Hoodoo Adventures says farewell to Chute Lake Lodge

In the summer of 2018, Chute Lake Lodge was all but forgotten.

The ancient mountain retreat, established nearly a century earlier on the KVR rail line midway between Penticton and Kelowna and once a key Okanagan draw, had fallen into a seemingly unrecoverable state of disrepair.

But Penticton-based outdoor tour operator Hoodoo Adventures had other ideas. In October of 2018, backed by a group of investors, Hoodoo took over the Lodge and its six-acre lakeside spread and set out to recapture its glory years.

Three months and countless renovations later, the Lodge would experience a sold-out New Year's Eve reopening. And the renovations - and the non-stop cleaning - would continue through much of 2019.

Ultimately, 2020 seemed primed to be the biggest year in decades for a property that got its start as a circa-1920's sawmill bunkhouse.

But if that comes to pass, it'll be without the team from Hoodoo. The company that spearheaded the headline-grabbing metamorphosis has announced they will no longer be operating Chute Lake Lodge.

Hoodoo CEO Lyndie Hill says the split between the operating company Hoodoo formed for the venture, Chute Lake Lodge Ltd, and the project's investor group was amicable. Moreover, she said, the Lodge is going ahead with plans to re-open this spring after a winter closure, now managed by the investor group.

But Hoodoo won't be part of it.

"The experience has just been great," said Hill over the weekend. "We had so much community support, and we were really focused on events to draw people up there."

"Getting staff at the start was a bit difficult because it's remote and way up there in the mountains. But we ended up finding amazing staff and people we were super happy to be working with."

Hill looks back fondly on 2019, when the reborn Lodge hosted events such as a drive-in movie night, a "Lumberjack Party," and a Christmas light-up.

"The reception was beyond our expectations. We were running tours up there, we were shuttling, we were doing everything we could to make it a destination. And travelers along the KVR were stopping and staying."

But, according to Hill, the rebirth involved a "lot of work."

"We did a ton of cleaning throughout the property," she said. "And we basically gutted everything. We sanded back every log and pillar, did all the flooring, the commercial kitchen area, and so much more."

And, she said, the decision to part ways has been emotionally tough.

"We're very sad that we're no longer involved. There have been tears shed. We put our hearts and souls into it and we're beyond heartbroken."

The split does, however, free up time. And Hill and husband Mike will use that time to concentrate on their core business.

"We now have 100 percent focus back into Hoodoo Adventures. We have a lot of events coming up, including the Adventure Racing World Series in June, and that's massive. And I now have the chance to look at our entire business and see how we can grow."

Though she wouldn't clue us in fully to any specific new ventures, when pushed Hill did admit a strong continuing interest in the KVR Trail and corridor.

"We still see the potential for the KVR. It's huge. We'll always support that entire corridor. It's an international destination. It could be massive."