Timberline Lodge

Of all the lodgings on Mount Hood [1], one is nearly as archetypal as the mountain itself: Timberline Lodge [2] (27500 E. Timberline Rd., Government Camp, 503/622-7979 or 800/547-1406, www.timberlinelodge.com [3], $110–290). This massive log lodge, built during the Depression by craftspeople put to work by the Works Progress Administration, is one of the best examples of rustic craftsman style in the world.

Timberline gained even more fame when it was used as the setting for the 1983 film The Shining (walk by room 217, “redrum, redrum,” with a shiver of fright).

One of the many charms of Timberline is the individuality of each room, which range from bunk bed–equipped “chalet rooms,” with a bath down the hall, to large fireplace suites. No matter how humble the room, it will have the lodge’s signature hand-loomed curtains and handcrafted furniture. Guests also have access to a sauna and the year-round outdoor pool.

The lodge’s lobby is a good place to visit even if you aren’t a guest. Take a moment to admire the hand-carved newel posts, sit beside the huge lobby fireplace, or check out the historical displays. The upstairs bar is a classic place for an après-ski or posthike drink, and the dining room serves outstanding dinners.

Adventuresome groups of travelers should check out Timberline’s Silcox Hut ($125–165 pp, includes dinner and breakfast), a spacious but cozy onetime skiers’ warming hut perched up the mountain from the main lodge at 7,000 feet. The hut does have electricity, running water, and toilets, but with its stone walls and big timbers it has a sense of rusticity.

Guests reach the hut either by snowcat or the ski area’s Magic Mile chairlift, and have the option of skiing back down to the base area in the morning. The hut’s host prepares a family-style dinner (typically something like lasagna) and breakfast. A minimum of 12 people (16 on weekends and holidays) is required to rent the hut, and it is a popular spot for weddings.