Glamping at Skamania Lodge: Nature Meets Comfort In Style

When my partner and I and our two teenagers took a Wednesday off from work to head to Skamania Lodge, we were all so excited to get away for the day. Skamania Lodge sprawls across 175 acres of woodland, now boasting treehouse cabins and luxury tents alongside its traditional lodge rooms. This expansion caters to nature lovers, adventure seekers, and families alike, offering an easy retreat to connect with the great outdoors — and with each other — without sacrificing modern amenities or ever having to pitch a tent.

A Luxurious Retreat in the Columbia Gorge

Perched alongside a forested bluff overlooking the majestic Columbia River Gorge, Skamania Lodge’s lobby, restaurants, and lawn areas provide panoramic views of the river’s steel-blue waters as they wind their way through the rocky bluffs of the Cascade Range. Native American art and other artwork steeped in natural history, including petroglyph rubbings, adorns the walls — there’s even a self-guided tour you can take of the property’s artwork if you pick up a brochure from the lobby display. 

I’m told Skamania Lodge is also beautiful in winter because while the property itself doesn’t get much snow, snow does fall on the trees and hills around it for beautiful views, and the large fireplace burning in the lobby makes it feel extra cozy. We’ll definitely have to come back for that. 

Glamping in Style: Our Tent Experience

We spent just one night — which was not enough time — in the Glacier glamping tent, and we dined at the property’s River Rock Lounge, strolled along two of the three trails on the property, and enjoyed soaking in three separate pools. The tent definitely has a luxury feel, but opens with a key card just like a regular hotel room. Our spacious cabin had two queen beds and everything else you would expect to find in a luxury hotel room — coffee bar, bright red Smeg refrigerator, a seating area, and modern bedroom furniture — enclosed with a zip-up screen that led out to the patio that looked over a wooded hillside.

A separate luxury bathroom with a soaking tub and shower, and all of the amenities that you would expect to find in a high-end hotel room, was also accessible with a key card. We didn’t take our two puggles, Marco and Polo, on this trip, but pet-friendly rooms are available.

The beds and pillows were comfortable, there were plenty of screened windows that zipped open for air flow, and comfortable seating on a couch or deck chairs on the patio. After dropping off our things down, we set out to explore the property. There are three trails to walk on, and we explored one with a trail that opened up near our tent. After strolling a little way, we came across one of the stations on the Gorge Loop Fitness Trail, where you can engage your muscles with different exercise equipment along the roughly mile-long trail. 

Exploring Skamania Lodge’s Amenities

Our two teenage boys aren’t very enthusiastic about activities most of the time anymore, but my son wanted to play golf. We’ll have to make another trip back for that, but if you plan ahead for a golf outing you can choose from The Gorge 9 walking short course, the Little Eagle 18-hole putting course, or disc golf. There’s also a zip line course and an axe throwing barn which we stumbled across. There was no room for us at the time, but we were told to go to the lodge’s adventure tent and sign up for a later axe-throwing session. We walked around on the Gorge Loop trail and then went to the lodge for a cold drink. 

 

Dining at River Rock Lounge

We wanted to sit and admire the view for a while, but were told that the staff doesn’t normally permit visitors to sit at the tables in the dining rooms without ordering food. But, you can take your drinks with you and walk anywhere on the property with them. We took our drinks and strolled along the Creek Loop Trail and then went back to our cabin to prepare for dinner.

We were hungry by then, so luckily there was no wait for a table in the River Rock Lounge and we’re served pretty quickly. I ordered a smoked beet and citrus salad from the starter menu and sweet spicy nuts tinged with bacon for the table. My partner got the mushroom skillet with Rogue smokey bleu cheese and a red-wine demi-glace. One teenager got a 10-inch pizza, which was big enough for two people to share, and the other got a burger. Everyone was happy. 

Pools and Relaxation at Skamania Lodge

After dinner we changed into our suits for some swimming. We admired the many separate and distinct pools, including soaking hot tubs in each dressing room along with a larger soaking hot tub in a natural setting outdoors. The primary indoor pool, a family-friendly pool with a depth of only 3 feet 6 inches along the entire length, was an inviting not-too-cool temperature that felt refreshing after the heat of the day.

We loved the outdoor soaking hot tub that felt very natural with nice views. There was a sauna in each of the men’s and women’s locker rooms, in addition to a soaking hot tub alongside the pool, so there were plenty of spots to feel like you could have a quiet moment. The outside hot tub is 21 and over only after 6 pm.

Evening S’mores and Storytelling

We went back to the cabin with plans on doing nothing but relaxing. We read for a while and then played two rousing games of National Park Scrabble thanks to some games that were already in the armoire in the cabin. Skamania Lodge provided robes and slippers so that we could feel extra cozy, which was nice, because we didn’t bring anything for lounging in. As night fell, we were delighted to discover that the lodge had provided us with a s’more kit and a deck of Campfire Stories, a collection of 50 cards with storytelling prompts. We gathered around the fire pit on our porch, roasting marshmallows and enjoying these treats.

 

Wildlife Encounters and Breakfast Delights

The next morning, while my partner and I were having our coffee, we watched a fuzzy-antlered young buck wander across the area just below our patio. After a leisurely morning we went to the Red Rock Lounge and enjoyed prompt, attentive service for breakfast. We got the fruit and yogurt platter, avocado toast, a traditional egg and bacon breakfast, and the bread pudding. I noticed that the brunch menu also included a pimento cheese chicken sandwich. While it wasn’t quite ready for a chicken sandwich at that point in the morning, I did ask to add pimento cheese to my avocado toast on the side and the kitchen honored that request. Afterwards, we walked around the lawn area a little bit and checked out the cool sundial, which we had missed the day before. 

Nearby Attractions: Stevenson, Washington and Multnomah Falls

We packed up and headed out with the plans of visiting Multnomah Falls for the day. A couple of years ago. Multnomah Falls instituted a timed entry system because it’s been overwhelmed with a high number of visitors. The parking lots are small and fill up quickly, especially on weekends or on nice sunny summer days. We took the easier route of booking a $5 parking spot with Sasquatch Shuttle. This meant we drove about 7 miles farther past Multnomah Falls parking lot to park in the private lot owned by Sasquatch Shuttles. We were able to hop on a shuttle that drove us about 7 minutes to the Multnomah Falls parking lot, where we were able to get off and spend as much time there as we wanted (provided we were back in time for the last shuttle of the day at 4:30 pm). 

We walked up part of the way to a bridge overlooking the falls. Those with energetic bodies can walk the mile up to the top of the falls, but we didn’t do that. While it’s only 1 mile, it is uphill all the way, and my asthma and allergies were acting up too much for me to do that kind of elevation. However, having made that trip years ago with a much younger body, I can tell you that the view is well worth the effort. After that we walked through the gift shop and informational center and then walked a quarter of a mile down an easy to moderate hiking trail that went alongside the road to Wahkeena Falls.

We checked out that falls for a few minutes and then waited in a pickup spot for the shuttle to return back. We were able to hop right on and get the ride back to our car. I highly recommend parking with Sasquatch Shuttle next time you want to try to plan a visit to this area. They also have hop on hop off trolleys that take you to the six waterfalls that are all in this fairly close-by stretch of road. 

A Quick Stop at Stevenson, Washington

After that we drove through to see what’s in the town of Stevenson, Washington. It looks like a very cute town with a nice public park with some interesting large-scale musical equipment that’s right alongside the water that would be a great spot for a picnic. There’s also a brewery and a pizza place, which every good small town needs. 

 

So what were the drawbacks to staying at Skamania Lodge? There really weren’t any with the exception that there were multiple trains that went on the tracks that were very close to where the glamping tent cabins are. I know that the lodge can’t do anything about the trains, but they were so frequent, about every 45 minutes with horns blowing. While the frequent train noise might be a concern for light sleepers, the overall experience more than makes up for this minor inconvenience, and the lodge did provide ear plugs in one of the dresser drawers. 

Our overnight trip to Skamania Lodge turned out to be a memorable blend of luxury and nature. We will definitely be back, even if it’s just to grab a drink and enjoy the views — but next time I am sure we will plan ahead more and book a time slot for the array of on-site activities. Given its proximity to natural wonders like Multnomah Falls, rafting, hiking, and snow sports, Skamania Lodge is an ideal destination for families, couples, or anyone looking to reconnect with nature without sacrificing comfort. 

Vanessa Salvia is an accomplished freelance writer and editor with extensive experience creating high-quality content for various mediums. Her work spans writing articles for newspapers and magazines, crafting SEO-optimized web content, and assisting authors in polishing their book manuscripts. To learn more about her services and portfolio, visit vanessasalvia.com.