Wilderness Lodge: Can Someone Explain Its Rebuilding?

[JerseyJanice]

Last time we stayed at the WL was in June 2012. Our room was brand spanking new; front desk told us we were the first guests to stay in it since the renovation.

After that trip, DVC expanded there and now part of the WL DVC is called Cooper Creek and the other part is Boulder Ridge. I searched the WL thread here and did other research, and it’s not at all clear to me what those names mean—as in which areas and buildings they represent.

Was the south wing of the main building converted to DVC units? If yes, what are they called? The other building that used to be the WL DVC Villas is called what now? Were another building(s) and pool added? Can non-DVC guests use all the DVC pools? I know that Copper Creek has lakeside cabins, but where are the CC villas? Boulder Creek is which building(s)?

Thanks in advance for helping me understand how the Wilderness Lodge was rebuild since my last stay there.

 

[dansdad]

Was the south wing of the main building converted to DVC units?

Yes.

If yes, what are they called?

Copper Creek.

The other building that used to be the WL DVC Villas is called what now?

Boulder Ridge.

Were another building(s) and pool added?

The Copper Creek Cabins were added.

Can non-DVC guests use all the DVC pools?

Yes.

I know that Copper Creek has lakeside cabins, but where are the CC villas? Boulder Creek is which building(s)?

They are in the South Wing of the main building.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Boulder Ridge is the separate villas building that was there when you stayed at WL in 2012. Nothing has changed for Boulder Ridge. It is the building you walked past on the way to the bus stop.

The south wing of the WL was converted to villas and those villas are part of Copper Creek.
They also took out the Hidden Springs pool, the one with all the trees around it and the bubbling springs in the water. I loved that pool and was sorry to see it go. They built a new pool there that is really nice. It is zero entry and they added some free cabanas.

They built 24 cabins along the shoreline that are part of Copper Creek.

The main pool was refurbished and they added a really nice splash pad for young children.

The Trout Bar is no longer the pool bar, it now is used for massages and whatever else.

They built Geyser Point Bar and Grill,which is a wonderful bar along the shore and includes a counter service restaurant.

The sandy beach is gone and now there are nice outdoor lounges along the shore.

The movie on the beach is now the movie on the artificial turf and right next to Geyser Point.

They expanded the outdoor patio outside Roaring Fork and added shade and tables.

Roaring Forks menu has been changed a lot and some of the favorites are gone.

Artist Point is now a Snow White character meal and no longer a signature restaurant. You can still get a few favorites at Territory Lounge.

The upgrades have been great and the WL is even better than it was before. The only downside is that the rooms that were refurbished in 2012 are showing their age and need to be refurbed again.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Boulder Ridge is the separate villas building that was there when you stayed at WL in 2012. Nothing has changed for Boulder Ridge. It is the building you walked past on the way to the bus stop.

The south wing of the WL was converted to villas and those villas are part of Copper Creek.
They also took out the Hidden Springs pool, the one with all the trees around it and the bubbling springs in the water. I loved that pool and was sorry to see it go. They built a new pool there that is really nice. It is zero entry and they added some free cabanas.

They built 24 cabins along the shoreline that are part of Copper Creek.

The main pool was refurbished and they added a really nice splash pad for young children.

The Trout Bar is no longer the pool bar, it now is used for massages and whatever else.

They built Geyser Point Bar and Grill,which is a wonderful bar along the shore and includes a counter service restaurant.

The sandy beach is gone and now there are nice outdoor lounges along the shore.

The movie on the beach is now the movie on the artificial turf and right next to Geyser Point.

They expanded the outdoor patio outside Roaring Fork and added shade and tables.

Roaring Forks menu has been changed a lot and some of the favorites are gone.

Artist Point is now a Snow White character meal and no longer a signature restaurant. You can still get a few favorites at Territory Lounge.

The upgrades have been great and the WL is even better than it was before. The only downside is that the rooms that were refurbished in 2012 are showing their age and need to be refurbed again.

The other change is that it can be harder to book WL now since the number of hotel rooms has been greatly reduced. So not as many discounted rooms any more.

 

[sleepydog25]

-The topiaries have changed locations. The buffalo are no longer out front of the main entrance--they've been moved to the back of the Lodge near Geyser Point. The Mickey DVC topiary is a little farther down the sidewalk between the VWL building and the main Lodge. The geese out front near the resort entry arch are gone.
- The cabins are lovely (there are 26, not 24) but to make room for them, they had to remove dozens and dozens of trees and a great deal of shrubbery. The landscaping with which they replaced all that is pretty and beginning to mature, but it's not quite the same "wilderness."
- The nature trail that started off beside Teton Rentals is gone. You can walk part of the way down a similar route that is now the sidewalk connecting those south side cabins, but once you hit the last cabin, there's a fence line that prevents you from going farther.
- The paved bike path leading to Fort Wilderness is closed, as well. The sign says closed for refurbishment; however, the common thinking is that with the looming construction associated with the new resort, Reflections, the bike path will be closed for at least 2-3 years.

WL is still a lovely resort and, in fact, our home resort. We love it there despite some of the changes we dislike. For us, it's not a better resort for the changes, just a different one.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

We are looking at renting points for our next trip and the WL is a strong possibility. Having stayed there a couple times, I was trying to understand where we’d wind up versus how I knew the resort from our previous stays.