Conde Nast added Minam River Lodge to its hot list in 2018. In another Conde Nast article the lodge was described as “rustic luxury.”

INTRO, LOCATION & TRANSPORTATION

I found the eastern Oregon lodge while researching stops for our honeymoon road trip and booked a 4-night stay at the lodge ~1 year in advance. We scheduled our check in was for June 6th, 2022, just a few days after the lodge’s opening day (Minam closes for the winter months and reopens in the summer).

Three factors made the lodge deeply appealing: 1) its true sense of “remoteness,” 2) its location in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and 3) the food experience. You can only access the lodge by hiking or horseback riding in, a strenuous 9 mile journey, with ~4000+ ft in elevation gain, or taking a four-seater airplane in. You will not have access to wifi or cell service while there. The Eagle Cap Wilderness is often called the mini Alps, and the lodge is known for serving top notch farm-to-table food in rustic luxury.

Also, the lodge is dog friendly and provides food for furry guests.

If you hike into the lodge, it is easiest to start at Moss Springs Trailhead. More directions can be found here. We stayed in Joseph, OR before our trip as the trailhead is a ~1 hour and 45 minute drive away from there. People safely park their cars at the trailhead. If you fly into the lodge, below are the airports to checkout. **Note Enterprise, ~5 miles from Joseph, is the best airport option:

~A week before we were scheduled to hike to the lodge, we were informed that because of the late winter season, the trail would not be safe or clear of snow. So, Minam scheduled a round trip from the Enterprise airport (~10 minutes outside of Joseph) to the lodge for us with seasoned pilot, Joe. I mentally prepared for two foreign experiences… going ~4.5 days without wifi or cell service and flying on a four-seater airplane.

THE DETAILS

Check In	June 6th, 2022 at 8:30am
Check Out	June 10th, 2022 at 12:30pm
Cabin	The Treehouse
Cost Breakdown	Cabin: $650+/night for our private cabin, but cabin prices can range. Wall tents are $295+/night (glamping), lodge rooms are $395+/night, semi-private cabins where you share a wall with another cabin are $550+/night, and the largest option is $750+/night. More info
Dog Fee	$45/night, includes food.
Food Per Meal	Breakfast is $25/person, with an option to do a “lighter” breakfast for $15/person. Lunch is $25/person, with an option to do a “backpacker’s” to-go lunch for ~$15/person. Dinner is $95/person.
Beverage	The lodge has a full bar, cocktails and wine are on par with prices that you’d expect at a nice restaurant (~$16 per cocktail and bottles of local wine ranging from ~$50-$120). Coffee, tea, and refreshments, such as lemonade, are complimentary throughout the day (ALSO cookies are complimentary and amazing).
Flights	$200/person one way. So $400/person round-trip.
Massage	$100/hour/person.
Sauna	FREE

We paid for our lodging, pet fee, and massages up front and ran a tab to our room for all meals and beverages (this is the lodge’s process). Upon check-out, we paid this balance. With tax, tips, etc., the total cost came to ~$5500 for 4-nights and ~4.5 full days.

THE VERDICT: IS IT WORTH IT?

There’s no question, Minam is a high-end place. We planned this trip ~a year in advance and were fortunate enough to have the resources to stay here. For us, it was worth it and we hope to make a tradition of staying at the lodge. Below outlines my thoughts and review on all things Minam River Lodge.

Note, I do believe that the lodge is not for everyone and below this section, I’ll outline how to decide if the cost is worth the experience for you.

Getting There

While I can only speak for flying into the lodge, the experience is good, for as complicated as the journey is. The lodge’s staff clearly communicates directions, complications and implications of weather. Joe is one of the few pilots that flies in and out and he is clearly good at it and makes the experience fun. His aircraft is old and loud and if we have to fly in again, I will purchase headphones for Leia, as it was loud. I highly recommend doing the same if you’re bringing your dog. The view is fantastic. AD’s Review: 4.4.

Cabins

The cabins were built with wood from the property and salvaged logs from the old Minam structures (pretty cool!). Everything, from the furniture to the cabins, was built using artisan (old school?) methods. Everything is custom made and of high-quality and that’s apparent. However, let me make this clear, you’re not staying at the lodge for the cabins. The cabins are pretty, but relatively small. If this was a regular airbnb listing, I would not pay $650+/night for this. BUT, with any resort or lodge style accommodations, you’re paying for more than just your room, e.g., service, exclusivity, grounds, etc. The cabins don’t have AC, and later in the summer months, I imagine this can be rough. The temp was perfect for our trip though (~50-60). AD’s Review: 4.25.

Property, Grounds & Views 

This place is wondrous. From the river, to the sprawling vegetable garden, to the huge alpine trees, it’s a nature lover’s paradise. There are also plenty of fun areas to explore for the dogs. AD’s Review: 5.

Service

Gosh. The Minam team is as good as a hospitality team can be. I think that there’s typically two ways that hospitality teams (lumping the food industry in here) operate: 1) in a traditional hierarchical sense- senior folks give orders down the chain or 2) in a dynamic way where no one is too good for any job and everyone works as a flowing unit. Minam operates in the second way and it is clear. Margaret is the GM, but it was never uncommon to have her bring us a drink, serve us our breakfast, or brief us on our daily hike. Caroline, another leader, is the same way. The head chef, Sean, always checked in on us during dinner. The bartender, Matt, became a fast friend, and I could go on and on about the rest of the team… AD’s Review: 5.

Food

Minam River Lodge is a culinary experience. Everything is farm-to-table and from scratch, if something is not grown on site, it is flown in from a local farmer. The food is creative, yet comforting. Breakfast and lunch are served during a block time, so people can come as they want. Dinner is served at a set time and is multiple courses and family style. The chefs explain each course with passion. We always dined outside on the deck (the weather was great) so that Leia could join us and to further enjoy the views. The dining room opens up to the outside and is also beautiful. AD’s Review: 5.

Amenities 

Make no mistake, the main amenity here is the wilderness and the access to hundreds of miles of hiking trails. I give these trails a Review of 5. We used the sauna everyday and we loved it. As noted, the lodge is old school, so the sauna and the hot tub take a long time (~90 minutes) to heat up and both have to be lit. This comes with pros and cons. The main lodge, where we ate all of our meals and relaxed had many books and games and we spent a lot of wonderful time on the deck. The massage tent was good. When the river is not so high, a lot of people fly fish. There’s also yoga, though we were on the trails everyday, so didn’t get to do a class. AD’s Review: 4.4.

People 

The lodge can only accommodate, at max, ~30 people at a time. Depending on how long you’re there for, you will get to know other guests, as it is also a fairly social experience… you’re eating meals with the same people, hanging out in the same common areas, etc. For the price to stay at the lodge, everyone that we met was rather down to earth (I think that you have to be if you’re embracing this level of remoteness and wilderness). We really enjoyed getting to know other guests. Guests lean on the older side, which again, makes sense given the price tag, though there were some younger millennials sprinkled in. Many were from the PNW, but a few were from California. AD’s Review: 4.9.

Overall

Minam focuses on what I care about… great, local food, world-class hiking, friendly people, all nestled deep in the woods. The amenities and cabins complement the wilderness and do not overpower it. I loved disconnecting from the world. The average of the above categories come out to 4.7, but because of the charm factor, AD’s Overall Review is 4.9.

IS A TRIP TO MINAM RIVER LODGE MEANT FOR YOU?

1. Should be an avid outdoors person. Unless you’re an avid reader, writer, etc. (and can find entertainment for days from that) you really need to love the outdoors to appreciate this place.
2. Should be a flexible eater. I’m not sure how much the kitchen can accommodate dietary restrictions, but given that every meal is preset, you should be comfortable eating anything. That said, the food is very approachable. Meat, including game meat, is present in mostly all meals.
3. If you bring your dog, your dog should be comfortable hanging out around other dogs and be well behaved. Comfortable does not mean love, it just means that they can take a nap near another dog and chill. Overall, for us, we felt that it was very easy to bring Leia on this trip (though we really need to buy ear muffs for her).
4. Should be willing to make an investment in an experience. The lodge is a high-end, fairly expensive spot. A lot goes into preparing top notch meals, providing world-class service, etc. You’re paying for staff salaries, produce that supports local farmers instead of massive chain grocery stores, etc. and need to understand and appreciate that.