Mount Bachelor is always in view at Elk Lake. From left, Norma Barnes of Bend, Moe Bleyer of Bend, Jackie Willadsen of La Grande and Lynda Weinstock of Bend, kayak on the lake last week.

It’s midsummer, temperatures are spiking, and those of us who listened and believed when the real estate agent said we really don’t need air conditioning in Central Oregon are enjoying a cleansing sauna in the living room. It’s a dry heat, don’t you know.

This time of year, places like the Deschutes River in Bend and Prineville Reservoir are being churned to a froth by fan-owning homeowners seeking more relief than a little oscillating propeller can provide.

It’s a good time to rediscover Elk Lake.

Not only is Elk Lake wet and a few degrees cooler than the communities of Central Oregon, there’s plenty of ice cream in the restaurant. Summer visitors have long enjoyed a refreshing cone on the shores of Elk Lake, and this year is no exception.

Although it could have been.

Elk Lake Resort was closed over the winter, leaving snowmobilers nowhere to gas up (and warm up) past the seasonal gate on Cascade Lakes Highway.

But this spring, new owners re-opened the resort on the shores of Elk Lake with an aggressive renovation plan. According to Jim and Nansee Bruce, of Bend, who represent one-third of the new ownership triumvirate, the lodge was built in 1926 and needs work. They hope to build a new 8,000-square-foot lodge, complete with a conference facility, within the next couple of years. Downstairs will be the restaurant, ice cream counter, store and a sitting room with a giant fireplace. Upstairs, there will be a day spa and the conference facility, said Jim.

They’re gathering investors as you read this.

But they’re also laying the groundwork for the new construction – installing a new water system, renovating existing cabins, moving propane tanks and working on roads around the lake.

Eventually, the owners want to replace several old cabins on the property with new ones along the lines of two recently built, larger dwellings there. Meanwhile, overnight visitors have their choice of 10 cabins, most of which sleep six or more people. Cabins range from $150 to $325 per night. Spartan camping cabins rent for $45 a night.

And day-trippers can enjoy a hamburger or frozen confection inside the restaurant or out on the covered patio.

”It’s a diamond in the rough,” said Nansee of the resort on the lake that she and her family have enjoyed for years. ”It has potential. We don’t want to do anything to the character of the lake. We don’t want to commercialize it.”

Rather, they plan to keep it rustic while upgrading the facilities.

At 4,893 feet, Elk Lake covers about 390 acres. It’s 75 feet in the deepest spot. Swimmers like the beach right in front of the resort on the lake’s western shore and at the southern tip of the lake.

The resort boasts a new fleet of kayaks and canoes and also rents paddle boats. The owners plan to add sailboats to their rental line in the future. (The sailboats moored there now belong to private owners.)

Elk Lake isn’t well known for its fishing, but that’s probably because there are so many highly regarded angling lakes in the vicinity. There are brook trout and kokanee in the lake. And part-owner Dave Turner, who runs the lodge with his wife Janice, told me he sees trout rising there most every evening.

Elk Lake isn’t well known for its fishing, but that’s probably because there are so many highly regarded angling lakes in the vicinity. There are brook trout and kokanee in the lake. And part-owner Dave Turner, who runs the lodge with his wife, Janice, told me he sees trout rising there most every evening.

But it’s the water and the prospect of immersing one’s self in it that has people flocking to Elk Lake now.

”It’s the best swimming lake,” said Nansee.

As we were preparing to leave, Nansee was heading for the water.

Maybe she was stressing her point, but I think she was just trying to cool off.

If You Go

Getting there: From Bend, drive about 32 miles west on Cascade Lakes Highway (11 miles beyond Mount Bachelor). Watch for a sign on the left that leads you to the resort.

Contact: 419-4080