West Crooked Lake Resort - Timberlost at West Crooked — Hotel in Park Rapids

We (a group of 5 friends, ages 21-30 and 2 dogs) spent Labor Day weekend (Friday-Monday) at West Crooked Lake Resort. The first night we arrived late afternoon to a cozy, tidy cabin. The view was nice, overlooking the lake. The first night we decided to grill outside for dinner. While we're getting the grill ready, we were suddenly approached by two individuals who didn't identify themselves (property managers?) and commanded us, "You need to leave the property now." No hi, hello or explanation to who they were or why we needed to leave.

After some conversation, it turned out the dogs were not allowed in our cabin. We booked through VRBO, which clearly indicates pets are allowed. After showing them the booking process and our receipts, they left to check with the property owner to confirm our reservation and came back interrupting our dinner for a second time. That entire experience left a sour taste in our mouth.

The next day we rented a pontoon for the whole day. It was actually a really fun day spent fishing and enjoying the sun. After getting back, we looked for restaurants and activities to do. The nearest "town" was over 30 minutes away and only had basic fast food restaurants. We ended up spending the day inside, eating uncooked pizza since the nearest shop took 45 minutes deliver and we had to cook it ourselves.

On Sunday, we planned to do some hiking. It turns out there are literally zero hiking trails within driving or walking distance. We were suppose to spend Sunday night there, but ended up leaving on Sunday afternoon due to the lack of activities in and off the resort and the poor experience the first night.

We will not be coming back and recommend others to continue researching other resorts & areas.

Pros: Nice, clean, cozy cabins stocked with cooking & eating supplies Fishing Free water activities (kayaking, water trampoline and paddle boarding) Paid rentals (pontoons and fishing boats)

Cons: Rude customer service Hard beds Clean everything yourself & no towel replacements Resort lacks activities Nevis & surrounding towns lacks activities...

We just got back from WCLR on Friday after a week there of relaxation. We went expecting to do a little hiking, but a little was all we were able to do. It was much warmer than we expected. Hey, it was warmer everywhere last week. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying such a wonderful place. We stayed in cabin 4. I think it was the best one on the lake. Perfect view. 2 bedrooms, could sleep 8 if necessary, but there were only 3 of us. My sister, my husband and I, and had plenty of room. It had AC which we were happy about at night for sleeping but we spent most of our days walking around, sitting on the deck lazily viewing the lake and renting a pontoon to cruise the lake. We brought food so only went out to lunch twice. There are a couple small towns within 10-25 minutes with restaurants. The kitchen is as well stocked as my own. I couldn’t believe everything that was supplied, even a cast iron skillet. There are plenty of dishes, glasses, bowls of all sizes, pots and pans, even cookie sheets. I’ve never been in a cabin with so much available. We did bring our own paper goods, so we didn’t have to do so many dishes. There is a dishwasher in one of the cabins. But not ours, my sister was our dishwasher. Glad she came along. ;-) We mostly cooked on the grill and sat outside to eat, drink and visit with Susan, the owner, and some of the other vacationers. ||They have all sorts of boats, fishing, skiing, pontoon, paddle boats, canoe, kayaks, paddle boards and a very nice sandy beach. The lake is a nice size, great to cruise around and watch the loons. There are a lot of hiking and biking trails plus the headwaters of the Mississippi is 25 minutes from the cabin. Wade in the river for fun, great experience for kids.||Susan is a wonderful host and her managers are very nice as well as responsive if you run out of something. Thank you all very much for making out stay wonderful. ||We loved it so much we already made reservations to go...

I hesitate to review because this place is a hidden gem and I don't want the word to get out to the masses! We rented camper #6. We were greeted very quickly by the hosts who oriented us to our camper and made sure we had everything we needed. The camper was clean and had all the basic necessities. The information sent prior to arrival and the "plan your stay" section of the website were both very helpful in making sure we knew what to expect. We bought our groceries and supplies and got our fishing licenses in Park Rapids on the way in. We enjoyed the free use of canoes, paddle boats, paddle boards, kayaks and floating trampoline. We also rented a pontoon and a fishing boat during our stay. When the pontoon had mechanical issues, we were offered an alternate for the day. Both Susan and Brian checked in and chatted periodically to make sure we were set. We purchased firewood in advance and it was waiting for us when we arrived. Susan had great recommendations for restaurants in Nevis and we also enjoyed pizza from a nearby (15 min) restaurant. Overall, this was one of the best driving distance vacations we have had in many years. Can't wait to come back...