Buckhorn

Awesome little hide gem away from home! Worth getting lost and having a hot meal, beers and some Battleship game with my hubby!

We drove up the hill just to go someplace different for a light lunch. Not expecting much, we stopped in and split a pulled pork sandwich and some nachos, and potato salad. It was very tasty and the staff were friendly. We were pleasantly surprised considering the majority of cars and bicycle riders were at the Baldy Lodge. This was a nice change of pace and a place we will return to again.

PRICE GOUGERS! LOOK OUT TOURISTS!!! We stopped by the bar on our way up for some coffee and a bathroom break. We ordered our coffees and I found out it was EIGHT DOLLARS FOR TWO SMALL COFFEES. The coffee was terrible too. Very weak and watery. I couldn’t believe I was being price gouged like that but decided to just pay and get out of there, but the lady behind the bar was no where to be found for a very long time. When she finally came back and I got her attention I tried to pay (it’s cash only by the way) with a $ 20 but was told she needed smaller bills. Guh! So we had to scrounge up the money and then FINALLY get out of there! We laughed at how insane that encounter was! We should of just used the park bathrooms up the way and done without the terrible coffee! Not worth it!

A friendly mountain tavern with coonskin caps and Batman photos on the walls. Plastic chairs on the deck and a view of a towering ridgeline. Definitely a locals’ hangout. The manager, Richard, has engaging stories to tell. Hard to believe this place is barely 45 minutes from downtown L.A.

Great spot for a mountain getaway. The room was very basic, but the room had all the essentials needed for a trip to the mountains for hiking or relaxing with nature. The motel is located 1 mile from the ice house canyon hiking trail and a few miles from the Mt baldy ski lift.

We made a family trip up to Mt. Baldy to have dinner and enjoy the show. So glad we did! Mrs. Unruh and the Buckhorn Boys, along with Jessie, made it a night to remember! The menu that night was a traditional Irish St. Patrick’s day spread… DELICIOUS! Every time we’ve been there, the food, atmosphere and the people are 5-​star!

Buckhorn Motel is the worst place we have ever stayed in!!! There were very visible stains on the couch, unmaintained doors, walls, ceilings, odd smell in the room. It was horrible and not sure why people would say this is a great place. They are lying. We also had to pay cash upfront and thought that was strange. Now we know why, so they wouldn’t give our money back if we don’t like the place. I’m posting photos.

My experience at Buckhorn (the restaurant) was not awesome or bad, just average. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries, which were both good, but the service was unbelievably slow even when there were only a few customers! My husband and I came in after having waited for a few minutes on a table outside to talk to the person at the bar to see if we had to order inside; he told us to go back outside and assured us that a waitress would help us shortly … it took forever for her to take our order! The only reason we didn’t leave was we were trying to kill time to have our car fixed, ha.

First ones there did not open at 930 like it said on the sign so we waited till 11 waitress did not greet us, asked what we needed did not smile at all seemed like she didn’t want us there complete lack of customer service skills. so we left to the mt baldy lodge restaurant down the hill 100 times better great service with a lot of smiles

VISITORS BEWARE!!!
This review is based on the MOTEL…
EVERYTHING about this place is shady!!! Let me just bullet point this…
1. You have to call to get prices, and it’s CASH ONLY (meaning, the price can be whatever they want it to be when you get there). They get your credit card info over the phone to «hold it,» then you have to pay cash when you arrive. Not secure at all.
2. There is literally NO front desk… when you arrive, you just kind of turn in circles in their «parking lot» until someone (you’re not even sure if the person works there) goes, «Ohhh. if you know your room number, just go in. Door’s unlocked!» My husband and I were like, «That’s weird, but okay…» We just assumed it was part of that «small town charm»
3. When we entered our room, my husband literally stepped on some vertebrae that was in the carpet… yes, literally SPINAL VERTEBRAE (see photos). Shows how much they vacuum… I would be willing to bet that they don’t even wash the sheets. There were cob webs all over the place, cracks in the «walls,» and the bathroom tile was disconnected from the floor. The toilet was disconnected from the floor too! When you sat on it, it LIFTED UP. The bathroom light switch shocked me every time I touched it! To top it off, the entire «room» is just a 10×10 cinderblock BOX. It’s cold and disgusting. We are SO low maintenance that we just decided to tough it out. We had driven a LONG way to get there, and there was nowhere else to stay.
4. Later on that night, we were relaxing in bed when a woman started peeking through our blinds (which don’t close, by the way), and going «Hello???» I got up and opened the door. She was all, «Oh good, you got my message!» I didn’t get any message, and I had no idea who she was. She literally never introduced herself. My guess is that she was «Mrs Unruh» because she referred to herself as «the owner.» I guess she was just trying to welcome us or something. Trying to be polite, I made the mistake of asking, «Do we just pay you at checkout?» She was VERY quick to say that she «roams around a lot,» so just in case we can’t find her, we COULD just pay her now… We thought that was kind of strange. We just kind of faded off the conversation so that we could think about it, and I closed the door. About 10 minutes later, she popped up at the door again, and was like, «Soooo are you going to pay now???» We decided this was just «how they do business» because everything up in the mountains seems pretty «small town.» We also trusted that she was the owner because she knew our names and information. She said, «So that will be $ 120!» My husband and I had talked about maybe staying an extra night, so I brought it up to her. In good faith, I said, «I think we’re going to stay 2 nights.» She said, «Okay, then it’ll be $ 220 then!» Hesitantly, we paid her CASH… Obviously that was a HUGE mistake. And honestly, I blame myself for making that HORRIBLE mistake.
5. The next day, we got back from snowboarding early, and decided, «Eh, we’re not too tired, lets just drive home.» Mind you, it was only 11 AM… so it wasn’t like it was «too late to rent it out again.» We were within the checkout time. I sent my husband up to the restaurant (where she normally hangs out) to ask for a refund for the extra night that we paid for (UP FRONT, in CASH). I wasn’t there, but apparently he asked, and she said, «Sorry, no refunds!» He said, «But, we were only staying one night anyway… we just paid you up front in cash for 2 just in case we decided to stay, so that we wouldn’t have to come find you again…» She just kept saying, «That’s our policy! Once you pay, you don’t get it back! No refunds!» Anyway, this conversation went back and forth for a while. He wasn’t being FRIENDLY, but he wasn’t being threatening either. He was simply asking for what we were owed. Apparently she took offense, and literally CALLED THE SHERIFF on him!!! WTF! At that point, we just basically said «screw this» and left.
A local told us that Buckhorn is going out of business, so I guess that’s why they’re desperate enough to STEAL from their cash customers. Also, we were the ONLY guests that they had there. They were EMPTY besides us. The way I saw it was, we could either recommend it, or deter people from it. She ultimately kept our $ 100, but it’s the ONLY $ 100 she’ll EVER get from us now… We wanted to check out the restaurant and bar, but NEVERMIND. Go to Mt Baldy Lodge… the people there are WAY more friendly and less criminal. Plus it’s not disgusting there.

Make sure you call before going up because they close early when slow their posted hours are not correct.

Two Pigtails up!
Nothing like an old school lodge/​bar. The lodging appears to be closed and dilapidated, but boy wouldn’t it be great if they fixed the little bungalows up and rented them out to visitors! The bar itself is dark and atmospheric. Great juke box playing, live band on certain nights, and pretty great drinks and service. Love this place. It’s a regular stop after a nice long Mt. Baldy Hike. Stop by, hang out, have some drinks and food, enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains. They even make home-​made ice cream bars.

My wife, daughter and I all went to the Buckhorn to try it out this past Saturday night for a late Valentines Day dinner. We have always wanted to go but have never made it. The Buckhorn is a quaint older restaurant/​lodge that has been there about 105 years and has a lot of history in the area. We had a great time at the Buckhorn and really recommend anyone visiting for really nice evening.
First the food: The menu had a lot of delicious choices available. All three of us selected the grilled sirloin burger with French fries. I can’t tell you how long it has been since I have had a burger this good, much less a sirloin burger. The French fries were just as delicious. I noticed several other customers who were enjoying their Rib Eye Steaks with cracked pepper and I must say they did look delicious! We will go back to try them out soon. We enjoyed our burgers with a couple Martinis that were very reasonably priced. The service was a bit on the slow side due to only having one waitress who also tended bar but to be honest the wait wasn’t that bad with the entertainment around us. I was told one of the servers call out sick.
The entertainment was even better then the meal. The house band plays every Saturday night, Mort Marker and the Buckhorn Boys. Got to say, they were a real kick ass band playing a mixture of standards, oldies and country. They can give just about any band a run for their money with their talent. Mort Marker has played with Elvis and sounds a lot like Willie Nelson in his singing. The bass play and drummer really have it nailed! Mrs. Unruh who is the owner and a star in her own right will also get up and perform with the Buckhorn Boys and belt out some great standards. Mrs. Unruh at one time was a singer at the Frontier hotel in Las Vegas as well as being the wife of Jesse Unruh, Speaker of the California Assembly. Mrs. Unruh is a kick! She will try to visit every table to visit and make sure you are enjoying your evening in between performing with the band. There is also a dance floor that always has someone kicking up their heels on it.
This is not the sheik, fufu type of dining establishment that is appealing to the 20 something’s in Claremont. This is a good meal, great entertainment in a quaint old mountain lodge. I really recommend visiting the Buckhorn for its nostalgia, great food and kick ass band.

Went there in ’02 or so. Drank a lot, liked the backwoods/​small town pop/​rock/​country band, had a ball.
11 years later the memory must have done some embellishing.
Food: poor. We could almost hear the tortured animals as they were being killed for our industrial food dinner. And then the cook killed them again. Our dog (waiting out in the car) later declined the scraps of over-​cooked beef that we offered her.
Music: The band was the same as in ’02. THey are able musicians, and CAN play some pretty good stuff. Maybe it was just their song selection that night. Oh well.
Jesse Unruh’s widow is pleasant, outgoing, a crowd worker, … and not much of a singer. I bet those are traits she shares w/​the old gal who has that crazy theatre out near Death Valley. Must be something about the dryness and the heat.
But then I was not roaring drunk like in ’02. And THAT (the drunk part) is why one sees a lot of 5-​Star ratings for food, drinks, entertainment. In Mount Baldy Village, and all over the world.
Cheers!

Great entertainment! Mrs. Unruh and the band are amazing. Atmosphere is friendly and comfortable. The food was really good. We loved the Buckhorn and will be back.

We went in the weekend of the 19−20^th of May. We were late lunch, so the place wasn’t very busy. We ordered burgers and were assured they were «great.»
Unfortunately, they were some of the worst burgers I’ve ever had. They tasted literally like very average school cafeteria hamburgers. I’m pretty sure they were in fact no different than pre-​made institutional burgers. Thin and crappy.
It also took about 35 minutes to get them, and we were the only people actually eating at the time.
drinking there on a weekend night is probably fun, but after working in restaurants for a long portion of my life I see the signs of a place that is cutting corners-​cheap ingrediants and from what other reviewers have said 20% add-​ons with little or no warning.
Classic signs of a place barely making it. The only reason it is still ipen is becuse it gets a lot of one time visitors who are going hiking or sight-​seeing on the mountain, and it’s bar sales. Food Is terrible.

Dining at the Buckhorn Lodge was truly a delightful experience. My boyfriend and I stopped by after coming back from our hike to the Notch. Hanging outside the restaurant were a group of locals, who welcomed us with smiles and genuine conversation. I always appreciate meeting people who are actually interested in who you are, where you’re from and what you have to say. You can always tell a small-​towner from a city slicker.
Unfortunately, it was a very slow night, but I bet this place can get the entire mountain rocking when it does throw a party. The decorations were original, rustic and warm. According to Mrs. Unruh, the owner, the building has been kept almost the way it was 100 years ago. Mrs. Unruh was a lovely woman. She came by our table, sat down and had a long conversation with us about the history of the Buckhorn and her passion for entertaining. She also brought us another round of drinks, which was very kind of her. We listened to the Buckhorn Boys play, and they were great!
The food is what you’d expect from a diner in the mountains. Huge, piping hot portions of quality home-​cooked food, at reasonable prices. I had the Chicken Piccata, which was melt in your mouth tender and so flavorful. Rick had a giant Rib Eye, which was cooked perfectly.
Our only complaint were the drinks. I feel bad for writing this because we did get a free round, but the salt they used for rimming our margarita and bloody mary glasses was regular table salt, which left a sharp, bitter taste in our mouths. I loved my bloody mary, but Rick’s margarita was rather light on the tequila.

I love this place! The Buckhorn Restaurant and Lodge at Mt. Baldy is just a short hour away from LA. When you get there you feel like you are hours away. The place is beautiful, quiet and full of activities. I have been here in the summer for the hiking and the winter for the skiing. It is a great place to spend the weekend any time of year. Mt. Baldy has a few choices for lodging and dining and Buckhorn Restaurant and Lodge is your best choice. I always get the awesome peppered steak and a cold beer. There is great live music by Mort Marker and the Buckhorn Boys. I think my favorite memories are the time spent talking with Mrs. Unruh. She is such a cool character. I cannot wait to go back this summer and enjoy my guilty pleasure, the nachos!

According to legend, the Buckhorn has been around for over 100 years. Going back about 20 years, I first came here to see a buddy that played in the band. A hideaway up the mountain that offered good food, solid drink, and live country music. But as life changes old standby’s kind of fade, which is what happened here. Recently, however, we rediscovered the Buckhorn as a place to go to get away from the city, enjoy mountain air and great views. Which is why for New Years Eve we came up for a visit.
The Buckhorn Boys still play some country classics, and are open to requests. We asked for some George Thorogood and were treated to a great rendition of Bad to the Bone, complete with Mike playing some great slide guitar! Mort and Mike had some great moments exchanging guitar riffs. Playing an Alan Jackson song had the girls out on the floor for some line dancing. However, no evening is complete without Mrs. Unruh singing and dancing to some great standards. Quite a show and her energy is quite infectious. She invited all of the ladies in the house to the dance floor for a rousing version of Lady is a Tramp, complete with boa feathers for each of them. Rousing… Thanks, honey.
Some of the reviews listed here mention the automatic service charge, but for the entertainment provided on Friday and Saturday nights, I am not going to complain about a 20% fee. Although the food selection is limited, what they do offer is good and filling. Drinks poured at the bar are still solid. Best of all, it’s still a short trip up the mountain for some quality entertainment.
Added to all of the fun had, the crystal clear sky full of stars at the end of the evening was a perfect touch!

I have a 31-​year history with Mount Baldy Village, and after the Icehouse burned down in the late 1980s, Baldy wasn’t on our list of great places to go for Friday or Saturday night dinner and «hanging out.»
I am pleased to report the venerable Buckhorn, under the management of Mrs. Unruh and crew, approaches the «million miles from Los Angeles» feel that The Icehouse once had. Live music with talented musicians (no rap, hip-​hop, heavy metal or other crap often mistakenly called «music»)…great food, cold beer and fun people.
We’ll be back… with friends. If you want to spend an evening feeling like you are in Whitefish, Montana; Atlantic City, Wyoming; Steelville, Missouri or any other feel-​good places that are NOT Los Angeles-​centric, then we’ll see you at The Buckhorn. If you want velvet rope-​lines, celebrity sightings and a room full of phonies, head for the Sunset Strip or The Palms in Las Vegas and stay away from Mount Baldy Village, California.

I’m a bit torn on how to review this place, because most people only mention the lodge side of the Buckhorn, and neglect to mention the motel. I imagine some of you will experience both, so I want you to know what you’re getting into.
The descriptions of the lodge on here seem pretty accurate; it’s got a wild-​west-​in-​the-​mountains sorta feel, with lots of burnished wood, metal saddle barstools, a small dance floor, lively music on weekends, and the Vegas-​style singing and dancing provided by the vivacious Mrs. Unruh. Except for one young guitar player, nobody here is up-​and-​coming; these are people who have followed their bliss in the past, and have decided to continue doing so on the mountain. If you let yourself, you will be entertained.
Now, on to the motel.
The motel would be absolutely perfect for someone who wants a quaint, quirky little place to get away from it all.
No internet, no phones, no cell phone service (at least with Verizon), no iPod docking station, no TV… it’s you, in a little white-​painted cinderblock room with a cozy iron frame bed, patchwork quilts, a few hand-​painted wooden knick knacks on the walls, a dresser, and a small bathroom wih a shower. For cold nights, a built-​in wall heater keeps you warm.
You will not have room service, toiletries, a built-​in hairdryer, or any of the things you may associate with a typical night’s hotel stay.
We even had a little bit of trouble with the electrical plugs in the room, but to be fair, we never mentioned that, so they didn’t have a chance to address it.
You will, however, have fairly quick access to skiing, snowboarding, or sledding on Mt. Baldy, a lively stream that runs right by the motel, and across-​the-​street access to good food and entertainment at the lodge. You will have a lovely mountain view just outside your door.
Though you can use a credit card in the lodge, you will pay for your room in cash. I imagine that last part may be because some people came expecting a lot of things they weren’t going to get, and tried to get their credit charges back. If they would have known what they were signing up for, I don’t think that would have happened.
If you want to get away from it all in a simple place where the people care more about feeding & entertaining you on the lodge side, and the room is just someplace to rest your head, then this is for you.
If you want the awesome room with all the amenities, and the lodge is secondary to you, you will be disappointed, and should look elsewhere.

Yep I found this one on another one of my long and epic motorcycle rides!
If you are an uptight sheltered city person than this place is not for you. No this is not a wayyyy out in the country type of place where you might be chased down by Boss Hog, but it does have that small home town feel. That mountain town appeal is why you would want to go 20 miles up a mountain in the fist place.
While there I heard some obnoxious wannabe Hilton chicks whining how they were 20 minutes from civilization. Hahaha yeah you are wayyyyy out in the sticks girls. Man it started to sound like dialog from an 80s slasher film like «Blood Mountain» «Return To Horror Lodge» hahaa ridiculous. :) I kept praying for Jason Vorhees to bust in and haul these money driven frivolous glitter girls away!
I like this place and the surroundings due to it being similar to Oregon. It was great to see trees and snow again. As well as some animals. When was the last time you saw a flock of birds in Los Angeles? No not pigeons or flying rats, but real feather covered birds! I have seen bear, deer and mountain sheep in the area. Looks like LA didn’t kill all the wildlife yet.
The easiest way to get here was off the 210 east and take Mountain highway exit. This will take you up through a neighborhood, around a dam and then up a mountain road towards Mt Baldy. It is a great ride by motorcycle as well as by car. Towards the top you will have to make several sharp VERY sharp turns so be careful these are small 2 lane roads. Watch your speed or you will get pulled over.
You will end up being about 3 miles to the top of Mt Baldy when you find the Buckhorn Lodge on the left. The lodge has been around since 1910. The parking lot has been upgraded and there is a river very near off of the parking lot. This area is an amazing gem since it is still pristine and only 15 minutes from the city.
Inside it is again a movie set like the other locations I have found. this one reminds me of the lodge from the 80s classic horror film «The Howling». There inside is made of very old timber but has a ski lodge feel to it. Again I found a beautiful young rock n roll raven haired waitress who was a lot of fun! Who knew? That was a nice surprise. Yes yes! :)
There was a band playing that night that were all old Hollywood and great musicians. These guys worked with many greats like Elvis Presley, Smothers Bros, Sonny and Cher and many more. The band was Mort Marker and the Buckhorn Boys featuring Mrs. Unruh.
Mrs. Unruh was an ex Vegas performer and I have to give her credit, she loves to put on a show and is a great fun performer. Gary the drummer for the band amazed me. This cat was 71 years old and could pound on those drums like Tommy Lee’s fists on Pamela Anderson! I hope when I am Gary’s age I can play like that!
I talked to the whole band for awhile and have been invited to sit in sometime and possibly play drums. Fun stuff! Mort Marker was amazing to watch him play on guitar. Fantastic! I heard he does a full blown Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute but it is a rare treat to see. Mort Marker, Garey, Ed, Mike and Mrs Uruh all were well seasoned professionals and love what they do. Ohhh and the best part of Mrs Uruh’s performance… she does her version of a Pink song… hehe fun!
I had drinks and food while I was there. The drinks and staff were excellent. I am not sure what happened before with other people on Unilocal but Brian and Jessie were great. They made sure I was well taken care of. The food was great! The prices were right and large portions. The menu is a variety menu and no it is not gourmet but done well. They have dinner specials during the week that also looked very reasonable like: Italian Dinner $ 5.75; Tuesday Pork Chop Dinner $ 6.50; Wednesday Soft Taco Dinner $ 7.00; Thursday Sirloin Steak Dinner $ 7.75 Wow!
The lodge is the perfect place right now in December. I will spend more time here to have that Christmas in Oregon feeling. I had a lot of fun riding the sidecar through the snow and of course the kid in me pulled over and threw snowballs! Weeeeee! Love it!
This place is great but if you are uptight you need to just let loose and go with it. If you are too city then this probably wont appeal to you. For me it is great fun and a part of America that is slowly disappearing. The décor is old and quirky but that is it’s charm.
If you go past the Buckhorn Lodge there is a parking lot you will end up in at the top destination on the mountain. From there you can park and either walk up a zig zag road to the top of the mountain where there is a lodge and skiing or you can take a cable car to the top. I will review that one later.
W

I hate to give this place a bad mark but the service was bad. The staff actually had a full out yelling match over our table. I know its a small town but they should still have a service standard. The food was seriously over priced for the quality and amount. I think I am better off packing a ton of snacks.