Half Moon Lake Lodge

"Where to begin. Our family stayed here for 3 nights recently. Upon arrival at 8pm, we were told at the front that it is a cabin and they do all they can to seal the cabins up but it is a cabin so don’t be surprised by mice dropping. We own a cabin in the mountains and we thought we understood how that can be but we were greeted by a cabin full of mice droppings, on the floors, in the bedsheets, it appeared no one had been in the cabin in some time. As it was later in the evening with two small children there wasn’t much to do but shake out the sheets and deal with it. After shaking out the sheets we also happened to spot a black widow on the pillow. I have a new appreciation for the term rustic. The front door did not shut/seal properly, $10 in weather stripping materials would go a long way in sealing the cabin against pests. Again, we like to think of ourselves as mountain people used to the rustic experience but for $250 a night you’d like to not find mice droppings in the bed. The next morning they offered to change the sheets and put some traps out. The following two nights we caught 5 mice in about the first two hours before placing the traps outside the rest of the night so as to not have to listen to the mice in the traps. The breakfasts were outstanding outside of the last day when the lodge only had one man manning the whole operation of kitchen/waiting/dealing with check outs for all the guests of all the cabins coming down for breakfast. The owners are very hospitable but the entire place appears to only have about 3 employees for the whole operation. Cocktails on the deck are amazing .I know folks say it’s hard to hire help but this place really needs to find a way to pay about 2-3 more full time employees and a dedicated housekeeper."

"I had dinner with my family at the Half Moon Lake Lodge on Tuesday evening, August 15, 2023. We arrived on time for our reservation (scheduled two weeks in advance), there were no other patrons in the restaurant at the time and only three in the bar - had to go into the bar and ask the bartender to get someone to seat us. Our group of seven ordered four beers, one cocktail and one glass of wine - took forever to get the first round. Asked for a second round and the bartender was too busy talking to her three friends seated at the bar to fill our order - finally had to go into the bar and confront her on her lousy service and she got, shall we say, defensive when I could see that she was talking rather than pouring. Meal finally came out and the food was cold, steaks were overcooked, and the lamb chops looked like shoe leather. I have dined at the Half Moon Lake Lodge many times in the past when the establishment was owned by Jack McMurry - the service was exceptional, and the food was outstanding but no longer. Don't waste your time and money on the Half Moon Lake Lodge today - it's not worth the agony. Go to the Stockman's in Pinedale, you will be greeted promptly, treated with respect and have an absolutely wonderful dining experience. I wouldn't take my dog back to the Half Moon Lake Lodge for kibble..."

"It has become a family tradition after backpacking in the nearby mountains to stop here on our drive home and grab a nice meal. We did so again this summer (3rd year in a row). The setting is spectacular and the food is great. I really enjoyed my french dip sandwich this year. The bun was perfect. My kids loved their burgers and the littlest loved the chicken strips. I don't leave a lot of online reviews but I wanted to for this place 'cause it was just so nice and pleasant and I appreciate how hard it is to run a business like this these days. They are very friendly even though they are short staffed and a bunch of groups (we were 7 total) showed up at the same time--all likely as starving as we were. I was impressed at how fast the food came out and the quality of the food given the rush we were apart of. Since no one can be perfect and constructive criticism is helpful most of the time, I'll say the fries are average, they didn't have enough umbrellas for all tables on the deck but we actually loved eating inside right by the window in the pleasantly cool dining room with an amazing view of the lake and factoring in the location (remote and amazing setting) quality of the food and inflation, the price was a bit high but I'll keep going back regardless of these points. Bathrooms were pristine. We love this tradition and hope the current owners and management are able to continue offering great food for years to come."

"Great place. Family owned; Christine was very helpful and treated us like family. The drink menu is off the hook amazing! And the food was top shelf. A quintessential family run cabin experience with great good and drinks."

"I had the best overall experience here. The Staff was very respectful and accommodating. The food was excellent, and the views were breathtaking. The owners are very humble down to earth people who truly are passionate about what they do and catering to your needs. Can’t wait to come back! Jake -"