Skip to main content
Now, more than ever, cabin life is calling.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a long history with these humble abodes. Between 1925 and 1952, craftsman and German immigrant Henry Steiner became known for constructing log homes with materials he found on site, resulting in approximately 100 buildings mostly on Mount Hood that look as if they sprang to life from the pages of a Brothers Grimm tale. U.S. Forest Service employees in the early to mid-20th century lived in remote guard stations all across the state, which ambitious campers can now rent. And there are even a few cottages still standing that were inhabited by pioneers who arrived in Oregon by wagon train.
The cabin is a structure that’s come to symbolize values like individualism, freedom and resourcefulness, fueling modern-day romanticism about frugal cottage living. And the past several years, which were defined by pandemic crowd aversion and rising crime in the city, have only heightened yearning for a remote escape.
But let’s face it, most people want some amenities even when they’re trying to unplug. And, at least for me, the ideal cabin is surrounded by pine-covered ridges and feels completely isolated, but it’s also situated just a five-minute walk away from a joint serving legit pizza and beer. I am happy to report that such a place exists and lies only about an hour away from Portland.
Out in the backwoods of Carson, Wash., Backwoods Brewing began offering overnight stays in a collection of eight well-appointed cabins just up the road from its flagship pub in August. While they would make for an obvious ideal summer retreat, the one-bedroom lodgings could also serve as a delightfully cozy home base for hiking, snowshoeing, or just hunkering down when the Columbia River Gorge adds its winter layer of white.
Furnished with a couch-pullout mattress combo, a kitchen stocked with everything from high-carbon stainless steel chefs knives to a coffee maker, a king-sized bed, and an indoor fireplace, you certainly won’t be roughing it. But guests also won’t hear any vehicle traffic while relaxing on their front porch rockers, or interact with any other humans unless they want to challenge a fellow guest to a round of cornhole on the communal lawn or make the jaunt down to the brewpub for dinner. You should since it boasts both an igloo-shaped outdoor pizza oven and a smoker fashioned out of a 500-gallon propane tank. (Combine the best of both worlds by ordering Smokey the Pizza, a pie loaded with so much smoked linguiça, bacon and mozzarella, the slice begins to buckle from the weight of it all when picked up.) And you can decide whether you want to power up the Roku or eschew screen time during your stay and play one of the provided no-tech games instead.
The cabins are only phase one of Backwoods’ beer campus, dubbed “Party Acres.” The company is in the process of adding outdoor fire pits, a disc golf course should be ready for play next spring, and the same business that installed Skamania Lodge’s zipline will eventually add a similar aerial attraction to the property. At some point, co-founder Debbie Waters says the restaurant and brewery will even be uprooted and moved about a quarter mile to the 20-acre site, just down the hill from the cabins.
The project sounds ambitious, especially when you consider the fact that Backwoods operates a pub in Portland’s Pearl District and in November, opened a third in Hillsboro. However, Waters and her husband Jim aren’t new to the hospitality industry. The two purchased what is now named Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins (they brought the luxury to the facility by renovating and adding features like jetted tubs and gas fireplaces), running it for years before the work of raising 10 kids (four biological, six adopted) prompted them to sell. But Debbie Waters never lost her passion for making guests feel at home. In fact, she admits she’s always thinking of new places that could host an overnight experience—most recently, that was a vacant area in the Hillsboro location (though nothing is in motion for that at this point).
“I think it’s the hygge. I feel like it’s almost in my blood that I want people to experience warmth and comfort,” Waters explains. “I love the thought that people can come to the Gorge, where my husband and I are both from. We get to share this piece of the world with people.”
GO: Backwoods Brewing Cabins, 1361 Wind River Highway, Carson, Wash., 509-637-0710, backwoodscabins.com. Backwoods Brewing, 1162 Wind River Highway, 509-427-3412, backwoodsbrewingcompany.com. 11:30 am-8 pm Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 11:30 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday.
While You’re There
Falls Creek Falls
Length: 3.4 miles when road isn’t gated,
7.4 miles when barrier is in place
This 335-foot, three-tier waterfall is stunning in spring, summer and autumn, but come winter the Gifford Pinchot National Forest attraction is truly jaw-dropping. Gone is almost any trace of green from the foliage framing the cascades and moss carpeting the walls of the amphitheater. Snow will look like it has been piped onto every branch and boulder like a baker tops a cookie with icing. Thick, icy stalactites cling to the bowl surrounding the lowest drop, creating a chandelier of sorts that makes it difficult to determine where the liquid ends and the solid begins.
From December through March, National Forest Road 3062 to the parking lot is gated, adding 4 miles total to the round-trip trek, which admittedly feels longer than it actually is if you’re slogging through snow. However, this deters most people from visiting, so you should have views of that crystal grotto all to yourself.
From the cabins: Head north on Wind River Highway for 13 miles. Turn right onto Meadow Creek Road/National Forest Road 30 and continue 0.8 miles. From December through March, you’ll need to park near the gate at National Forest Road 3062. During the rest of the year, you can turn right and proceed 2 miles to the parking lot and trailhead.
Panther Creek Falls
Length: About 1 mile
This is a less strenuous route leading to a waterfall that’s just as spectacular. The trail to get to Panther Creek Falls immediately descends from National Forest Road 65 across from the quarry parking area. It’s steep, but the whole trip is only about 1 mile long. You’ll quickly reach the upper viewing platform for your first look at water cascading 130 feet down a basalt rock face covered in mosses at least a half a dozen different shades of green. Head back up to the fork in the trail you passed earlier to curve around toward the base of that gorgeous veil, which includes a more powerful stream plunging into a pool that wasn’t visible from above.
From the cabins: Head north on Wind River Highway for 4.6 miles. Turn right onto Old State Road. Continue for 0.1 miles, then make a left onto National Forest Road 65/Panther Creek Road. The parking lot will be to the right after 7.3 miles.
Crosscut Espresso & Deli
1252 Wind River Highway, Carson, Wash.,
509-427-4407. 6 am-4:30 pm daily.
Backwoods has got you covered for dinner, but fuel up for a day of waterfall chasing at this cafe, which sits just across the street from the brewery and the town’s post office. During my Saturday late-morning visit, it seemed like most everyone who lives in Carson was either idling in the drive-thru or sipping coffee inside while shooting the breeze with neighbors and checking out headlines in The Skamania Observer.
Crosscut has a small but varied lineup of breakfast dishes, including a burrito and sweet cream biscuits and gravy. But while in timber country, go for the Lumberjack, an everything bagel sandwich layered in savory delights: a scrambled egg patty, two slices of cheese (cheddar and pepper jack), a slab of ham, strips of bacon, and a dollop of creamy gravy in the bagel hole. Mine was so filling, it doubled as breakfast and lunch.
Oregon Winter is Willamette Week’s annual winter activity magazine. It is free and can be found all over Portland beginning Wednesday, December 6, 2023. Find your free copy at one of the locations noted here, before they all get picked up!