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:-) Creek Lodge offers a few rooms a fabulous pub style diner, Pendleton gear and is the start spot for wilderness snowmobiling. Call the lodge and arrange for a private tour guide and you will not be disappointed. I cannot recommend this higher than the five point rating but it deserves so much more. it is worthy to note that I persuaded 3 senior friends to try snowmobiling and they all loved it. They appreciated being pushed out of their comfort zone and our guide Stephen had fun as well because we all did such a great job. If you are intimidated by this idea just make sure you've got that gear and enjoy.

We ended up staying the night here unexpectedly recently. I loved the wood in the lodge it was absolutely gorgeous but I must admit I was very disappointed in the service and the prices. We ordered a cup of coffee and ended up with two. I decided not to say anything. We were sitting down using the Wi-Fi because we couldn't get it in our trailer. One of our coffees was so cold we had to ask to have it microwaved. Imagine our dismay when we got our bill and a regular cup of coffee was $5 ! No offer of trying to make it right because one of our cups of coffee was totally cold or anything.

The food here was beyond a pleasant surprise. My wife has always raved about the milkshakes but after a 7 mile hike we stopped for lunch and milkshakes with the kids. Everyone was stoked with their orders. 2 people got burgers which were great, as were the buns. My little one got grilled cheese and it was the cheesiest grilled cheese ever. I had a chicken sando that was also great. The best part though, the fries. Top 5 fries in my life. I can't say it enough, these fries were complete perfection. Fresh cut potatoes, good corse salt. Perfect taste. Fry sauce was homemade and tasty as was the ranch. Ate on the patio and had a lovely afternoon. Oh yeah, delicious shakes.
2 months ago
Great owner. Super customer service, Maybe best milkshakes in Idaho. Stop for shakes or full service restaurant . read more
2 months ago
Our family had a wonderful dinner at Smiley Creek Lodge celebrating my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. After a fun day in Stanley and at Redfish Lake, this was the perfect spot to enjoy dinner for our big group of 25. The staff were amazing at accommodating us at short notice. The food came out fast and potions were generous. They were out of a few ingredients so some items from the menu were unavailable, but they were super nice about compensating with some free shakes. The mountain setting is gorgeous and we took lots of photos. I'm so glad we chose Smiley Creek. We'll be back! read more
We stopped by here on our way to Sun Valley from Boise. The lodge seemed to have a general store with restaurant, and ice cream parlor. We were very pleasantly surprised how many different candies they sold in a pretty remote area like this. The huckleberry milkshake was very good, it was such a big thing that I shared amongst the three of us. It's just such an iconic place with the bears right outside. read more
1 year ago
We flew in for lunch at the Smiley Creek Airport and had the the burger and Italian sandwich. Both were amazing and delicious. The service was friendly and great. We cannot wait to go back and camp there, stay at the RV park or rent one of there variety of dwellings. read more
:-) Creek Lodge offers a few rooms a fabulous pub style diner, Pendleton gear and is the start spot for wilderness snowmobiling. Call the lodge and arrange for a private tour guide and you will not be disappointed. I cannot recommend this higher than the five point rating but it deserves so much more. it is worthy to note that I persuaded 3 senior friends to try snowmobiling and they all loved it. They appreciated being pushed out of their comfort zone and our guide Stephen had fun as well because we all did such a great job. If you are intimidated by this idea just make sure you've got that gear and enjoy. read more
2 years ago
We were immediately greeted when we walked through the door. Very accommodating and laid back. Easy check in and check out. Great equipment that they offered. The snowmobiles was nice. Loved the technology gps tracking. Loved that there was no guide and open trails! Will be back. Best split pea soup around!!!! Thank you guys for the fun conversation :) read more
1 year ago
The wife and I stopped here on our way to Stanley and had an awesome Italian sandwich with a very unique red pepper aioli sauce that was to die for. read more
3 years ago
This restaurant was amazing. The burgers and fries were great. The burger had a great taste, and the fries were thick but crunchy. They also had famous milkshakes that were amazing. The staff were very nice, and it was a great place. read more
1 year ago
We're locals who stopped in for dinner. There was one other table of customers in the restaurant, who left before us when they found an Apple earbud in their salad that apparently belonged to the chef. The food was not good, the pizza was actually charred, and it took about 1.5 hours to get a milkshake, after reminding them about it 4 times and being yelled at by the counter girl for doing so. 5 minutes after finally getting the shake, 30+ minutes after we'd finished our meal, the counter girl told us we had to leave as they were closing. When I mentioned that if they'd brought the shake when I ordered it we'd have been long gone, she actually melted down yelling at us. I've also heard stories from other locals and fly-ins and visitors of extremely rude service people, surprisingly bad food, and unreliable hours of operation. The previous owners had built a great local and regional institution and took pride in being part of the community. We really hope the new owners will look back to that legacy and realize that the real business opportunity is in providing great service and great food, reliably. read more
We ended up staying the night here unexpectedly recently. I loved the wood in the lodge it was absolutely gorgeous but I must admit I was very disappointed in the service and the prices. We ordered a cup of coffee and ended up with two. I decided not to say anything. We were sitting down using the Wi-Fi because we couldn't get it in our trailer. One of our coffees was so cold we had to ask to have it microwaved. Imagine our dismay when we got our bill and a regular cup of coffee was $5 ! No offer of trying to make it right because one of our cups of coffee was totally cold or anything. read more
2 years ago
We had reserved 5 nights in an RV site in July 2024 but, unexpectedly, had to cancel. In 21 years of RVing all over North America, I have NEVER had anyone charge me the cost of the entire canceled stay. I called 4 days ahead of our arrival date (as soon as we knew we were not going to be able to keep the reservation). They had charged a $204.44 "deposit", which was the total amount for our stay, when I booked the reservation on March 1, 2024. They did not refund us one red cent so we lost the entire $204.44 to their greediness. All the other campgrounds we had to cancel charged a maximum of one night's stay to cancel. No RV park has ever charged this much. Their cancellation policy is ridiculous and greedy. I will never book there again. read more
The food here was beyond a pleasant surprise. My wife has always raved about the milkshakes but after a 7 mile hike we stopped for lunch and milkshakes with the kids. Everyone was stoked with their orders. 2 people got burgers which were great, as were the buns. My little one got grilled cheese and it was the cheesiest grilled cheese ever. I had a chicken sando that was also great. The best part though, the fries. Top 5 fries in my life. I can't say it enough, these fries were complete perfection. Fresh cut potatoes, good corse salt. Perfect taste. Fry sauce was homemade and tasty as was the ranch. Ate on the patio and had a lovely afternoon. Oh yeah, delicious shakes. read more
6 years ago
They have refused to serve my husband twice by acting as if he needs to come back the next day.... or a hour later. They have been rude both times. Once was at 11:00 am over a ice cream and then again today over purchasing propane. We won't be back and firmly believe it was because my husband was wearing a Trump 2020 hat. He was never rude, just wanted to purchase from their establishment. But I guarantee we won't darken their doorway with our money ever again. We are still in America and have a right to wear and support who we will be voting for in November. The thing they don't understand is they have lost our whole group of campers , mule riders and I guarantee I'll pass the word along at how they treat paying customers. BTW their food we purchased in their cafe was over priced and cold when served. read more
We stopped here on our trip of the Pacific Northwest. We were a bit desperate to stop for the night, as we had our 3 year old with us, and we had been driving for hours. We took Lodge 2 without seeing the room, and regretted it, as it was really an attic above the lodge. Our daughter loved it, as it reminded her of Cinderella, whose stepmother made her live in the attic. The attic is well done, but the problem was that it was hot. We stayed there in July, 2014. The reason I am still giving them 3 stars is because the area is beautiful, and the food was delicious. See photo I'm attaching. Also, the rates we reasonable. They do have cabins, tee-pees and even a yurt, which is a mongolian tent cabin. Next time, we'll check the room before paying. But I would not have any issue with staying there again. read more
3 years ago
Stop here for lunch or dinner and a milk shake when you are out hiking or enjoying winter sports! The burgers are great and the ribs are too. This place is also a friendly stop for camping necessities and even a place to stay. Highly recommend. read more
4 years ago
We camped here with our RV for a few days in the summer. The owner has done a good job updating the power, amenities for RV's. There was a fire ring to share with other campers which was fun to meet people. The ice cream parlor was great. The restaurant was very good, we loved the food! We had breakfast and dinner over two days. Everyone that worked there was super nice. Only recommendation is the laundry facilities are behind the bathroom and it's a bit dark back there. We had a great time and highly recommend Smileys!! The RV Park and restaurant are dog friendly. One of the evenings there was live music outside which was lovely. Sitting out eating dinner and listening to music, having a drink and having the sawtooth mountains behind you!! Perfection!! read more
3 years ago
I've been flying in here for the better pet of 30 years. The last few years (apparently after a change of management) the quality has gone downhill. The menu offerings are worse as well as the quality of the food. Meanwhile the prices have gone up. On top of that some of the staff look like they are a part of a work release program for Antifa. Going forward one of the backcountry strips, Stanley or Picabo will be the new "go to" breakfast destinations. Sad to see this place decline in quality. read more
8 years ago
Stopped at the Smiley Creek Lodge for breakfast with my wife and daughter. One of the best home-made chicken fried steaks I have ever had. Well worth the $13.95 price tag. My wife said the omelette was excellent. I would have given 5 stars, but my daughter ordered a ham steak for $7 and it was kind of small for the money. Server was attentive even though they were super busy. read more
4 years ago
I have not been there is over 20 plus years and it is just as I remember it. It has new owners, but the level of service is just outstanding! Our guide carver was excellent and very helpful. The food in the lodge was excellent and the staff was very helpful also. P.s. thanks for the Coke Zero! If you get the chance please go and rent sleds from them and get a guide. We did a trip last to vail and this was better. See you next year! read more
4 years ago
We ate there on a Saturday evening in July. We waited over an hour to get our food. I understand this is the busiest evening in the busiest season, but I really have a problem with restaurants who just keep taking orders and taking orders regardless of their ability to actually cook & serve the orders in a timely fashion. They should at least tell people that it's gonna take them an hour to get their food before they take the order. I'm not knocking the staff, they were all working hard, but they just bit off more than they can chew and that's not ok when you are taking peoples money. read more
7 years ago
Food was great and love the atmosphere...however the service sucked. We were treated almost like a burden by being there, took over an hour for our food to come to us, was basically told if we hadn't waited for one more member of our party to show up maybe our food would have been out to us faster. Wasn't worth the price ($93.00 for 4 burgers and 4 sodas) we paid honestly. We love our trips to Stanley, but I guess our business will just have to stay either in Ketchum at Lefty's or in Stanley itself. Really sad about that. Hopefully if we ever decide to visit Smiley Lodge again it'll be better. read more
5 years ago
This review is for the restaurant. We arrived about 10 minutes before the restaurant opened at noon and had seated ourselves; however, the staff was slow in telling us that the restaurant was not open yet. They did say that we could order up front, though, and they would serve us. We placed our orders and decided to sit outside since it was too warm inside. The food was served promptly. The quality was disappointing, especially for the high price we paid. My burger was slightly undercooked and my salad was not fresh. The salad had too much onion on it, matchstick carrots, some wilted lettuce, and the sun dried tomato dressing was not what I expected. Others in my party said the fries were good and I should have stuck with that rather than paying the $2.50 charge for substituting the salad. In all, the 3 meals cost $54 which included the tip. So it was too much money for what we got. We were disappointed and should have eaten in Stanley. read more
7 years ago
Best breakfast!!! Cinnamon roll the size of my head, sausage gravy to die for, perfect bacon & eggs. Friendly staff in a beautiful valley worth the stop along the way to Ketchum or Stanley. read more
Bad, slow service, but delicious burger and fries. Just ignore the sleepy staff and not so clean looking space. The chocolate milkshake was the best I've ever had. Now, I hadn't had a milkshake in probably 40 years, but I will tell you the straw would not have worked. I used the spoon for the whole shake. To be that's perfection! read more
10 years ago
We stayed in the RV site in August 2016. The Good: Some of the RV sites are decent size on grassy areas (not very level, but have full hook-ups). The views of the mountains are amazing and there is nice outdoor dining located off the cafe with music on some evenings. The manager was very nice and helpful and the beer selection in the store was impressive. Not So Good: The rest of the staff is somewhat disorganized (but for the most part polite). The men's bathroom was dirty (I'm told the women's was ok). Most of the RV sites in the front of the park (and some in the rear) are occupied by the staff/long term tenants with run down trailers. Our sewer hook-up was broken. The prices for most things are high (gas, propane, etc.) and the WiFi sucked (there was a large fire that week, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt). read more
10 years ago
We have stopped here a couple times for milkshakes and they are great. We were told they serve a good breakfast too so we left Redfish Lake early enough on Sunday to get there before noon when lunch begins. We arrived at 11:40, already knowing what we wanted. We walked in and there was not a single customer in the restaurant. We asked if we could be seated for breakfast and they said, that they could seat us, but that they had just switched over to serve lunch. We asked if they could please serve breakfast since we were still plenty early, and they went and asked the cook and he said no. Seriously?? We are the only customers in the entire place, and are going off of your breakfast ours. Needless to say, we left and had breakfast down in Ketchum. Why have meal hours posted if you are not going to follow them? read more
9 years ago
A welcome road stop on the scenic byway. Stopped had lunch, great chicken pesto sandwich, nice fries and very good fish and chips. Attentive friendly service. They have a deli and ice cream counter also which looked great. I bet it's a great little place to stay for fishing or snowmobiling. read more
6 years ago
We were on a motorcycle ride and stopped for gas. I went into the store to get a coffee drink and it was VERY clear that masks were required, except apparently for their staff. Hubby followed me in trying to remove his glasses so that he could put his gator on. The guy in charge said, "Put your mask on now, or leave". Hubby pointed out that an employee wasn't wearing a mask and the man said, "Leave NOW". I think that both parties could have handled this better, but the guy in the store certainly didn't need to be so horribly rude. read more
6 years ago
The fish tacos and fries were excellent. Great service, too. Eating here was an excellent way to end a long camping trip in the Sawtooth Range. read more
10 years ago
My three sons and I rented two rooms at the Smiley Creek Lodge. The accommodations were fantastic. The food was equally for fantastic. Rachel, Emily, Sandy, Jim and Ben did and exquisite job of taking care of us. We rented snowmobiles for two days and had an absolute blast. I highly recommend Smiley Creek Lodge. read more
12 years ago
We stayed in room 2, main lodge for two nights and ate at the restaurant for breakfast and dinner. The employees were very friendly and helpful. The dinner was excellent. The salmon with asparagus was perfect. The garden burger was the best thing ever, homemade with sweet potatoes and black beans with a creamy jalepeno sauce. Beautiful mountain views but... Room 2 had only one small window in the entry door with a broken screen and numerous flies likely from the nearby sheep ranch. Overall lovely, rustic, clean. read more
7 years ago
Restaurant: This is the kind of place locals and regular visitors love but doesn't always meet the exacting standards of the out-of-town crowd who are looking for snappy service and perfect everything. I've been coming here for years and love their milkshakes and other food, the local area can't be beat and nice staff. Love sitting outside on the deck, eating, enjoying the sunshine and views. read more
12 years ago
Stayed for two nights in the RV park. Space was nice and level, full hookups and decent price for it all. Enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the lodge and was very pleased with the amount of food! Free refill on their fresh cut french fries - YUMMY! Fresh made 'fry sauce' and the blackberry syrup in the morning was excellent. Great location, nice amenities for the remoteness of the area & loved their wood carved fire hydrant for the dog rest area! We will return again, hopefully in the winter months to enjoy some snowmobiling. read more
11 years ago
Don't believe hours of operation on Yelp. Said it was closed at 5PM. Not true. Had a nice dinner there for a fair price and the place was busy and popular. Service a bit slow but very friendly crew. Rustic fun. read more
12 years ago
I just got my credit card statement and noticed a 55.00 charge from Smiley Creek Lodge I did not make. When I called to question the charge they claimed to have forgotten to refund my deposit. I have no idea what the lodge is like since I have never stayed there but I suggest if you have to cancel a reservation within the refundable time period you check your statement carefully to make sure you were fully refunded. read more
10 years ago
Our family went snowmobiling today and it was wonderful. Our guide, Alan, was top notch and made the experience very enjoyable. Afterwards we had lunch at the lodge and everything was delicious - the fish and chips, cheeseburger, chicken fingers and a turkey & apple sandwich. Not to mention the wait staff was very friendly and made us feel welcomed. Overall a great experience and we hope to return one day. read more
10 years ago
Rip off report!! Do not rent snow mobiles from here! We did, with a 9 year old child. We went super slow, stayed on the trail due to the child being nervous. We just had a nice, un-eventful cruise to enjoy the scenery. When we returned, they claimed one of the skis was bent, and there was damage to the under belly of the snow mobile. They charged us $250, without even a discussion. Said we should have called out the damage before leaving. On the under belly. Without a lift. And, the ski, unless you are an expert on snow mobiles, you wouldn't notice what they were claiming as damage. Total scam. What was also interesting was after the guy outside claimed the damage, we walk inside discussing between ourselves how it couldn't have been possible. The people working inside, overhearing us, and not aware of the condition of the equipment,, immediately started telling us that we damaged it. Seemed very coordinated. Public relations disaster! read more
More info about Smiley Creek Lodge
16546 N Hwy 75
Sawtooth City, ID 83278
Directions
(208) 774-3547
Call Now
Visit Website
http://www.smileycreeklodge.com
Hours
What time does Smiley Creek Lodge open?
Smiley Creek Lodge opens at 8:00 AM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
What time does Smiley Creek Lodge close?
Smiley Creek Lodge closes at 6:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Mon-Sun 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Other Amenities
Does Smiley Creek Lodge have free WiFi?
Yes, Smiley Creek Lodge has free WiFi.
From the Business
Specialties
Closed for fall. Will reopen Dec 19th. Your basecamp for all activities in the Sawtyooth Basin. Featuring snowmobile rentals in winter, homestyle meals, famous milkshakes, ice cream parlor, lodging, cabins, teepees in the summer, RV Park, camping supplies, gas, propane and more.
Ask the Community - Smiley Creek Lodge
Review Highlights - Smiley Creek Lodge
“The lodge seemed to have a general store with restaurant, and ice cream parlor.”
Mentioned in 2 reviews
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
2 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
3 years ago
I've been coming here every summer for the past 6 years, and the food was always great, with most everything made from scratch, and hand cut fries. The current menu has about 8 items on it, and the fries are advertised as hand cut. These fries without a doubt are frozen packaged, who are you trying to fool. What happened to the fish tacos, and the rest of the great food that used to be on the menu? The service was not up to par, most employees standing around, paying more attention to their phones, and ignoring paying customers. Seems like this place needs to clean house and hire a staff that knows how to do their job, and here is a thought, customer service. The tables and chairs had crumbs, ketchup, and random leftovers on the floor, and don't get me started on the bathrooms. I will keep driving till I get to Stanley and spend my money there for now on. This place will not survive at this rate, and that is a real shame. read more
4 years ago
I don't know if you all understand, but they fired the kitchen manager. The food since then has gone downhill. There are no adults running this place and nobody has a health department food handlers card. The manager Katy is a train wreck and we'll run this place another ground. read more
Smiley Creek Lodge - bedbreakfast - Updated September 2026
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