SUTTLE LAKE — The resort at the east end of Suttle Lake, 14 miles northwest of Sisters, has seen a lot of changes since it was first built in 1925, but perhaps none so profound as the new construction of the past few years.

Until Ronda Sneva and a partnership team purchased the resort property in 1999 and turned it into the upscale Lodge at Suttle Lake, it had stood undeveloped for a full quarter-century. It really hadn’t seen a heyday since the 1930s.

Sneva, who previously co-founded an Arizona-based business known as Port-a-Pit Catering, providing meals to forest fire crews throughout the West, is now the sole owner of the resort. But the man in charge on a daily basis is general manager Jason Schnoor, 30.

“The first lodge was built at Suttle Lake in 1925,” Schnoor said. “Fire destroyed it in 1929. Another lodge was built two years later, but fire again swept through in 1939. In the early 1940s, a third lodge was well under way with hotel and dining facilities, but the two owners were drafted into World War II and wartime gas rationing doomed the resort to decline.

“It just kind of sat there until 1974, when a remodel sparked new hope … but once again, a fire broke out, seven days before the grand opening. And nothing much more was done with it until Ronda purchased the property.”

Four luxury cabins were completed in July 2004. A grand lodge opened in June 2005. The reconstructed Boathouse Restaurant opened in March 2007. Construction is continuing, with six new deluxe cabins scheduled for the summer of 2009. Meanwhile, trout fishing is as good as it’s ever been, and the Lodge at Suttle Lake quickly has become recognized as a year-round base for recreation lovers: skiers and snowmobilers in winter; hikers, bikers and boaters in summer.

A spectacular lodge

Photographer Calisa Pearson and I spent a recent weekend at the Lodge at Suttle Lake during the mid-April “shoulder season.” Our timing was not the best: Snowpacks still blocked the 3½-mile round-the-lake trail on the lake’s sun-deprived south side, and a frigid snow stung my cheeks when we took a rowboat out of the marina for a brief excursion.

One week later, when we returned to take more photos, the sun shone brightly and at least a dozen privately owned motor vessels were patrolling the waters just offshore for kokanee and German brown trout.

But the lodge itself, and our private suite, were in midseason form. Much like a Craftsman-style, national park lodge, the Lodge at Suttle Lake has at its heart a sprawling “great room” with a large central fireplace, a wine bar, picture windows that look across a broad lawn to the lake waters, and spectacular wood sculptures throughout by Sisters artist J. Chester (Skip) Armstrong.

Armstrong’s most substantial work may be the front doors of the lodge, which recall to the work of 15th-century Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. Instead of Roman Catholic history, however, Armstrong brings American Indian myth to life with a life-size eagle dancer frozen in a place of great natural beauty.

Within the lodge are 11 guest rooms of three styles. (Prices range from $140 to $195 until mid-May, $225 to $300 from then until October.) We were perfectly satisfied with a standard suite, which featured a small gas fireplace and forest views. One step up would have provided a Jacuzzi bath and a lake view. Neither pets nor children younger than 15 are welcome in the lodge, which focuses on an adult lodging experience. And Schnoor has promised a 20 percent discount to any guests who book a summer vacation here before May 15.

A short walk from the lodge are a variety of other accommodation options. Each luxury cabin — three of them lakeside, a fourth beside Lake Creek, which flows from Suttle Lake through Camp Sherman to the Metolius River — sleeps four with a bedroom and an upstairs loft. They have full kitchens and stone fireplaces, and are priced $250 in the off-season, $350 in summer. Six rustic cabins ($99 winter, $130 summer) have basic amenities, but they lack kitchens, private bathrooms or, indeed, running water.

Particularly intriguing are three historic cabins, priced from $175 to $425 per night until mid-May, $250 to $575 thereafter. There’s a former Forest Service guard station beside the one-lane bridge that leads into the resort, and the 1920s Falls Cabin tucked away beside Lake Creek. (Both of these, as well as the rustic cabins, are pet-friendly.) Grandest of all is The Pointe, which has survived every fire at Suttle Lake since it was constructed in 1925. Located where Lake Creek flows out of Suttle Lake, it’s been newly renovated; with two private decks, two private baths and a full kitchen, it can sleep up to eight people.

Lakeside recreation

Geologists say Suttle Lake was formed by glacial activity about 25,000 years ago. When the glaciers melted at the end of the last Ice Age, they left this lovely blue lake, about 1½ miles long and as much as 75 feet deep.

That was the time, about 10,000 years ago, that it was discovered by Americans Indians, who came here to fish and gather berries and other food. Thanks to ash deposits from periodic volcanic eruptions, many ancient artifacts have been preserved and discovered here, including grinding stones and weapon points.

To the best of our ability in the prevailing weather conditions, Calisa and I endeavored to explore the lake from both land and water. Although the Suttle Lake Marina — featuring a Hobie cat sailboat, kayaks and canoes — won’t open until Memorial Day weekend, we borrowed a creaky (but we hoped not leaky) rowboat and donned life preservers for a brief lake excursion.

The wind whipped small whitecaps across the prow of the boat as I fitted stems into oarlocks and began to row from a slip in front of the Boathouse Restaurant, around a buoy and into the lake. It was hard work, made even more difficult when a spring flurry suddenly materialized and I wished I were wearing gloves. My friend, meanwhile, snapped photographs and wielded a verbal whip that shortly drove us back to the marina.

One recreational opportunity having fizzled, we decided to undertake the 3½-mile hike around Suttle Lake. “It’s as easy as falling off a log,” we were assured before we left the lodge. And it didn’t take long for Calisa to demonstrate the truth of that statement. About a mile up the snow-free north shore of the lake, beneath U.S. Highway 20 as it climbs toward Santiam Pass, she playfully clambered out upon a log downed by a recent forest blaze — and promptly slipped off, landing in icy-cold, waist-deep water.

What we needed was a spa treatment. Fortunately, there’s opportunity for that at Suttle Lake, as well. After warming up, we checked in at the Kokanee Springs Cabin, where we both had 60-minute full-body massages, and Calisa also opted for a facial. We slept well that night.

A week later, with the sun out and the wind having reduced its impact to that of a light breeze, fishermen were out in force on Suttle Lake. Spring mornings, Schnoor told me, are best for kokanee, a native fish (sometimes referred to as “land-locked salmon”) that thrives in these waters. Periwinkles and caddis larvae are the most frequently used baits, but some anglers swear by combining a nightcrawler with red eggs on the ends of their lines.

Toward dusk, German brown trout are more likely to hit, and these native fish are often in the 3- to 5-pound range. Successful fishermen, Schnoor said, may troll with flashers, lures and Rapalas, at increasingly greater depth as the summer progresses. But he said white corn and cheese are also popular lures. Suttle Lake also has its share of brook trout and native whitefish.

Next week: Olympic National Park

Visiting Suttle Lake

• Gas, 72 miles (round-trip from Bend) @ $3.50/gallon $10.08

• Lodging (2 nights, breakfast included), Lodge at Suttle Lake $299.60*

• Two dinners for two $163.00

• Two lunches for two $69.00

TOTAL $541.68

Price includes 7% lodging tax

• The Lodge at Suttle Lake. 13300 U.S. Highway 20, Sisters. 541-595-2628, www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com.

The restaurant at The Lodge at Suttle Lake is not just a dining room for resort guests. Open year-round, it is a wonderful fine-dining establishment with gourmet meals that range from almond-crusted trout and pan-seared duck breast to beef tenderloin and vegetarian pastas. A critic might be inclined to score it in the “A” category.

Opened in 1929 and originally operated as a marina and tackle shop, the Boathouse also incorporated a sheltered slip where the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office could protect a high-powered boat from inclement weather.

Fully remodeled and reopened in March of last year, the Boathouse today couples its fine food with excellent service and Friday-night jazz by such performers as singer Lori Fletcher and saxophonist nonpareil Jody Henderson. It also has a full-service bar with an extensive international wine list.

In summer, a broad deck sits beside the marina, where kayaks and motorboats can be seen coming and going throughout the daylight hours.

— John Gottberg Anderson