Visiting Timberline Lodge

A WPA building

According to timberlinelodge.com, the lodge was "Completed in 1937 in just 18 months by over 500 workers through the Works Progress Administration (WPA)". President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated it on 28 September 1937, and it opened on 4 February 1938, per the USFS. The building covers 55,000 square feet, according to the lodge, and it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

A common mix-up credits the lodge to the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC built the Timberline Trail around the mountain in the 1930s; the lodge was a WPA project. The lodge had closed by 1955, when Richard Kohnstamm took over its operation, according to its own history page.

Visiting

The USFS lists the site as "Open 24 hours/day", and the lodge is open to visit, not only to overnight guests. The lodge mentions an Art Tour on its website; whether it is free is not stated on the pages checked, so details are best confirmed on timberlinelodge.com.

Timberline is about 60 road miles from Portland, 70 to 90 minutes via I-84 and US-26 according to Travel Portland. The how to get there page covers the drive.

Parking and passes

The USFS states that "Recreation passes are not required ... in the summer; it’s free to park." From November 1 through April 30, an Oregon Sno-Park permit is required instead. In winter the drive is subject to Oregon’s chain law, with signs showing current requirements; TripCheck.com and 511 carry road conditions. The passes and permits page covers the rest of the mountain.

The Magic Mile, Silcox Hut and Palmer

The Magic Mile Sky Ride is a summer chairlift ride to 7,000 ft that needs "no skis or snowboards", according to Timberline, with views that take in Mount Jefferson on a clear day. It was closed for the season as of late September 2026. The Silcox Hut stands at the same height; it was built by the WPA at the top of the original lift, abandoned in 1962 and renovated in the early 1990s, according to the Oregon Encyclopedia. Walkers reach it on the Mountaineer Trail from the lodge.

Higher still is the Palmer snowfield. The Palmer chairlift opened in 1978 and made summer skiing possible; Timberline runs summer skiing there "from June through August" and describes it as "the only lift-accessed summer snow experience of its kind in North America". The phrase "longest ski season in North America" comes from ski media rather than from Timberline, whose own wording is "the longest winter season on Mt. Hood, typically running from mid-November through late May". The 2026 summer ski season has ended.

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining used exterior shots of Timberline Lodge, according to secondary sources. The interiors were not filmed there, and the official lodge pages checked do not mention the film. The Shining page has more.

Hikes and the climb from the lodge

The lodge is a trailhead as well as a hotel. The Pacific Crest Trail runs west to Zigzag Canyon, the Mountaineer Trail climbs to the Silcox Hut, and the Timberline Trail passes by on its loop around the mountain. The Mount Hood Wilderness begins nearby, and a free self-issued permit applies there from May 15 to October 15.

Climbers start here too. The USFS states that "Climbers Registration is in the Wy’East Day Lodge at Timberline", and the South Side route begins from the parking area around midnight. The climbing page describes it.

Which tours stop here, and for how long

Timberline Lodge is the Mount Hood stop on the GetYourGuide day trips from Portland. The time there differs by product, according to each listing:

The sixth product, the Flightseeing Tour Mount Hood, is a 1-hour airplane flight and does not stop at the lodge. The which tour page compares the day trips.

The longest stop at the lodge

Among these products, the Mt Hood & Columbia River Private tour lists the longest time at Timberline, 1.5 hours, within a 9-hour private day for one party of up to 5 people, with pickup at Portland International Airport or Hotel Lucia, according to its listing.

Frequently asked questions