Timberline Lodge

Oregon's Timberline Lodge is more than just a famous hotel and National Historic Landmark, it's also a living museum. More than 2 million peopletravel to Timberline every year, to partake in the killer skiing the Mount Hood area has to offer and to spend time at the Lodge. But, for many, the lodge evokes fear and intensity. Why? Because, director Stanley Kurbick chose to film the exterior shots to the 1980 horror classic The Shining there. In the Stephen King book, the hotel is called the Overlook Hotel, but when Kubrick's location scouts found the Timberline, they knew they had stumbled upon something special. But, they weren't the first location scouts to discover the hotel. In the 1950s a Jimmy Stewart movie was shot there, Bend of the River, and then in 1960's Alan Ladd's All the Young Men, then a decade later, Lost Horizon. But, it wasThe Shining that really made the Timberline an nationally- and internationally-known destination. Kubrick used the hotel for aerial shots, as well as the opening scenes, when Jack Torrence is interviewed to be the caretaker of the lodge for the winter. However, the interior scenes were mostly shot at Elstree Studios in England. However, from the ominous establishing shot at the beginning of the film, you know you're in for a wild ride. What ensues is about 2 hours of intense psycho-horror that you really need to watch to understand. In fact, the Timberline asked Kubrick not to depict Room 217, which is one of the most terrifying haunted hotel rooms in horror history. The lodge feared it would make guests too uncomfortable. So, Kubrick substituted Room 237 to be used in the film, because there is no Room 237 at the Timberline. However, the hotel states that "curiously and somewhat ironically, room #217 is requested more often than any other room at Timberline."  It should be noted that controversially, Stephen King has disavowed Kubrick's version of his novel. King was actully inspired to write the ultimate "cabin fever" horror story while staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and thought the film should be shot there. In the 1990s King produced a made-for-TV miniseries of The Shining, which used the Stanley Hotel.  The Timberline Lodge is also historically significant in that it was "the largest recreational project undertaken by the Works Progress Administration in Oregon during the 1930s."  Although the lodge was built during the Great Depression, it has all the amenities you'd want for a mountain getaway. It's an incredible basecamp for your Mount Hood adventures. There are 70 guest rooms, some of which have incredibly-cozy fireplaces, and chalet-styled bunk rooms. Or if you're up for a different type of experience, there's the Silcox Hut, located at 7,000 feet high. Here you'll be provided with dinner, breakfast, and round-trip transportation to the lodge below, on either a snowcat or chairlift. The main lodge also featuresan on-site year-round heated swimming pool and spa area, wifi, a fitness room, and a jaw-droppingly gorgeous dining room. Check out the Blue Ox Bar hidden behind the lobby and the axe-in-the-door photo op. -Roadtrippers Filming location for "The Shining" (1980) - Exteriors of the Overlook Hotel. Perched 6,000 feet up on the massive south shoulder of Mt. Hood, Timberline Lodge is a classic WPA-era mountain lodge that was built completely by hand from local stone. The lodge is an masterpiece of Cascadian architecture and its long hallways of fir and cedar were made infamous by Jack Nicholson in The Shining.  Built in 1936 as a home for skiers and climbers, Timberline is today home to North America's longest ski season. In the height of winter, the ground floor of the lodge is typically fully buried in snow, with entry through a snow tunnel, or directly into the second floor. The lodge together with its cozy rooms, two resident St. Bernards (Bruno and Heidi) pub and restaurant, is a welcome relief after a full day on the slopes.  Some employees of this mountain lodge claim that the first aid room is haunted by skiers and climbers who died on Mt. Hood. As an added bonus, director Stanley Kubrick used the Timberline for exterior shots for his horror masterpiece, The Shining. More info:  Average annual snowfall: 550 inches  Base elevation: 4950 ft.  Vertical elevation: 3590 ft.  Longest Run: 3 miles  Ski Acres: 1 acre  Lifts: 6 (4 high speed quads, 1 triple, 1 double)  Trail Info: 30% beginner, 50% intermediate, 20% advanced  Nordic: Telemark skiing on downhill trails; no cross-country trails.  Ski School: Yes  Snowboarding Profile: In the winter, you’ll find the snowboard terrain park next to the Stormin’ Norman chairlift; in May it moves up-mountain to the Upper Mile Chair, where summer snowboard camps put it to good use. Timberline Lodge is an integral part of American heritage. In keeping with the spirit of our pioneer forefathers, the area’s native people, and the mountain’s bounty of wild flora and fauna, the lodge and ski area were built with the rugged spirit of individualism and yet, as a product of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, it was also born out of a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Timberline Lodge was born during the throes of the Great Depression. It was a “make work project” during a severely idled national economy. It was, and is still today, a symbol of hope and purpose, representing the notion that when government works closely with the people, it can truly serve the common good and provide solutions to some of society’s biggest problems. Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the lodge in 1937 as a “testament to the workers on the rolls of the Works Progress Administration.” Nearly 75 years later, Timberline is that, and much more. Timberline is where historic preservation, stewardship, recreation, and hospitality come together to provide an unforgettable experience.