The Clarion River Lodge

This place is beautiful! We stayed in winter and it was so peaceful and serene.Our rooms were clean and warm and each had a theme. Mine was music and my friends was Americano. The beds were comfortable and toasty warm and clean and fresh. The bathrooms came loaded with quality soaps and lotions and pleanty of fresh towels.Inside the lodge is a restaurant and operated a bar, which is nice cause you can have drinks on one side and all ages family on the other. We had breakfast in the lodge and it was delicious. Fresh eggs and toast and delicious pancakes. It was a lovely stay and I can't wait to come back when I have more time to fish and take in the nature.

Visited Clarion River Lodge last year when in town. The food was your typical bar fare. Overall, the food is good. It's definitely a good option when in Clarion and there are very few options to choose from.

I absolutely love this place, it feels sorta like vacation each time I'm there. The burgers are delicious, they use fresh local beef. The French fries are cooked to perfection. We typically come here after hiking in the woods. I've tried a few other dinner entrees and I've liked them all. The service is lovely. They know us by name and the wait staff really engages with you. They always check in to see if you need anything. Last night even the chef came out to ask us how our meals were. I'm always impressed with people who take such pride in their craft. Atmosphere of this place is epic. You feel really far away, in a good way. It's like a ski lodge in the mountains. I love the bar area with the river rock, barn wood theme. So many windows to see the snow on the pines. Thank you for a great evening with many more to come.

Food was good. Fire tables and atmosphere were just terrific. Entertainment was great. Truly a pleasant place to spend your evening. Rooms leave a bit to be desired. Small and rustic. No TV. Mattress was awful. No phone signal there but WiFi is very good. We watched a football game on my phone.

Well wifey and I came to try the "Vowinkle Wings", however wi both decided to order regular meals from the menu. I had Cajun salmon and it was ok, a tad overcooked. Rice pilaf and green beans were awful. Wifey had linguine with clam sauce. Not very good . She added shrimp and they were not tasty. Tomato basil soup was tomato sauce with vegetables.I guess we should have gotten the wings.Service was very good and we dined outside. Ambiance was nice.

The best service, ambiance and experience you'll have. The staff was courteous, welcoming and made it their mission to ensure that we had a great visit. The food was excellent! I cannot believe the view, the scenery is unparalleled. Thanks to everyone at the lodge for your excellent hospitality.

We visit Cook Forest often, along with our family and friends. I was really excited to visit & stay at the lodge for the first time. I read all the mixed reviews beforehand, and I wanted to be the person to write a good review for the lodge. I wanted to find the hidden charms of the lodge. This couldn't be further from what happened. After arriving at the lodge, I was surprised at how small it was. For a "lodge" I thought it would be bigger in size. Also, I read that another reviewer stated that bringing in any type of bags or luggage was a challenge, and that was confirmed true. I was fortunate to be accompanied by my boyfriend who helped me but the several steps and uneven constructed ramp leading to the entrance of the lodge was tough to maneuver with luggage. I thought about the elderly or folks that might be handicap would definitely have a difficult time also. After checking in and walking into the small suite we reserved, I couldn't wait to check out the "private balcony" as stated on the website for this room. It was a very small balcony outside but there was nothing "private" about it. Directly in front of the balcony was a pavilion which appeared to be a common area because there was all kind of outdoor activity items sprawled out over the place (cornhole etc.) That was the view? We came back inside the room, and I noticed there was a little space heater on the floor. I was immediately concerned that the ac/heating unit was broken (its June!) and checked the unit and just as I suspected, it wasn't functioning. I immediately went to the front desk attendant with the issue. She came to the room and said she will call maintenance to look at the unit this "weekend"? We were only staying one night. How is this even accommodating to guests that are checking in. Why would we be ok with a stranger in our room with all of our belongings?I should have received a call about the AC instead of asking if I wanted to make dinner reservations from the lodge before I arrived. We received a call from the lodge a few days before we were to check in asking if we wanted to make dinner reservations for the restaurant at the lodge. The lodge is more concerned with bringing $ into the restaurant then accommodating their guest. It's like their priorities are all messed up.It would have been ok if we were told the AC was broken in the room BEFORE checking in and was given options for our money back or another room etc.Instead, we have to deal with this issue while we just arrived and should be settling in? I told the front desk attendant told her no AC was a dealbreaker and I would like my money back. She went to the front desk to talk to the Innkeeper. We followed moments later. At first, we thought the Innkeeper was a guest because of his very casual appearance. The Innkeeper said the AC just broke last night and didn't seem very surprised by this? If the unit really did just break, a refund should have been offered on the spot. The Innkeeper offered us a few fans and then smugly stated to us that the weather was going down to 55 degrees in the evening. I told the Innkeeper that we would like to just receive a full refund. He then asked the front desk attendant to write down my credit card information. I watched her do that and confirmed again that I was getting a refund. I thanked the front desk attendant and Innkeeper and we left. I was hoping the lodge would have made the situation right and eventually provided the refund, but they never did. I had a feeling I wouldn't receive it because of how we were treated but still I had hoped. I even called the lodge in a friendly/ professional manner inquiring the status of the refund but the very unpleasant woman I spoke to knew nothing about it and never called me back. What other rooms have missing or nonfunctional amenities? We cannot be the first guests that this has happened to. Perhaps that is why many of the rooms appeared to be unoccupied while we were there. I hope this review and details will help others when choosing accommodations in the area. Cook Forest is a beautiful place to visit. Happy Traveling.

The food is outstanding! Eric is a wonderful chef. There are 3 things on the menu that are always available, and then 3 others are added that change about every 3 weeks. There is also a burger night on Wednesdays. The service is always excellent. If I have any complaint, it is that it is so far from us (close to an hour). Even so, we will keep going back.

We stayed for two nights last weekend 3/9 and 3/10/24. 2 rooms. We had reservations for dinner Saturday night in the Lodge's Restaurant. Unfortunately, the dinner my friend ordered was not fully cooked (Salmon) and the rest of the plate was cold. It was returned to be heated but still inedible. The lodge thankfully removed it from the bill. We returned to the Bar and enjoyed a night of music and conversations with other folks. The major issue came Sunday night; and although we came in & out of the lodge most of the day after hiking and driving around; we returned to an empty Lodge at approximately 7:20 pm. By empty, I mean no employees, no other guests, no attendant: NO ONE! The doors were open and although we were able to secure the front door we didn't know how or if the other doors were secure. We called main number; went to voicemail. No return call. I know it's off season, but really unnerving to be in a Lodge you're paying $179.00 a night plus tax etc.... We were worried about fire, power outages; one of us getting ill and no way to get help. WiFi was spotty at best. Sad to offer the much less that excellent review... I love Cook Forest and have been going there most of my life. It's a beautiful place. I emailed the lodge about our stay several days ago with no response. Very disappointed!Laura Peterson

Went for burger day. Food was good. Bar and outdoor area are very nice. Staff was friendly. Drinks are a bit pricey.