The Birches Resort

We decided to rent the best accommodation that the Birches manages which was the largest home with a beautiful view for the New Year celebration. Since I have stayed in the rustic cottages in the past and familiar with the property for 28 years I knew what to expect but at the price point of The Grandview we were rather shocked by how run down the kitchen and bathrooms were. The large deck and view and property are beautiful but the lack of care and things falling apart was disturbing. The lodge is great and staff is nice but no proper response when power went out and we had to leave early. They charged extra for heat on top of daily fee and there was no adjustment to price. I love The Birches but the owners of the Grandview do not maintain the house and we were disappointed with the shape it was in for what we paid. Wrote this so other visitors have a realistic expectation before paying a high price for a run down home. We will visit the lodge for meals in the future but stay somewhere else sadly.

The lodge is wonderful and if you are ok with basic rustic cabins, then this is also wonderful. The staff was terrific at the lodge and we had a ball while here. I will say they need to move up their timetable for getting hot water to the cabins and possibly leveling a few of the cabins so doors don't swing open unless hooked (hiring a carpenter for a week to fix many minor issues would be smart), but the views, the food, the staff, and the hiking were just a great time.

We came in the early off season for our anniversary and this place is amazing. Open fireplace with hard firewood, dog friendly, a lake to kayak in, a hot tub, beach, fall foliage, and absolute privacy. There is good food in town nearby, hunting, fishing, and ATV. Affordable. We will return.

Had lunch here, the lobby looked very rustic, lounge cozy with fireplaces. True northern Maine feel to the property. Nothing fancy but the views were wonderful, service was quick and had a large variety of vegetarian options.

We stopped for dinner without a reservation, but they managed to accommodate us with a seat in the bar lounge. The atmosphere was perfect for a lakeside resort. The food was very good and perfectly paced. Our bartender/server was a superwoman, seamlessly taking care of everyone very quickly yet avoiding giving off the feeling that she was rushed. I can not speak to the lodging, but if it is run as well as the restaurant, it must be amazing.

A wilderness wonderland, cabins are rustic but comfortable, people are extremely nice and great summertime weekend live music entertainment.

The food was great . After that it was down hill we stayed in cabin three it was infested with ladybugs and stinkbugs .|The lights in kitchen went out every time refrigerator kick on . The place is an electrical nightmare. John the owner promised me my money back never happened. I call the town about electrical wiring I was told they could not go and check it .

If you are looking for a rustic cabin experience... this is the one, FANTASTIC PLACE, friendly staff... solid restaurant, but the views from the cabins will stay in your mind forever...AMAZING EXPERIENCE. WE WILL DEFINATELY BE BACK NEXT YEAR, AND FOR YEARS TO COME!

This review is for dining only- not for any other of the services that the Birches offers. Up in the Moosehead Lake area, the options for dinner are few, and the Birches offers a peaceful location and view of the lake that can't be beat- five stars for that. The old lodge has a lot of charm and feels cozy and very "early 1900s" all around, so five stars for that also. The food itself is all over the place. My crab stuffed mushrooms were incredibly delicious and full of crab. I couldn't get enough. The chicken Caesar salad had chicken that was beyond overdone on it, and the chicken was quite hot on top of the salad so made for wilty greens and the croutons and dressing were not also not great. My friends and husband had similar results... some stuff fine, some not. I wouldn't say it was bad, or good... we'd probably return, but I'd just fill up on crab stuffed mushrooms and maybe try some dessert.

Really enjoyed our visit for lunch on NYE. They were packed and running around but seemed to handle everything well. We were well taken care of. Spanakopita and Jalapeño poppers to start. Reuben and quesadillas for lunch. Excellent beer menu and hot chocolate was great. Will be back for sure!

My friends and I went on an evening moose cruise. The captain was great. He guided the boat very slowly through the areas where the moose might be and we were lucky enough to see two!! We had a little trouble finding the boat and they were really helpful and patiently waited for us. I would highly recommend the cruise. We did a 4 hour van tour with another company and the cruise was absolutely a better experience!

We have been here for the pub (which is great) but tonight was dinner and drinks. The service was excellent and the food was superb! Avocado deep fried crispy slices. Steak on our salads and great wine selection! I will be back for sure! I need to boat in this summer. Being on moose head lake is definitely a plus!

Good part: Wow what a neat old Lodge and great food. We had supper reservations here after a moose watching pontoon boat ride. Bad Part: despite them telling us we had supper reservations when we booked the boat ride, we were nowhere on the list when we arrived at the restaurant. Luckily some tables had just cleared out so we got a table (because it was late -7:15pm). Which brings me to the boat ride. It was a nice ride on the lake to see Mt.Kineo and the views and the captain was a nice man. But, with all of these moose tours, the tour guides know with pretty much certainty where the moose hang out every day and know their patterns. But when someone asked, can you almost guarantee we'll see some today, the captain shrugged and replied, "Wellllll. This summer has been hit or miss." Now, I know moose are generally elusive to the common Mainer or tourist but, if a tour guide would normally see them almost every day but has seen them once in the last two weeks (and that has been the case all summer) then you shouldn't be selling moose tours! They could have at least given us a discount at supper but laughed and laughed when we mentioned it. Jokes on us. We spent a lot of money for a tour that didn't have the things we went to see and then spent $80 more for supper. Skip the boat ride. Go for a great supper in a nostalgic and authenic Maine Lodge with a fantastic water view.

We visit the Birchs once a year when we come up for the annual Fly-In. We absolutely love sitting on their back dock taking in the gorgeous lake views. For us these are some of the best views in all of Maine. The wine and beer selection are good but the restaurant food is fantastic. Plus again you can't beat the views, even from inside the restaurant. The fireplace is just magnificent and will be lit, which adds to the overall warmth of the place. Service is always consistent and their wait staff go above and beyond. Please checkout the pictures of our trip from the weekend of Sept 10th. Can't wait to return to take in the foliage for our first time.

Living in Jackman, we have always intended to visit the Birches for dinner. We have heard mixed reviews from the locals, which kept us going to our usual haunts. Given the busy week, our regular favorites were sold out. We finally made it to The Birches! We had a later reservation, but we got here early and we walked the property. It's really nice. The bar area is nice too. We were seated right in the center of a very busy dining room. For the first few minutes, we exercised patience as waitstaff walked by us repeatedly without any greeting. After 15 minutes, it got far more frustrating when new parties arrived us, we're seated, given drink orders, appetizer orders and been served food. Honestly, nobody had greeted us at all. Now, if it was a corner or the room it would be understandable. When our frustration gave way, I had to excuse myself to find the host and ask for service. I have never felt so invisible in my life. We were like the ghosts in Beetlejuice who tried to scare away that new family. We could have stood on chairs and moonwalked across the table and nobody who worked there would have blinked! At least the food was redeeming. Steak was excellent. In the end, we were offered free desert for being the very last customers in the dining room, but to no surprise, everything we wanted had been sold out. Must have been sold to all of the customers seated after us....... Good food, but unfortunately the lack of service will forever be what we remember! At least we had a few laughs and a memory/story. Hard, hard pass from us. Try Greenville for great food and service!!

First time visit for an overnight. Honeymoon cottage -great location. On the water. VERY rustic interior. NO frills and very simple. That is the charm but be aware before you book. No vacancy the weekend of our visit. LONG wait for breakfast and very harried and rushed erratic dinner service. ( not unusual with summer help gone ) BUT we can not applaud the best employee of the entire place -Ashley. She does it all. With a smile and great service! Just amazing. She made our weekend and I think without her it would have been a very different first impression. Prime rib was excellent, baked scallops as well. Will return in the summer as the location and ambience is fabulous!

*Breakfast review only* Outside of Greenville it's tough to find new restaurants to eat at, especially around brunch time. After driving around exploring the area, we found signs leading to The Birches Resort and had our fingers crossed there'd be food. Birches is a cute place right on Moosehead Lake with cabins for rent and a restaurant. We weren't greeted when we walked into the main cabin/guest house. There was a lovely fountain to our right of the main lobby that I fell in love with. My friend found the bathroom while I walked around looking at photos and waiting to be noticed by someone. I strolled around and saw that people were eating in the main area of the restaurant, but still didn't spy a host or server. I finally went back to the main desk and asked a gentleman (I'm not sure if he worked there or not) and he instructed me to just seat myself. He was very funny and nice. The breakfast menu was the usual assortment you'd expect and I was starving. I ended up with the strawberry waffles (with AMAZING Maine maple syrup) and a side of eggs and bacon. My friend got an omelet and it was weird that they didn't mix the veggies in the omelet, they were just placed in between the folds of the eggs. But he ate it all up. Service was lacking personality but the food was great and you can't beat the views!

Beautiful view! Great drinks but the poutine was a bit odd, not sure about tossing the fries in gravy it made them too soggy. Great place to pull your boat up and get a drink!

The place was nice, I paid extra for their on the water campsite. Ten dollar extra charge for my dog. Internet at the restaurant/bar only, shabby rest rooms, beautiful lake view, OK food and beer, awesome est adirondack chants on porch. I just had a problem with the $92 total for one night camping.

Do not go there. It's a hang out for locals. No problem there. However, I do have a problem with the fact that many of them were so enebriated that they were lighting off firecrackers on the main porch. My dog was there. There are trees everywhere. Need I say more? People who were visiting the resort and enjoying the early evening had a different impression by 8 PM. The drunkenness we observed gave visitors such discomfort that they left. One of them said, "Take your dog and go. This place is not safe.". Also, my friend broke her leg, in large part due to the improper lighting and huge gaping holes in the ground on the way to our cabin. Not once did ANYONE stop by to ask how she was doing. It was stunning. I've never been made to feel less welcome or cared for by any place I have stayed.

I'm not sure where to start as there were a few challenges but I'll start with the critters... 1) There was a RAT under our table. I spotted it whilst looking for a part of the camera. It was big, furry, and recently dead with all four limbs spread out as if the death was a horrendous one. When I flagged it to a waiter, he said it "must be from the rat poison." That gave me reassurance that 1. There's a rat problem and 2. There's poison near food. 2) There were dogs in the dining room. A nice black one called Abby went under our table, sniffed my husband's privates and begged for steak. 3) numerous flies landed on my broccoli. Now that's enough critter talk.... Food: Crab stuffed mushrooms were greasy and needed herbs, salt snd pepper Mussels: plentiful, loads of them but the ones in the top half of the kettle were dry and rubbery. Rib eye: average Baked stuffed haddock: watery. It sat in a pool of water that was mildly flavoured with wine and lemon After I pointed out the rat and dogs, I was surprised to see no discount on our bill! I had asked the waiter to please take my main away with less than half eaten because my appetite was lost due to the rat. I went to the manager who took my haddock off the bill and she apologised and advised me that "in maine we have mice." It's a shame about rodent, dogs and flies because their Bloody Mary is awesome

Review of restaurant: Great rustic place to warm up by the fire after a cold day on the snowmobiles. I ordered the turkey club and it was huge, enough for 2 people, with real turkey, not sliced deli meat. Soup could have been a little hotter. Great view of the lake, We will be back.

Came in for lunch. The view of birch trees in front of the lake is incomparable. Tasty onion rings & reuben sandwich. So peaceful. Wish I could stay here some day.

Just found out that we were possibly exposed to Hepatitis A by a food prep person. It was just by chance a friend told me about the news spot on WABI. If not for them we would never have known. Shame on The Birches for not posting this information on their web page or on Facebook. Never going back there! Awaiting to hear from CDC on where to get vaccinated.

Ever been to those desolate gas stations in the middle of the desert that charge five times as much because if you don't buy from there you'll die? The Birches Resort is just that except in the middle of the Maine wilderness. It is the only real renter of atv/water craft/snowmobiles in the area. The nearest competition is in Jackman which is nearly an hour away....and this "resort" uses it to their advantage. So, the rental fees are outrageous. They wanted to charge us $60 for a full day for a canoe. When we told them that we only wanted a half day and they charged us $50 (and that was after we told them we had bought three tickets for the expensive moose expedition tour via pontoon boat). Later that evening we went on the moose sight seeing tour via pontoon boat and it was amazing. A bit long if you have small kids, but we got to see moose up close and personal (probably got to within 15 feet). This tour was their only saving grace. We bought a "package" which included dinner afterwards which you would think was a deal, right? Nope. the extra expense to each ticket was $30 and it only included an entree per ticket. Now considering the most expensive item on the menu is the prime rib at $26 it seems like a blatant fleecing, but we shut up and paid it because it wasn't worth the hassle. Too boot, the prime rib was atrocious. Even my five year old was disgusted at the amount of gristle on the steak. They even botched my child's spaghetti by over cooking it and we were forced to send it back. WHo ruins a kid's meal?! Although, an item they did very well was the poutine. Unfortunately, we ate that as our meal because everything else was atrocious. We left the restaurant highly disappointed. We didn't stay there so I can't comment on the rooms/cabins. My suggestion is to bypass Rockwood altogether and drive the extra distance to Jackman where the prices are more reasonable.

This place is incredible. The staff is top notch and the food is spectacular, and I'm a serious food snob! Bethany makes a daily refreshing cocktail that is different everyday and like nothing I've ever had. Their chef Paul is a rockstar in the kitchen, and Marsha is like a ray of sunshine every morning! Thanks for the memories!

Gorgeous views can be found here! The sunsets are incredible. Phenomenal waiting staff and friendly front desk! Very laid back, dog FRIENDLY! The dock on Moosehead is huge and there are many ways to get there, via boat, plane, or car. Very relaxing atmosphere. The eggplant Parmesan is absolutely to die for. Lots of vegetarian options. Always see moose on the drive from Jackman to Rockwood! Definitely recommend this place if you find yourselves in the area. Don't let the other reviews fool you, this place is a dime!

We had a fabulous getaway weekend at the Birches! It is such a special place. Peaceful, relaxing and so much fun! We took long walks, enjoyed the hot tub outside, and relaxed in the bar. The restaurant service was over the top and the food was excellent from breakfast thru dinner. I especially liked hanging out in the Lodge by the fire playing games with friends while laughing our heads off. Highly recommend it!!!

My sister always stopped by there and told me that I should she passed away before I did and wish I had when she was with us the people and food is amazing My whole family stop's by for breakfast lunch and dinner all the time I'm great friends with the owner now and I know my Sis is looking down on US every time where there and they always have a great for my little dog Rocky which is good friends with Sochi and Jack this place is awesome year round boating Snowmobiling float plane rides cross country skiing Jeep tours Moose cruises log cabins tent site's rv parking this is my #1vacation spot now if you have never been there before please consider this your next stop up north

The cabin water makes you gag, smell like a septic tank. They claim to have the water tested monthly but I wouldn't brush my teeth with that tap water. The maintenance man tried to flush out everything with bleach but that didn't help so they know about the disgusting smell. Way overpriced and beware of the large spiders living in the cabin after seeing one you won't be able to sleep. It just wasn't our cabin we went to others and they were the same. Maybe a hunter that didn't want to take a shower would like this place but modern day civilization beware. Definitely not a recommendation.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! the atmosphere food, recreation and staff are awesome! This is why we call Maine "vacationland". It's "the way life should be"