McGee Creek Lodge — Restaurant in Mammoth Lakes

The price and location were great for Room #7. It was very quiet and had three full sized beds in a long dormer type room. At the far end of the room is a single window that looks out over the campground next door. In that single window was an air conditioner that one of my companions described as the Easy Bake Oven of air conditioners. Totally inadequate for the space. After running for a couple of hours, the room was still in the mid-80s. ||||We ended up going outside, where the temperature was nice and cool, hanging out by the bat house (house on property that has been taken over by bats) and waited with the totally awesome lodge employee, whose name I didn't catch-sorry!, for the bats to come out at dusk.||||After the show was over, we headed back up to the room and found the temperature was down to about 80 degrees. Decided that there wasn't much to do in order to make the room cooler, as the air conditioner was screwed into the window, so we went to sleep...or tried to. Some of us slept great despite the heat, some slept okay, and some were too hot to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. By the time I woke up at around 5:45am, the room temperature had finally gotten down to 72 degrees.||||My recommendation for the lodge:||Turn on the air conditioner the morning of the day that guests are scheduled to arrive.||Replace the existing AC with one that has more watts.||OR||Replace the existing AC with a window fan specifically meant to exchange air inside and out. One part of the fan blows outside air in, the other blows inside air out. Our room would have been cool in less than an hour if we had this. There just wasn't any circulation.||||My recommendation for future guests:||Call and/or email to request that your room's AC be turned on the morning of your scheduled arrival.||||The entrance to the lodge is somewhat confusing. What looks to be the entrance with a ramp and big covered porch with chairs, is actually a room to rent. To the left, and around a corner, are a few concrete steps that lead to a small foyer. Our room key was in an envelope waiting for us when we arrived. We put the key in the same spot when we left, although it would have been nice to have a mail slot or something similar to put it in.||||Would I stay here again? Absolutely, as long as the AC could cool the room prior to our arrival.||||Highly recommend the cafe that is attached to the lodge...

We booked McGee Canyon #1 at McGee Creek Resort for two nights as part of our Highway 395 fishing adventure—and it was exactly what we hoped for. This private room, attached to the main lodge, felt newly remodeled and was clean, cozy, and thoughtfully designed. We loved the two extra sofas in the room, which provided a comfortable seating area to unwind after a long day outdoors. A little in the pricy side for a few nights but not much available unless you go into Mammoth.

The cabin has a small bar area with a fridge, and outside there’s a porch with additional seating and a BBQ grill. That said, it would be helpful if the resort provided a few basic items—like a cast iron pan, disposable plates, and utensils—especially for guests hoping to cook up a fresh-caught trout. There’s no sink in the unit for washing dishes, so we understand the limitation. An even better solution might be to remove the individual BBQs from the units and create a central outdoor cooking area on the property—complete with a sink, prep counter, shared grills, pans, and dishes. That would be more convenient and guest-friendly.

The resort has a small general store with snacks and essentials, and a continental breakfast is included with your stay—an easy, appreciated touch to start the day.

There’s great fishing right around the resort, and after checking out, we drove just a few miles to Owens Lake and spent a few peaceful hours casting there. The area is absolutely stunning. The only downside was the 10 a.m. checkout time, which felt a little early—11 a.m. would’ve been ideal—but that’s truly my only complaint.

Parking was right outside our room, which made unloading easy, and we felt completely safe leaving our vehicle unattended—even with our fishing gear inside.

McGee Creek Resort is owned by Convict Lake Resort, just down the road. We rented a boat there for a day of fishing and had a fantastic dinner at their restaurant on our final night—it really tied the trip together.

While Mammoth is just a short drive away for dining and shopping, we preferred being off the beaten path. McGee Creek Resort offered the perfect mix of peace, nature, and comfort. We’d...

We love this place! We have been staying here for years. I stayed here before I met my husband and we have stayed here together many times, including the time he surprised me with his marriage proposal. We have stayed in rooms 3 and 5 and love the views looking out toward the mountains of McGee Creek Canyon. The rooms have always been very clean. The housekeeper does a great job. This time around the comforter had some stains on it and I asked her to replace it and she did. The bathrooms have always been spotless. ||||The headboards of the beds are really cool. They are wood with animals carved into them. The garden in front of the lodge is beautiful in summer. And the bakery in the same building that's open from April to Labor Day is delicious. The WiFi in the hotel room worked really well, but I had some trouble using the bakery WiFi a couple of years ago.||||However, I will say this place is not for everyone. If you're expecting granite counters and luxury surroundings this is not the place for you. The carpet is old and needs to be replaced (although the bathrooms have nice wood flooring). Still, the combination of the views, the clean rooms, the interesting headboards and the peaceful location near McGee Creek Canyon, Mammoth, Convict Lake, and Rock Creek Canyon keeps us coming back every year. ||||Plus, it has more personality and better views than many of the motels in Bishop and the price of many of the rooms in McGee Creek Lodge are far more affordable than those places. It's about 45 minutes away from Bishop, but if you don't have to stay there this is a much better option in our opinion. ||||I marked no kitchenettes below because most of the hotel rooms don't have them but they do have a cabin...