The place sits at 6,000 feet on Hood's south side, just as as the landscape turns from forest to rock and ice. On a clear day, the picture windows from the lodge's soaring lobby frame the flat-topped mountain perfectly. I took the above photo while sipping a cup o' joe all cozied up inside. A major source of Timberline's magic comes from the surrounding natural beauty, which is classic NW. But that magic continues inside the lodge, where time has stood still for 80 years. You can almost feel the ghosts of the past.
A giant stone hexagonal fireplace rises 90 feet in the main room, whose exterior walls are also hexagonal. Couches surround it, positioned to look at the yawning fireplaces or the snowy landscape outside. Some of the biggest wooden beams you've ever seen support the place, showing just how big the trees used to be in the Cascades. Craftman touches are everywhere - my favorite are the hammered wrought iron latches and door signs and hinges and door knobs and grates and straps that are everywhere. And the paintings, mosaics, and carvings that bedeck the place are unparalleled - true relics that should be preserved under lock and key in a museum.
But I guess that's what makes this place truly remarkable - Timberline is kind of a museum anyway. Everything is original - no half-assed replicas anywhere - and you truly feel like you're stepping back in time. Its precisely that which makes this dimly lit, campfire-smelling, rock-and-wood masterpiece so special. Put this on your list - you must visit and stay the night.
Below are some photos from our trip - you can click on the pictures to see bigger versions.
We arrived in a cloud - cold and grey.
But by the next morning, it was beautiful. This is Timberline's main lobby. The snow is up to the third floor in this photo!
Totally unique architecture.
Our room, with a view of the snowy landscape and mountain.
The main lobby.
The big fireplace.
The timbers and top of the hexagonal fireplace.
AJ in one of the writing nooks.
JJ in one of the reading nooks.
AJ and JJ in the famed wine vault of Timberline. They have largest wine selection of any place in Oregon - wine list is 29 pages long!
Its the artistry in this place that makes it absolutely incredible.
Our room from the outside looking in.
Skiing while recovering from from a cold with my lady friend.
The lodge backdropped by Mt Hood.
Coming thru!!
The gray skies gave way to blue ones!
And when the day is done, the clouds return and you go into the heated outdoor pool and hot tub.
The mountain the morning we left. Stunning blue and white.
Yours truly, in his element!
