Rough Cut Lodge — Hotel in Gaines Township

Do not be deceived by the awesome photos of this place- it is RIGHT off the highway. Meaning, if you are not hibernating like a bear, you will hear every car and truck that passes by, especially if you want to leave your window open. Positives: it was VERY clean when we arrived and it was definitely cute. The beds were comfy-ish and the kitchen was great to cook in. They have everything you need to cook- even a crockpot. I loved how it was near the river. People were fishing in the river daily. There are two fire pits and there was wood already there for us to build a fire with. It is about 6-10 minutes away from Pine Creek Outfitters if you want to bike or kayak or tube down the river, which was convenient. There was a little fun shack there as well where you can play pool, darts, fooseball, and some board games. There was also wifi in that building. At night you can star gaze with hardly any light pollution. The water got hot easily and the showers were nice. They are on well water but you would not be able to tell. It is a secure room with an electronic number entry. There are charcoal grills there that are clean. The porches are cute and the rocking chairs are comfy.

Negatives: RIGHT by the road. The rooms were a little stuffy, and it was nice and cool outside at night, so we wanted to open our windows because there are no ceiling fans. However, it was a fight between wanting some airflow and listening to the sounds of traffic. Even the loud semi trucks that went by. I virtually got no sleep. When I decided on the last night to try and sleep in the living room where you dont hear traffic, the trash truck came at 0600 an was very loud, and then the septic truck came at 0800, even though they pumped it all the previous day at a reasonable hour (about 3pm). Not a negative for me, but maybe a warning if you are addicted to your phone- there is hardly any cell service and the wifi is only strong inside the game room. Again, I did not mind, but if you are wanting those things, it's just something to add. BE CAREFUL when turning into this place- the hill is STEEP and there is no rail. Slow down to almost nothing to turn into this place. Trash piles up quickly and smelled horrible on the first night, but it was taken every other day. While there is no smoking in the rooms, people are still allowed to smoke on...

I stayed at Rough Cut Lodge with 19 family members in late June. We split into three cabins and the set up was perfect.

The cabins were immaculately clean and the kitchenette was stocked with essentials to cook basic meals. Each covered deck had a picnic table and porch swing, and the deck overlooked the grounds and Pine Creek.

There are many fire pits and benches for seating outside, but if you prefer more comfortable seating you should bring your own lawn chairs. The grassy areas are large enough to toss a football at a good distance.

Half of our party was kids, and they were never bored. The biggest hit for them was the creek, which was shallow enough for the five year old to safely play. I suggest bringing water shoes because the rocks in the creek are quite slippery.

One feature we enjoyed was renting canoes from Canyon Cruises. We paddled down the creek and stopped at Rough Cut for a bathroom break/rest before finishing the trip. I highly recommend this! If canoeing isn't your thing, you can borrow inner tubes from the property and float down the creek, hop out, and walk back to go again as often as you'd like!

I only have three suggestions for improvement, and the first two might not bother others. I found the shower head to be a little too basic and didn't have the best water pressure. However my hair is thick and this is a common issue for me. The second improvement would be to improve some of the mattresses. The one I shared with my husband was quite loud and we woke up every time we stirred. The third improvement would benefit everyone and would also provide creek side access to all patrons: A leveled/tiered ramp would allow those with mobility issues, or even those who may be clumsy, an opportunity to safely enjoy the bottom half of the property. The only access we found to the creek was either footpaths or a gravel drive down a hill that all felt a little steep.

All in all, my family and I enjoyed our stay and are discussing the possibility of returning...

Boy, did we luck out! We'd just finished a couple days of backpacking, and pulled in to a gas station once we discovered actual cell signal to Google around and find a place to crash for the night, before doing some day hiking in PA grand canyon the next day. A couple of clicks later, and we'd found the Rough Cut Lodge, which turned out to be even more perfect than we thought we were looking for. Suite looks to have been built recently, and was spotlessly clean! Kitchenette was just right for our needs, and very well equipped. Cozy little living room was 987 times more comfy than perching on the edge of a bed in a chain hotel...

Location is great, although we were confused at first as we did not GPS the directions - just looked for it while riding down Rt 6. So we turned in, but could not find suite 9 anywhere! It turns out, suites 7-10 are across the road from the rest of the buildings, which we had not even noticed.

As I said, suite was great, parking easy, great front porch, etc - the only thing is from that building you have to go back across the road to use hot tub, welcome center, laundry or other guest amenities. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of as you plan your stay. But you should plan a stay here at the RCL, any time you need a clean, comfortable, quiet place to base your mountain activities out of. Just leave some room for us, as we're already...