have the Windows open at night, but no screens. Dinner and breakfast in the cafe was basic, hearty, and what we needed. Nothing special. We all enjoyed going out east of the cafe and watching the stars.... magnificent. One other reviewer complained that this place is out on the "middle of nowhere." True. That is half its charm. read more

This place was a lifesaver for me last year! I was doing some fishing in the nearby John Day River, and had just caught a bass! As I was was reaching down to let it go, my entire tackle box that I had hung around my shoulder popped open and all my lures went drifting downstream! I thought I was screwed and I would have to go home, as the nearest tackle store I knew of was in fossil. Seeing as my family had dropped me off at the river so they could do some sightseeing, I thought I was out of luck. However, I remembered the service creek store! I was able to buy some basic fishing tackle that they sold there and the day was saved! I am definitely lucky this place was around! Thanks, Service Creek Stage Shop! read more

Great place, great people! Tasty food. They really went out of their way to make sure that we had a nice experience - and that was just the restaurant! We will come back for rafting later in the year! read more

Not my favorite stay - for several reasons. First it is in the middle of nowhere. Second our room was not air conditioned (in a heat wave). Bathroom down the hall and over a nasty-in-the-night step. But here's the clincher: saying they didn't want us to go hungry, the hosts left us some fried chicken & potato salad. This was not hospitality - they charged us the next morning. I just don't go for the fake niceness. Meh. read more

Went over for a fishing/rafting trip. Spoke with the owner before had and told that from Service creek to twickenham would be a 6 hour float. It took us 10 with 6 hours of straight rowing. Water was at 500cfs. Got back to the room, it was at least clean. Beds are horrible, floor squeak so bad the people below us complained. Woke up to have breakfast the next day, Pancakes we raw, egg scramble was so bad no one could finish theirs and we never got the sides we asked for. Didnt seem like anyone working their cared. There is also no wifi, dont believe what their website states. We asked multiple employees and they all said they dont have wifi. read more

This place is an oasis in the desert, they have a little of everything you might need if you were camping or rafting the nearby John Day River. A cafe, store and a lodge which is a 1920's boarding house, originally known as Tilly's Boarding House - one of several buildings dating back to the early 1900's. They do not have a huge selection of groceries, just the important ones you would need if you were recreating in the scenic area. They also rent rafts and have a river shuttle service. read more

Was a member of a group of 18 motorcycle enthusiasts who descended on the restaurant this past weekend. Randy was prepared for us, thanks to a phone call by one of the group and prepared a magnificent 'ranch style' breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, homefries, pancakes, orange juice, coffee - and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else. It was brought out fresh and in unending quantities and we all ate too much and enjoyed a wonderful time. We're planning to make it an annual pilgrimage! read more

I cannot speak for the lodge or the restaurant since I have not stayed or eaten there. I have rented rafts from this company on several different occasions since they are so convenient to the put in at service creek. My experience each time has been miserable, and I will not use them again. This last time, I reserved 3 rafts 3 months prior to my trip and paid 1/2 up front. Due to changes in plans, I only needed to rent 2 rafts. I cancelled the 3rd raft 3 weeks prior to rafting, assuming I would get a refund and they would have adequate time to re-rent the boat. I was told by the owner that it is non refundable. He said it was clearly stated in this policy. After reading his lengthy policy, which Citi Bank would be impressed with, it was in fact buried in the legal jargon. He was unbending. I would have hoped he would have been more accommodating to a repeat customer, and since it is difficult to find his policy, but he was not. I will go out of my way to give my business to the many other rafting companies that appreciate the business a repeat customer will bring. read more