MT HOOD LODGING
Vacation in Mt Hood History.
Stay in a Historic Bed & Breakfast
You can go back in time to the early days of the pioneers when travelers and tourists first began visiting The Villages of Mt Hood. Located on the Mt Hood Scenic Byway at the last leg of the Oregon Trail, this historic area offers a variety of unique lodging options—some of which originated in the days of the Oregon Trail pioneers. Lodging options range from campsites and vintage cabins to resort accommodations.
Stay in a campground, just as the earliest visitors did, or enjoy a modern day “Family Hotel” by vacationing in one of the Village’s luxurious Bed & Breakfast Inns.
Some of the earliest hotels in the area were built in the 1880s after the path through Laurel Hill was widened, allowing for increased traffic and freight wagons to travel through. Welches was a popular stop for people traveling through with the Welches Hotel and Tawney’s Mountain Home. Many private cabins began sprouting up along the Salmon River near Zig Zag and Rhododendron, some of which are still standing and available for rent.
For years, the majestic scenery attracted people to the campground in Welches where the Salmon River flows along the lush green fields. This was the home of Billy Welch and his father, Samuel Welch, who homesteaded 160 acres each here in 1882. They continued to accumulate up to 1,000 acres, all of which went to Billy after his father’s death. People traveling by wagon camped here during summer months, and over time a resort developed with the addition of a two-story hotel in 1902. Billy and his wife, Jennie Faubion, operated the resort and eventually remodeled it and added nine cottages that were rented to tourists and summer visitors.
Pictured Right: Welches Hotel, 1905 or 1906: Once a year in the early 1900's the Molalla Ford dealership would bring all new Ford owners to Welches Hotel for a weekend. Billy Welch is in the white shirt in the right side of photo.
They also had the Welches Hotel, a building with guest rooms and a dining hall. Back then a hotel was a family-operated lodge, similar to what is known today as a Bed & Breakfast. The 1890 Welches Hotel still stands as a picturesque bed and breakfast, overlooking the Salmon River and The Resort at The Mountain’s golf course, which used to be “Billy’s calf pasture.” The Resort at The Mountain offers fine lodging accommodations in a Scottish environment.
If one kept going past the Welches resort, they would come to Tawney’s Mountain Home, also a popular family hotel. In 1909, Mr. and Mrs. Francis H. Tawney took over the resort and operated it until 1945. It is said that Mrs. Tawney’s cooking brought guests back year after year. Guests would pay just $10 per week, including food, to stay at either Welches or Tawney’s.
Most original lodging places, such as the Rhododendron Inn, have been destroyed over time, largely by fire. Many campgrounds still exist, like the Tollgate Campground – the site of one of Samuel K. Barlow’s original tollgates. There is also the Green River Campground located on the Salmon River and the Camp Creek Campground, near Laurel Hill.
So, when considering the details of your vacation, such as whether or not you’d like to camp out under the stars or stay in a place with a swimming pool or a free continental breakfast, remember to look for a place with a little bit of Oregon history behind it.
Here are a few lodging choices that are sure to help make your next trip to Mt. Hood a special moment in time for everyone.
Camping In the Villages of Mt Hood
Camp Creek Campground
$16/night; 25 sites - 22 ft. max
Tent, Drinking Water, Handicapped Access
2200 ft. elev
Highway 26, 5 miles east of Rhododendron
Tollgate Campground
$16/night; 15 sites - 16 ft. max |
Tent, Drinking, Water Handicapped Access
1700 ft. elev
Highway 26, just east of Rhododendron
Green Canyon Campground
$14/night; 15 sites - 22 ft. max
Tent
1600 ft. elev
Forest Road 2618 (Salmon River Road), 5 miles south of Highway 26
For more information
or campsite reservations:
http://www.recreation.gov
Bed & Breakfast Inns In The Villages of Mt Hood
Luties Cottage at Old Welches Inn B & B
26401 E Welches Road
Welches OR 97067
503-622-3754 FAX: 503-622-5370
www.mthoodlodging.com
info@lodging-mthood.com
Old Welches Inn B & B
26401 E Welches Road
Welches OR 97067
503-622-3754
FAX: 503-622-5370
www.mthoodlodging.com
info@lodging-mthood.com
Brightwood Guest House Bed and Breakfast
64725 E Barlow Trail Rd
PO Box 189
Brightwood OR 97011
503-622-5783 or 888-503-5783
www.mounthoodbnb.com
brightwoodbnb@hotmail.com
Hidden Woods B & B
19380 E Summertime Drive
Sandy OR 97055
503-622-5754
www.thehiddenwoods.com
coni@thehiddenwoods.com
Salmon River Inn
20550 E Country Club Rd
Brightwood OR 97011
503-622-6212
FAX: 503-622-3309
www.salmonriverinn.com
bristole@verizon.net
May/june 2007