Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations Ā»

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places Ā»
The Murderer’s Birds!
Elgin Public Museum
Tynemouth Castle.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Fresco on the ceiling of the chapel.
Cappella Sistina
View southwest from the trilobite quarry out to Cadiz Valley.
Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Government Camp Timberline Lodge
AO Edited

Timberline Lodge

You might know it as the Overlook Hotel, but the inside is not going to be familiar.

Government Camp, Oregon

Added By
Jo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Timberline Lodge   Jeff Hitchcock / CC BY-SA 2.0
Wide shot of the Timberline Lodge.   patty49er / Atlas Obscura User
  tiffm / Atlas Obscura User
  RodneyRamsey / CC BY 2.0
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkent/29...
  HikerGal65 / Atlas Obscura User
  HikerGal65 / Atlas Obscura User
  HikerGal65 / Atlas Obscura User
  HikerGal65 / Atlas Obscura User
  HikerGal65 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Timberline Lodge is perhaps the most instantly recognizable lodge hotel in the world. About 60 miles east of Portland, and perched at nearly 6,000 feet on the south side of Mount Hood, the lodge was built by the WPA's artisans at the height of the Great Depression. The WPA workers used large timbers and local stone, and also placed intricately carved decorative elements throughout the building that adds to its atmosphere.

Year-round, snow sports enthusiasts can enjoy its slopes and summit one of North America's tallest active volcanoes, but this isn't why it is so recognizable, nor would one know it as the Timberline Lodge. Most would recognize it as the Overlook Hotel, the dramatic and isolated hotel from Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining."

The actual Timberline interior, however, looks nothing like the film's interior hotel scenes. The Timberline Lodge was actually used in only a few establishing shots; all interior scenes were shot at Elstree Studios in England using a mock-up of the Timberline’s exteriors. But while the inside does not have Technicolor carpet, nor is there a labyrinth in the parking lot (both of these were filmed on sound stages in London), the lodgeĀ’'s distinct architecture still creeps out thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage up Mount Hood every year— especially when the snowcat is parked out front of the maintenance shed.

At Halloween time, Nike has been known to purchase the entire hotel to host a private, Shining-themed night of revelry. Twins are brought in to roam the hallways, and Danny can be found riding his Big Wheel through the dining room. Lodge employees aren't exempt from the theme either: the main players are dressed in appropriate costumes, and it's highly suggested to work movie quotes into natural dialogue throughout the evening.

All fun aside, the mountain itself can be a very dangerous place. In the last century, over 130 lives have been lost on Hood, including one of the nation's worst climbing disasters in 1986. In a bizarre accident, cult classic Omega Man director Boris Sagal was killed in the Timberline parking lot when he accidentally walked into the rotor blades of a helicopter, killing him instantly.

In spite of all the cinematic posturing, with the exception of the freak accident, the building itself has a thankfully bloodless history. The Lodge's construction was completed in fewer than 15 months, and not a single worker died or suffered a serious injury.

Next time you're in the area, go get your Shining fix: take a picture with the ax from the movie, try out your best Shelly Duvall impression, and pull your stir-crazy self together with help from a Spanish Coffee at Lodges Ram's Head Bar. "Your money's no good here, Mr. Torrance."

Related Tags

Film Locations Hotels Places To Stay

Know Before You Go

It's an old hotel without air conditioning. Also, you will have to drive down the mountain a bit for dining options. You can eat at the hotel, but it's pricey.

Community Contributors

Added By

canuck

Edited By

patty49er, Blindcolour, mlaursen, Vicki Arkoff...

  • patty49er
  • Blindcolour
  • mlaursen
  • Vicki Arkoff
  • bakedinthehole
  • SamM
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • tiffm
  • HikerGal65

Published

May 22, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/
Timberline Lodge
Government Camp, Oregon, 97028
United States
45.331111, -121.71

Nearby Places

Mount Hood

Government Camp, Oregon

miles away

Silent Rock

Rhododendron, Oregon

miles away

Friend Ghost Town

Dufur, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Government Camp

Government Camp

Oregon

Places 2

Nearby Places

Mount Hood

Government Camp, Oregon

miles away

Silent Rock

Rhododendron, Oregon

miles away

Friend Ghost Town

Dufur, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Government Camp

Government Camp

Oregon

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

10 Locations from Horror Films of the 1970s and 80s

List

By Jonathan Carey

11 Horror Film Sets Where You Can Revisit Your Greatest Fears

List

By Jonathan Carey

Timberline Lodge: Party at the Shining Hotel

By Sarah Brumble

Related Places

  • Oakley Court.

    Bray, England

    Oakley Court

    You can spend the night in Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle.

  • Hotel Paisano

    Marfa, Texas

    Hotel Paisano

    A little stop along the Texas highway where Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean stayed while shooting the 1955 filmĀ "Giant."

  • The Bonaventure Hotel.

    Los Angeles, California

    The Bonaventure Hotel

    The space-age building is home to one of the few remaining rotating restaurants in America, and the only one that inspired a 1980s sitcom.

  • Indiana Jones House (Bed & Breakfast)

    Antonito, Colorado

    Indiana Jones Home

    The childhood home of Henry Jones Jr. is now an adventure-themed bed and breakfast.

  • Millennium Biltmore Hotel

    Los Angeles, California

    Millennium Biltmore Hotel

    This opulent hotel has been visited by Spider-Man, Charlie's Angels, and the Ghostbusters.

  • Staircase at Hotel Vertigo

    San Francisco, California

    Hotel Vertigo

    A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

  • The De Anza Motor Lodge

    Albuquerque, New Mexico

    The De Anza Motor Lodge

    A burnt-out motel with priceless Native American artwork in the basement, redeveloped into apartments.

  • Current state of the refurbished Wentworth by the Sea

    New Castle, New Hampshire

    Wentworth by the Sea

    The once-abandoned 140-year-old hotel used in the movie "In Dreams."

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.