Ghost Lake Lodge is a historic resort on a virtually private lake surrounded by the Chequamegon National Forest. Offering vintage cabins along the lake and more modern accommodations in the Lodge. Fish, hunt, canoe, kayak, bike, hike, play tennis, or swim in the pool. Additional amenities include wireless DSL, pool table, foose ball, darts, and a full bar available in the Lodge. Experience the peacefulness of the past...today!
Very hospitable and attentive lodge keepers and owners. Caroline was very attentive to any questions we had and her husband Tracy keeps everything well maintained and also makes a classic WI Brandy old fashion! We rented the new pontoon boat which was VERY easy to use even for novice boaters and worked perfectly for our fishing and family relaxation needs. Glorious lake for fishing, but we did hire highly recommend local fishing guide John Maier at True North Guides. Four first time Muskie catches for our family of 8. Privacy and quiet with lodge steps away, which was also very quiet. Dogs welcome for those who have canine family:)
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Experiencing "COVID-19 fatigue", we decided on an out of town trip and had the best time at Ghost Lake Lodge.Hubby caught a huge 30-inch walleye and we caught sight of a large snapping turtle we called Old Snappy Turtle. We love the place. Carolyn and Tracy were superb and provided great service, making us feel welcome and comfortable during our stay. Cabin amenities are perfect...we look forward to our next visit :)
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Date of stay: June 2020
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Our family of five had the best time at ghost lake lodge! Carolyn and Tracy were so kind, warm and welcoming. The place is nestled in a national forest. Its just what we needed during these uncertain times. Our kids enjoyed being kids. They did a lot of fishing, swimming, and hiking. The lodge itself is really neat. They have a bar, pizzas, game room for the kids. If you need a break check this place out. It’s truly a hidden gem!
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Date of stay: June 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"Intentionally Quiet" promises the welcome sign at Ghost Lake Lodge. It's not fancy, but it's in a beautiful part of Wisconsin on the edge of a national forest. This is one of 2 lodges on the whole lake---the rest is surrounded by forest. The cabins are rustic--constructed of logs with huge stone wood-burning fireplaces. The furniture is sturdy and comfortable, but the floors might slant. There's a beautiful bar and good pizza and limited Italian food. The restaurant is no longer open to the public. The fishing is good, and the owners are friendly. The loons are out at night. Hiking and biking trails and good Wisconsin beer is nearby. What more could you want.
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Wonderful, quiet, and relaxing. Ghost Lake and Ghost Lake Lodge is one of those few remaining pieces of northern Wisconsin not yet crowded with speedboats and or ringed with McMansions. While not fancy, the lodge offers clean, antique log cabins (all built in the 1930's), each located just a few yards from the shoreline. The lake is very private, very wooded, and hasn't changed a bit in 60 years. At times, you find yourself the only boat on the lake: listening to the loons or catching site of an elk or bald eagle. If you are looking for an old northwoods cabin experience, something akin to a Terry Redlin painting, this is the place.
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Our welcoming was friendly and things went smoothly for checking in, but my spouse & I had our concerns just from the look of things – “run down - beyond used up”... Our concerns were beyond true. Having old cabins is one thing maintaining them & keeping them clean is another, cabin #5 was a dump. Clump of hair in tub, bug parts in kitchen ware, soiled smelly linens- so glad we brought some extra pillows - excessive gas smell from fireplace pilot or stove (both) major concern. You wouldn't walk barefoot in this place and as an extra bonus we slept fully sprayed up with mosquito spray because of so many leaks allowing the pest in. We cut our stay short because we just couldn't take it anymore - within the five days of staying there we saw one party of folk’s use the in ground pool, my daughter wouldn't because of all the debris in it. Trying to get something out of our stay at Ghost we played tennis, luckily we brought our own racquets & balls. The kids and I played foosball + billiards, while my spouse touched base using Wi-Fi inside lodge. The rate charged for this dump just made me sick, while in Hayward, WI we stopped at the visitor center and obtain multiple brochures with clean renovated cabins for a considerable lower rate for week rental. Checking out one day early also left me with further frustration - its 9:30am and I woke some strange women inside living quarters within the lodge she placed a phone call in order to get ahold of the owner staying on the grounds but in different dwelling, while on the phone with him I simply stated we wanted to check out. He didn't bother to ask why we were departing early - instead he proceeded to write up a bill at the wrong rate, at this time I stop him and voice my frustration. He then remembers our agreed upon price and proceeds to charge me that rate even though we are leaving a day early. I then told him we were deeply disappointed & just wanted to pay and be ridding of this bad experience.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GhostLakeLodge, Owner at Ghost Lake Lodge
Responded Jul 13, 2013
I was surprised at this review. We strive to provide clean cabins, and our laundry is sent out and done professionally. We are located in an old growth hemlock grove, so the pool does get debris in it, however it is cleaned daily. This guest did not express any of his concerns to management during the stay and so we were not made aware of any of the stated issues or given a chance to rectify them. The mosquitoes were the worst they have been in 30 years, we do fog to try and keep them down some, but there is only so much we can do against mother nature. I did inquire as to the reason for the early departure, however Bryan declined to answer and just stated he wanted to pay and leave. The Lodge opens at 10 am, his checkout a day early and before opening of business hours was also unusual. We work hard to ensure an enjoyable stay for all and will do anything we can to make sure that occurs.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My husband and I spent a few days at the lodge over the 4th of July. The entire property is absolutely gorgeous, so close to the lake! The fishing was amazing and so, so very quiet. The lake is completely surrounded by trees, as are the cabins: as such, the amazing and ancient trees offer the perfect cover for mosquitoes. We knew they would be bad so spent much of our time on the lake.
The cabins are true northern Wisconsin and a little rough but if you are on the lake (or at the pool/tennis courts/having cocktails at the lodge) you don't mind too much. I agree with other reviewers that it seemed to me that all the cabins could use some work and the landscape could be updated but we enjoyed ourselves.
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Date of stay: July 2014
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GhostLakeLodge, Owner at Ghost Lake Lodge
Responded Jul 9, 2014
Our cabins are continually being upgraded and they are priced accordingly as to their condition. They happened to stay in our most rustic cabin, which is why it is also the least expensive, although to some of our guests that have stayed in many cabins it is also their favorite.
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We stayed in Cabin 0 for a few days in August 2011. The cabin was remarkably clean and very cozy. We had a bit of trouble with the motor on our boat at the dock, when we told them about it they fixed it immediately. Our welcome there was very friendly even though we arrived late. We felt very welcomed and had a wonderful, restful time. Enjoyed boating around the lake, grilling, and sitting by the bonfire. Spent most of our time rowing around the lake, chasing a bald eagle to take pictures of it. Highly recommend this place for a quiet, restful vacation.
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Date of stay: August 2011
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Cabin 0 is very private and very close to the lake.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just got back from a 4 night stay here and it was wonderful. We love privacy and quiet and that is exactly what we got. When your on the lake you do feel like the only people in the world and the lake itself is beautiful. The pool was clean and the kids loved it and our dog loved the forest with all the trees to roam through. I would give it a 5 star except the upkeep was a little on the unattended side. Nothing was mowed and our screened in porch had quite a few holes in it. I can only speak for cabin #10 but it was nice, just not as spacious as they make it sound and the upkeep on it was OK. We would stay here again because we had such a good up north family experience, but for the cost I think we will try somewhere new next summer.
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Date of stay: August 2015Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GhostLakeLodge, Owner at Ghost Lake Lodge
Responded Aug 14, 2015
Thank you for the review and we are glad you enjoyed your stay. We are constantly maintaining the cabins and the grounds, but it has been a busy summer and so have some catching up to do.
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We have been to Ghost Lake Lodge several times in the past but it has been 4 years since our last trip. GLL has made some obvious improvements throughout the property.
We stayed in cabin 7 in late July- early August. The cabin was just perfect. It has been redone in a charming fishing cabin style incorporating the old bones and nostalgia with updates that were needed but didn't take away any of the charm. The huge windows in the living room looked out almost on top of the water. The view is breathtaking. The fireplace was a perfect complement to the sunrise/sunset spilling into the room. The bathroom was a nice size with a warm, large shower. The kitchen is so tastefully done keeping the old feel of the cabin but with nice, clean and new appliances. I expected a mess of old, ugly dishes and was so pleasantly surprised with a cupboard full of a variety of hand thrown pottery. What a delight to drink coffee from one of those mugs every day. We have stayed in cabins 0, 1 and 2 in the past and I always loved 0 and 1. After staying in 7, we will definitely request this one in the future.
GLL has so much to do without spoiling the quiet, private atmosphere. My kids loved the clean, heated pool. We enjoyed tennis and the kids loved the "clubhouse" AKA game room out by the tennis courts. There are snowmobile trails that I used for some nice running with the dog. We spent a lot of time fishing without much luck (that said, we NEVER have much luck so that is more of our personal problem then the lake). My kids swam to the swimming platform and also got a lot of use out of the kayaks and canoes. Nathan, the owner, is so accommodating for all of our needs and he has a very friendly staff behind him. He puts a lot into GLL and it is apparent in all of the details. The lodge was much more social then it has been in our past trips. The kids found others to play with and there was always someone behind the bar for friendly story telling and to make you a drink. The nights seem to attract people in the main lodge area but it wasn't intrusive to those who chose to enjoy their personal fire pits in private. The Wi-Fi at the lodge works great and I can even pick it up most of the time from our cabin.
Hayward is such a cute town with everything you need. We loved Rookery's restaurant for some foodie type cuisine and Angry Minnow is a beautiful restaurant with delicious micro-brewed beer.
We have never had a bad trip to GLL but this one was the best because of the cabin and the improvements put into the resort. Our kids are 5 ad 9 and were perfect ages. We just bring some good walkie talkies and let them explore while we unwind with a book, puzzle, game or {ahem} nap :) This is the perfect family retreat to unwind and enjoy each other and nature.
The only thing I wished GLL had was more of a menu so that we can enjoy a lazy night on property without cooking. The only item they offer is frozen pizza which can be fine for a night but nothing special. The mosquitos were annoying but did seem to a lot worse when we wandered away from the property so I wonder if they spray some.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:0 is adorable for a small cabin and the location is very private. 1 has a nice porch and dock. ...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the inquiry. No, there was never a fly fishing school here, that was at Boulder Lodge, however, I do know some local fly fishing guides and could set something up.
Thank you for the inquiry. No, there was never a fly fishing school here, that was at Boulder Lodge, however, I do know some local fly fishing guides and could set something up.
"0 is adorable for a small cabin and the location is very private. 1 has a nice porch and dock. 7 is perfect for a family of 4 and you can't get any closer to the water without a swimming suit."
There are more places to choose from in the Hayward area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
ghost lake hotel hayward
LOCATION
United StatesWisconsinHayward
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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