Pictures of the lodge's lobby floors being refinished received 65,000 views on the Wallowa Lake Lodge’s Facebook page.

WALLOWA LAKE — The treasured Wallowa Lake Lodge has been a favorite destination for nearly 100 years as a weekend getaway or an evening out to dinner.

Madeline Lau was hired as the lodge’s new manager in February 2020. Within a month she and her board of directors were flummoxed as to how to run the historic lodge during a global pandemic.

“It was tricky,” Lau said. “There was a huge feeling of uncertainty those first two months.”

Once regulations were sorted out, Lau said the board and staff decided to keep the lodge and restaurant open, but reduced the number of diners from a capacity of 84 to 42.

The pandemic didn’t slow down tourism much in Wallowa County, and the lodge was no exception. Lau said they were busier than they thought they would be.

“The Wallowas seemed safe to a lot of people so we had tons and tons of visitors and it turned out to be what felt like a normal season,” she said.

COVID-19 precautions didn’t interrupt their ability to rent rooms or serve meals, but it did prompt moving programs and meals to the lodge’s deck overlooking the expansive lawn framed by large conifers.

“We really tried, this year and last, to get outside,” Lau said. “That was a huge reason for the rebuild and expansion of the deck.”

For entertainment, lectures on Thursday nights and music on Fridays are held on the new 2,000-square-foot deck. Guests are offered al fresco cocktails, beer, wine and food. Lau recommends the lodge’s Scandinavian charcuterie board for an afternoon or evening repast.

“The new bar in our lobby has been well received and we try to feature liquor, beer and wine from Oregon or the Pacific Northwest,” Lau said.

The restaurant also sources local food like Stangel bison steak and ground beef, raised in Wallowa County, she said.

The lectures and music, as well as the new menu, draw Wallowa County residents looking for a night out. Lau said this is intentional as she, the board and staff want the lodge to be open, accessible and welcoming to the community.

“A lot of people have affection for the lodge,” Lau said. “For a business to be lasting and appreciated it has to be loved and used by the community.”

Bringing visitors and locals together at Wallowa Lake since the 1980s, Summer Fishtrap, a week-long writing workshop, was held the last two years online, but Lau said the lodge is working with the literary nonprofit based in Enterprise to bring the event back to the lodge next year.

On Saturdays, the lodge partners with the Wallowology Discovery Center in Joseph to offer nature walks that highlight cultural and ecological aspects of the area. Free yoga classes are led on the lawn on Sunday mornings, and Gail Swart entertains on the piano on Sunday evenings.

Besides the deck rebuild, Lau said the other big project this year was refinishing the lobby floors, which turned out to be a popular decision by fans of the lodge.

“We had 65,000 views of our photos on Facebook of the floors being buffed down,” Lau said. “It was our most popular social media post, ever. It proved to me capital improvements are valuable and worth investing time, energy and elbow grease.”

Lau first came to the county to work as an interpretive ranger at Wallowa Lake State Park in 2011, and the job piqued her interest in the local history and culture. A sixth-generation Oregonian from Stayton, she was traveling with her family in Europe when the decision was made to look for somewhere rural to settle down and raise her young children. She brings her love of history and culture along with her background in event planning to the lodge.

Beyond her own aspirations for the lodge, she credits the board’s support and the staff’s dedication to keeping the business running smoothly.

“We are feeling the staffing shortage like everyone else, and it takes long hours to make this place run,” Lau said, “so it makes me feel inspired and optimistic that the team believes in what we are building.”

For the full calendar of events, hours of operation and rates, visit www.wallowalake-lodge.com.