Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake is located on a private peninsula that stretches into Bad Axe Lake, Minnesota. It is a resort-style destination with various activities and events available for guests to participate in such as volleyball, kids crafts, movie nights, fishing, campfires, as well as spending time on the beach and in the lake. The guest accommodations consist of seventeen vacation rentals, each of which is built after a north woods cabin-style fashion. The owners are Cammie and David Steffen, and their goal is to provide a family-friendly location for guests to relax and connect with family and friends during their vacation. Nearby the resort, visitors can find recreational destinations such as the Itasca State Park, and the Two Inlets State Forest. There is also the Evergreen Gifts and Fun Park, the Character Challenge Course, and the town of Park Rapids. The resort is open from Memorial Day to the third week in September each year, with their highest occupancy season being all of July heading into mid-August.
The Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake is located right on the shore of a peninsula that stretches into Bad Axe Lake in Minnesota. The property consists of just over seven acres in size, and the lake itself is just over 300. Because the lodging place is situated right on the peninsula, it is relatively private compared to the places nearby, seeing as how it is surrounded on all sides by the lake. It also has a relatively high quantity of trees that provide an extra measure of isolation, as well as an abundance of shady areas. Nearby is the small town of Park Rapids, Minnesota, as well as the Itasca State Park and the Two Inlets State Forest. The Isle O’Dreams Lodge is described by the owners, Cammie and David Steffen, as a "resort." It has seventeen vacation rentals available for guests to stay in. Each of these vacation rentals is built in a cabin style, with dark brown wood walls, large decks, and an abundance of windows. White doors and trim complement the dark wood and green metal roof. According to Cammie, the cabins themselves are all a little different in décor, but generally follow a “north woods vibes” theme. The size is perhaps the biggest differing factor when considering the vacation rentals. Among the seventeen units, they vary from two to nine-bedroom cabins. Regardless of which cabin guests stay in they are provided with the industry standard of features and amenities for vacation rentals. These include living areas—inside and out—, full-sized bathrooms with showers, and full-sized kitchens. The kitchens come fully stocked, complete with coffee pots, toaster ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, stovetops, and dishware. Additionally, they each have Weber Grills on the outside decks, views of the surrounding lake and scenery, and access to the various resort features provided to patrons of the property. The two biggest guest accommodations at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge are cabin number sixteen, the Lake Home, and cabin number seventeen, the Martin Family Reunion Complex. The former can accommodate up to ten people with its four bedrooms and a large kitchen area. The latter sits only 15 feet from Bad Axe Lake and is the largest of the units on the property with nine bedrooms, four kitchens, and four bathrooms. The remaining fifteen vacation rentals are all named after various types of birds. Starting from cabin one and going to number fifteen, they are respectively known as Grosbeak, Peacock, Oriole #3, Oriole #4, Robin, Bluebird, Canary, Wren, Heron, Bobwhite, Whippoorwill, Nightingale, Parakeet, Bluejay, and Eagle. Each of these cabins has a light wood interior with matching furniture, and the beds themselves are often adorned with quilts. Among smaller groups, it is likely that the most popular cabin is number fourteen, the Bluejay. This is because it sits directly on the Bad Axe Lake’s shore, the back deck even stretching out over the water, allowing guests to fish or play in the water right next to their accommodations. As a resort, there is an abundance of common areas and activity places guests can visit beyond their own cabin. Primary among these is the Main Lodge where guests can get ice cream, pizza, smoothies, and coffee, as well as sit in the community sauna. Additionally, in the Main Lodge, patrons of the Isle O’Dreams Lodge have access to a game room and a common meeting event space. On the property’s grounds, there is an abundance of grass areas guests can use at their leisure and several other activity places. Some of the more popular of these places include a central fire pit that is lit each evening, a heated swimming pool, and a volleyball court. However, there is also a basketball area, a putting green, a carpet ball board, and shuffleboard. Beyond all of these, however, the main attraction to the resort is perhaps Bad Axe Lake itself, hence the name Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake. As such guests can spend as much time as they would like playing on the beach or in the water itself. The property even provides kayaks, paddle boats, and paddleboards for those wishing to go out on the water. Bad Axe Lake is also stocked with various kinds of fish should people like to fish as they vacation on the lakeshore.
The current owners, and the resort hosts, of the Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake are Cammie and David Steffen. Cammie talks about how her favorite part of the job is meeting and interacting with the guests that come and stay there. She mentions that the majority of their patrons are returning customers, oftentimes coming the same week every year to the same cabin. Because of the abundance of groups that do this, when visitors complete their stay at the resort, Cammie and David will block off their same cabin for the same time next year to allow the guests who just stayed there to book a year in advance without the fear of having somebody else book it first. Cammie says that hosting the property is easier when she tries to “make guests feel happy and that they want to come back.” She also mentions that since many of their visitors are returning customers, they are generally very respectful of the property because they “want their cabin to be in a good shape when they come back next year.” Many of the reviews guests write about the resort talk about the staff and how they hope to return next year. One such review, in particular, reads, “Very relaxing and amazing scenery. The owners are absolutely amazing and friendly. Been our yearly vacation for a number of years now and will keep being part of our yearly vacation place to go to.” Because of the many features and amenities offered at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake, and because of the wide arrangement of activities guests can participate in on the property itself without leaving and going somewhere else, some might describe the resort as a destination unto itself. Cammie and her husband David talk about how they want their guests to feel like they are in a place where they can relax and enjoy spending time with their family and friends. With this goal in mind, they strive to provide the service and amenities that are typical for vacation rentals. One guest who stayed at the resort said, “We've been going here for 19 years in a row! Dave and Cammie work hard to make sure your stay is pleasant and memorable. They pay attention to keeping the place in impeccable condition. Great hosts!” Another goal of the Isle O’Dreams Lodge is to create a family-friendly environment, as families are the primary demographic at the resort. Cammie mentions that one of the primary ways they try to culture this desired atmosphere is by treating their guests as an extended family of sorts. Furthermore, she wants to help her guests in any way she can to make their stay more memorable. The resort is situated on a peninsula on the lake, perhaps making the property itself an ideal location for kids. They have full range to explore the premises of the resort without fear of leaving it or getting lost. There is also no through traffic on the property, so oftentimes kids can be seen riding their bikes and scooters around, or just running anywhere they like. Cammie talks about the fact that many families have been coming to stay at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge for a relatively long time, some of them even upwards of fifty years. Because of this, she and her husband have been able to see their kids grow up year after year, and have been able to cultivate a relationship with many of their guests. One such guest perhaps verifies this family-friendly culture when they said the resort is the “perfect place for the family. Not many places like this where it is really clean and everyone is treated like family.” As listed above the owners of the property have integrated an abundance of activities on the premises such as the volleyball court, the carpet ball court, and the beach and dock areas on the lakeshore. To further go along with this, and in an effort to make the resort a more family-friendly place, they have started hosting many different events on the property for both kids and adults to take part in. So that their guests can plan accordingly, each day as they arrive, the owners hand out the activity list and schedule for the week. Some of the events for the kids include kids' crafts activities and a movie night on a big screen with a projector and popcorn. Activities more catered towards adults consist of an instructional canvas painting class, bingo games, and trivia nights. There are also events the whole family can participate in such as minnow racing, putting contests, carpet ball and shuffleboard tournaments, volleyball games, casting contests, and karaoke night. Other activities guests can engage in at the resort include nightly campfires with provided materials for s’mores, games in the game room, playing on the beach, swimming in the heated swimming pool, and, of course, spending time on Bad Axe Lake. One family who stayed at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge said, “The owners are amazing and do awesome events for the kids and adults! We've created so many family memories here!” Beyond just staying at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge and participating in the many activities and events hosted there, guests of the resort can find an abundance of attractions nearby as well. The Evergreen Gifts and Fun Park is a theme park with go-kart racing, laser tag, mini-golfing, gift shops, and rock climbing. Another attraction visitors can go to is the Character Challenge Course, a ropes course with both high and low rope courses, as well as an obstacle course and free-fall challenges. There are statues of Paul Bunyan & Babe The Blue Ox that are a popular tourist attraction for taking pictures and viewing artifacts relating to the two historic figures. For more recreational activities, guests can visit both the Two Inlets State Forest and the Itasca State Park. The first of these attractions is known for its rather extensive snowmobiling and hiking trails in more than 26,000 acres of forest. The second is famous for being the place where the Mississippi River starts, which Cammie mentions people come from all over the world to see. It also has an abundance of hiking, fishing, historic sites, and more that guests can participate in. Close by the Isle O’Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake, visitors to the area can find the relatively small town of Park Rapids. In the town, people can participate in all manner of shopping and perusing at the local shops and stores. There are also a few dining options there that guests can eat at. Of these, Cammie and David recommend the Tutto Bene and Necce’s Italiano Ristorante, both of which are Italian restaurants with various wine options. For breakfast and lunch, they suggest Jimmy’s Family Restaurant where one can get waffles, French toast, and eggs in the mornings, along with burgers, fries, and other meals later in the afternoon. Beyond these, there is The Piggy BBQ of Walker, Hot Stuff Pizza, and The Good Life Cafe, which all serve dining options reminiscent of their names.
The current owners of the Isle O Dreams Lodge On Bad Axe Lake are David and Cammie Steffen. They have owned the lodging resort for 17 years. However, the cabins were built in the late 1920s and leading into the 1930s, making the property nearly 100 years old. And throughout these 90 odd years in business it has always served as a cabins-on-the-lake lodging place. Because of this relatively long time in the lodging industry, there have been many owners of the property prior to David and Cammie. Cammie tells how some of their patrons that have been coming to stay at the resort for decades have seen upwards of five different owners. Before David and Cammie bought the Isle O’Dreams Lodge business Cammie was in the medical transcription field and Davis worked for a window manufacturing company called Anderson Windows. However, they were drawn to the lodging industry for a couple reasons. First, they wanted to run a business by themselves and not work for anybody else. And second, they wanted a place and line of work that allowed them to raise their kids in a family atmosphere. Eventually, after three years of searching, they found the Isle O’Dreams Lodge resort in 2003 and decided it was the thing they were looking for. Since their time at the Isle O’Dreams Lodge, Cammie and David have made many changes to the property. These changes primarily consist of upgrades and other maintenance in an effort to provide their guests with the amenities and features expected as the industry standard these days. Specifically they try to redo one of their seventeen cabins every year, replacing old lumber, adding new furniture and décor, and updating the old roofs to be metal ones. With this goal of redoing a cabin every year, they have almost finished them all. However, moving into the future Cammie and David continue to plan to renovate and upgrade their property so that it can always be the resort their guests love coming to.
29137 Just A Dream Trail
Park Rapids, Minnesota
United States
Resort
David & Cammie Steffen
