NORTHWEST ADVENTURE: MOUNT HOOD We’ve always wanted to check out the Overlook Hotel from T

NORTHWEST ADVENTURE: MOUNT HOOD

We’ve always wanted to check out the Overlook Hotel from The Shining. We knew that once we were in the pacific northwest we could hit up our favorite restaurants and check out some beautiful areas that we’d never been to before. My wife and I first stopped in Portland and gathered supplies at Food Fight, next we got vegan tarts and quiches to go from Back to Eden Vegan Bakery. Will filled up our backpacks and headed to the massive volcano formerly known as Wy'east.

First and foremost Mount Hood is awesome in the fall. It was very quiet and we only saw a handful of people all day. We were pleasantly surprised at the tranquility of Mount Hood. I’m sure we went at that time of year where the crowds are snuggling up inside.

The Overlook Hotel which goes by Timberline Lodge, had very similar  weather to the opening of The Shining. They were getting ready for the winter and all the last minute repairs were being done before the big snowstorms land. The Timberline Lodge was used for the exteriors in  The Shining, primarily the opening helicopter shot and a few exterior shots scattered throughout the film. Stanley Kubrick had the entire interior and part of the exterior built on a soundstage in England. It was quite a treat to see the location from one of my favorite films. 

Checking out cool movie locations is fun but what you always find out is how filmmakers reframe and reimagine real locations. The true gems are the areas we stumbled upon when aimlessly hiking around the Overlook Hotel. For example Mirror Lake was breathtaking and a perfect place to relax and have lunch. Little Zigzag falls was lush and beautiful and our first taste of the temperate rainforests that rest on Mount Hood. 

I highly recommend you copy this trip. I know we will be doing this again and again. After Mount Hood we head up to Washington to the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park for some backpacking. Check back in a few days for my latest post on this Northwest Adventure. And if you haven’t seen my first post click below.

Northwest Adventure Post 01: Portland