Smiley Creek Lodge

Just wanted to leave an excellent review for the Smiley Creek Lodge. We stayed in one of the small units, Unit 7 and had a great experience. We were there for the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Sun Valley and the price was very reasonable. Very clean inside and the staff was awesome. Art went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of and even stayed late after hours to make sure we were good. The next morning, Ford also checked on us to make sure that our stay was a great experience. As a funny side note, as Ford just realized, an easy way to remember the two is putting Ford and Art's name together to make FART! With all the lodges that we've stayed at the last couple months (South Fork Lodge, Wallowa Lake Lodge, Smiley Creek Lodge) we would recommend Smiley Creek Lodge to anyone who needs a basecamp for the hiking/snowshoeing/UTV/snow mobile trails in the Sawtooth's, White Cloud Peaks or the Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. We actually promoted the Smiley Creek Lodge to the many people we talked to at the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. It's also a short and pretty drive to Sun Valley. We will definitely be back. Thanks guys. Cheers! - Chris in Caldwell

Ford at Smiley Creek Lodge is absolutely incredible! From the moment we arrived, he went above and beyond to make sure we felt welcome and taken care of. He’s one of those rare people who is not only professional and knowledgeable, but also genuinely kind and thoughtful. Whether it was answering questions, helping with accommodations, or just checking in to see how we were doing, Ford made the experience smooth, stress-free, and enjoyable. His positive energy and helpful attitude truly set the tone for our stay. Smiley Creek Lodge is already a special place, but having someone like Ford there makes it unforgettable. If you’re planning a trip, you’ll be in the best hands—he’s the type of person who turns a great visit into an amazing one.

I ABSOLUTELY love coming here. With the new owner, every aspect of the business has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. The staff are so friendly and welcoming, and I always feel like I’m walking into a family dinner the second I walk through Smiley Creek Lodge’s doors. There were two teenage girls, one blonde and one dark brunette, who were extremely professional yet kind (also beautiful). I was so impressed by the milkshakes, and I will definitely be coming back. Thank you, Darian and Camilla!

They really put the “Smile” in Smiley Creek Cafe! We loved the Aviator burger! The staff was friendly, attentive, and most of all hard working. It made our day to come into the cafe after hiking for three days in Sawtooth. We will be back again!

Since the last reviews, the lodge has been sold. With that change in ownership has come changes in quality and service. The food is not good. The shakes are not great, and from my experience take 1.5 hours to make with not another single customer in the building. The service was horrible - the counter girl yelled at us for reminding her 4 times that I'd ordered a shake, telling us that they were busy when there was not another customer in sight. The table who left before us left without eating after they found an earbud in their salad. Yes, an Apple earbud that the cook claimed as his when they brought it to the counter. Being a local, I've heard stories about how customers have been turned away and yelled at regularly, how hours of operation are not consistent or reliable, how the quality of food has degraded drastically. We're all really sad because it's a community institution that we can no longer frequent. The new owners clearly don't have experience in this business, but we really hope they figure it out as it's a truly great business opportunity if they would learn some lessons from the previous owners about product quality, great service, and reliable availability. Everything about Smiley Creek Lodge is communicated word-of-mouth locally and in the surrounding communities of Stanley, Ketchum, Sun Valley, Hailey, etc. If it's bad, everyone knows really quickly, but if it's good, they'll know that too.

I love coming to smiley creek lodge! I have been coming here since I was little and the food, milkshakes and service are never a miss. The new owner is fantastic and the place is managed smoothly. The staff is super helpful and always happy to help! I recommend the burger, fish tacos, and a huckleberry milkshake to finish it off.

Stopped in on our way to the campground for gas and had to return later on for lunch because we loved it here. The service was amazing. The staff were very friendly, chatty, and generous. We felt like we were old friends and laughed together. I would highly recommend stopping in for a meal (great burgers), some gas, a couple good beers (we ended up buying a six pack of the dagger IPA), or a milkshake (people were raving about them).

The kitchen manager is fantastic at his job, providing awesome service. His hard work ensured every part of our meal and time in town was special.. Austin was amazing. I’m definitely coming back here for years to come.

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 :)

:-) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Probably the best huckleberry milkshakes in Idaho. Friendly service. Two of three ordered items weren't correct (no Swiss cheese ordered but had Swiss when received).

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).

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Excellent homemade veggie burgers with black beans and actual veggies. Also, burgers from grass fed cows. Great milkshakes. Beautiful setting. Pleasant deck seating.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.