Government Camp, OR

The Timberline Lodge is perhaps the most instantly recognizable lodge hotel in the world.

Perched at nearly 6000 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 sport 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 lodge’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 costume, and it’s highly suggested to work movie quotes into natural dialogue throughout the evening.