Bucks Lake Lodge

While the family that owns/​operates the lodge/​cabins/​hotel rooms is very nice and personable, their service skills needs major upgrades. Unfortunately, their beautifully newly built lodge (after the fire) is hardly used. No one was there the entire weekend. We ended up being the only customers at the bar on a Saturday night when Lakeshore Resort was jumping.
We came from there because we stayed at the lodges’ rooms. The rooms are nice for the location, I’m sure it’s tough to keep up a place in the mountains. All was good, just need to be a bit more professional.

We were lured up there from Joshuafest at Quincy by the full-​page ad this place had in the Plumas County Dining Out magazine. Not much in the ad is true! We went for breakfast and the person there seemed surprised to have any customers at all, had to take chairs down and showed us where «there might be some coffee left» in a self-​serve airpot. Breakfast was sketchy at best, and although the reviews talk about the cute dog, which she is, but I’m sure there are some health rules about cute dogs wandering in kitchen where food is being prepared, and eating area. The ad also mentions the gift shop, which was a small room with mostly grocery items and some t-​shirts. We had been looking forward to unique shop and delicious food, won’t be back. Try the Lakeshore Resort just down the road instead — great view and homemade pizza, right on the lake.

This review is for the lodge itself, and by that I’m referring to the bar and grill they call «The Lodge.» Simply put, awesome food. Gotta try the nachos (chips made in-​house) and fish tacos. The burger ain’t bad either. Rebecca the owner and her trusty Yorkie sidekick Jill are usually hanging around, and she won’t steer you wrong on food recommendations. They have a pool table and foosball table too. We spent a lot of time at the Lodge because the food was so good and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. We’ll be back, thanks Rebecca and staff!

If I could give less than one star, I would. I’ve stayed at dumps in my life, but this place takes the cake. We booked a three night stay and managed to survive two, but then bailed out. Our cabin (which we were told had been cleaned twice) was filthy. I’m no stranger to dirt and don’t mind «rustic» but this place was unsanitary and disgusting. It appears that at some point in the past, the toilet had fallen through the floor as it was now being supported by a one inch piece of particle board. There was no sink in the bathroom so one can only imagine what was in the kitchen sink from prior guests. There were dead bugs on the window sills, gross and disgusting floors and furniture, mold in the bathroom, a mildewed dish towel on the sink, and spider webs all over the deck. There was a sandal under the bed… no doubt from a prior guest who beat a hasty retreat from this dive. Fortunately we brought a small portable gas grill so we opted to cook and eat outside where it was less filthy. I might have been more tolerant of all this if the place was a bargain, but at $ 129 per night, I at least expected clean. For a place that suffered a devastating fire a few years back, they don’t seem to have any concerns for the safety of their guests. The fire extinguisher in our cabin was outdated by 3 years and there was no smoke detector. The staff at the lodge seemed confused all the time. We felt validated when the two couples in the cabin below us were overheard saying that this place took the prize for crappy places they’d ever stayed at. This was our first trip to Buck’s Lake and unfortunately our lodging experience colored our whole perception of the place. On the plus column, the lake truly is beautiful and at some point, when we’ve managed to forget this horrible experience, maybe we’ll go back and stay in a halfway decent place. Run, don’t walk away from Buck’s Lake Lodge! Wish someone had warned us!

Awesome, homemade, authentic Mexican food as well as made-​from-​scratch Bloody Marys and Margaritas to die for. A full bar and friendly staff, I love this place!

This place was horrible. Stay far, far away. They had the nerve to charge us $ 20.00 extra because we only stayed one night. Even though there wasn’t anyone else there. Put us in the smallest cabin which smelled like a mixture of old, greasy food and some horrible cleaning solution. I asked for extra pillows, never got them. If there had been anywhere else, we would have left. I’m embarassed to say I read the review and thought it couldn’t be that bad. It was. BELIEVE THE BAD REVIEWS!!!

Ok folks, this is not the Ritz! It’s a cabin in the wilderness — and WOW what a wilderness! Tall trees, unspoiled views and a family run lodge, just like those I stayed in when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the lodge which housed the restaurant, bar and gift shop had a fire — but we understand it may be rebuilt soon — yea! We stayed there before our daughter’s graduation from Feather River College. The whole family came and we had a variety of lodging, from the rustic cabins we put the kids in, to our clean, comfortable and cozy hotel room (they have a two story modern hotel for those who want a little nicer room). Great place for a reunion, or a nostalgic trip back to road trips with mom and dad. We ate a few meals there, mostly breakfast — and had a fun time shooting pool with the kids. It’s a long way from So. Cal. or we would be back more often.

One of the best places in the area to drink and chill out.
Quality has gone downhill a bit; the last time I ate at the restaurant, it was about an hour before they were able to get our food out and tables were randomly leaving. I ordered poached eggs, which was a mistake because who orders poached eggs in a place like this?
The bar can get insanely packed in the evenings, with plenty of drunk people and random guys hitting on all the girls. Good selection of beer (I was ecstatic to see they had a bottled hefeweizen, when everyone else was drinkin’ Bud), and the infamous tree-​smacker is sickly sweet and deceptively non-​alcoholicy tasting.
Beware the karaōke — people can get insane. But if you can sing well, you’ll get a crowd willing to cheer you on through anything.

ok now, I’m being very clear that 2 stars is for the lodge and not the lake. 2 stars because the bar has pinball and I’ve spent more time up here than I can count. I am loyal to the Lodge itself, which can’t help what yahoos have bought it this time. more to follow, but first…
Bucks Lake and its surrounding wilderness of majestic beauty gets as many stars as you can see at night through the towering pines.
We just got back from our annual trip and I’m delighted to report that the Lake is the fullest I’ve seen it in almost a decade. The trout and Mackinaw are biting — yes, even our 7-​year-​old neighbors caught their share!
So to reiterate, it’s the Lake, my dears, that we come for… and those of you who’ve been here understand.
And now for the sad truth about the Lodge and the cabins. Yes, unfortunately Ken & Dixie sold it to some yahoos from LA a couple years back (but they still own the nice store & Inn down near Haskins.) p. s. that store is still the best-​stocked one on the lake.
Due to baby diaper doo-​doo we opted for a cabin this time around. Aside from one Memorial Day when we were caught in a snow storm and lacked proper gear, I’d never stayed in one of these death traps.
We weighed the pro’s & con’s.
Pro’s: You can see the lake, flushing toilet, heater, fridge, stove.
Con’s: How much time do you have? I’ll give you the top five: Nasty cookware smells like rotting flesh, filthy everything, slanted floors, melting walls, broken beds (and chairs, and tables…)
Our neighbors had all the same issues including a missing window.
All this for $ 165/​night + tax (the big cabins)
One miraculous improvement was the addition of a fire pit. This summer marks the return of the Lodge’s fire permit, so we were able to sit up and shoot the shit with our cool neighbors (thank god!) and watch the sparks fly up to the stars.
Next year we’ll camp, for sure. In the meantime, we all pray that some veteran Bucks-​lover wins the lottery, buys the lodge & cabins, fixes them all up and restores them to their Depression-​era glory.
I think Jimmer said it best: Agua! Boat!