Anderson Lodge

My wife and I got married at Hilltop House. Everything about the physical location was great– beautiful views, clean, quiet. Basically perfect. Everyone we worked with from the owner to women who did dishes for us was so kind and helpful and our guests had a great time!

My husband and I had our wedding at the Main Lodge in June. We had a mid-​week wedding so it was more affordable to rent the lodge for three nights and have an extended wedding experience.
The lodge was exactly what we were looking for. We wanted a place that was in nature, rustic but well done, authentic, and that had a place for our friends to sleep. We couldn’t have been more satisfied. It was perfect.
Arvid and Vikki were both great. They were always willing to accomodate us whenever possible. They are down to earth, and the perfect balance of involved/​available and laid-​back.
I didn’t want to leave. We were so happy.

My husband and I got married here at the Hilltop House. We loved that even though it was farther away, we didn’t have to worry about being rushed for time, and we could offer our guests a place to stay or camp. We also loved that the place gave us the freedom to do a lot of things on our own, including flowers, décor, and bartending. For the price of 8 hours in town with everyone paying for hotels, this was a way better deal, and very much more «us». The catering service they recommend is superb (we got MANY compliments on the food), and the location is beautiful.

Spent a weekend camping at Hilltop House — across the road and up a hill from and run by Anderson Lodge — for a wedding. It was an incredible experience. We had the entire hilltop to ourselves which had an intimate, yet large, complex of buildings. At least one of the buildings is old but they’ve all been built to look the same — the classic red barn look. There’s a dance hall/​party room with an outdoor patio/​BBQ area next to bunk house with a commercial kitchen, and lounges and restrooms with showers on both floors. Outside the kitchen of the bunk house building is a very large patio, with a low rock wall around it, and an amazing view. This is where we ate our lunches and dinners on black metal patio furniture which I assume comes with the house but I don’t know for sure.
There are lots of gardens and paths and areas with picnic benches, volleyball courts, basketball courts and much more to discover. Three or four cabins are a short distance away from the game room, the outdoor pavillion type area for wedding ceremonies on the lawn, and the big main building which features several couches in front of a double fireplace and a grand piano. There are also restrooms, a kitchen and at least six large round tables with chairs. This building has a wrap-​around deck with tables and chairs and an unbelievable view down across a valley to mountains and trees on the other side. Beautiful at sunset! There’s also a firepit with amphitheater type seating and a small stage.
We camped on the lawns near the parking area — in a hundred+ year old apple orchard. There was a sweet little gazebo and an outdoor «café» building out here as well. Really, there was never a dull moment and yet it was so relaxing and peaceful. Absolutely quiet except of the sounds of your party. I don’t remember hearing airplanes or trucks, even. The kitchens were clean and nicely organized and there is plenty of signage to tell you where to find things and what condition to leave things in. I think it’s an ideal location for a large party, reunion, wedding, etc. and would organize one here in a heartbeat.

We held our daughter’s wedding here. A spacious, rustic facility with all of the necessary comforts. The lodge is well-​appointed, clean & excellently maintained. The owner, Arvid, is a congenial person who is a pleasure to work with.
Need a caterer? Consider Bubb’s Hawaiian Barbeque in Vancouver, WA.

My husband and I got married at Anderson Lodge over the weekend, and it was amazing. I can’t say enough about this beautiful place.
When we first visited Arvid and Vicki’s incredible property last year we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. They have everything from a beautiful ceremony space, to a huge fully stocked kitchen, to plenty of lodging options for guests. The kitchen is really amazing, my in-​laws threw us a huge rehearsal dinner AND made the wedding cupcakes and were very impressed by how every need they had was met.
The kid friendly-​ness of the property was also very appreciated by our guests, many of whom had small children and were at first apprehensive about attending an overnight wedding in the woods. They were so excited about the ease of navigating the property, the play structure, and the safety of everything. The kids had a real blast exploring it all.
Every interaction we had with the owners Arvid and Vicki was great, they were prompt, professional, and answered all of our questions. They were a dream to work with. Each one of our guests marveled at the Lodge and property, they said it was a «fairtyland».
In addition, the caterers, Seasons Catering, who are affiliated with the lodge, were just great. They were also very easy to work with, flexible, and professional. They served an amazing BBQ meal that everyone raved about, both at dinner and then as they were finishing off the leftovers as a midnight snack.
I whole-​heartedly recommend this venue to anyone looking to throw an outdoor wedding in the PNW, it was a great value and made all of our wedding dreams (some we didn’t even know we had!) come true.

Words can not explain how amazing it was to have our wedding at Anderson Lodge. We were married in August of 2011 and the Hilltop House was the best location we could imagine that allowed for our families to meet and mingle for the first time and have a place they’d remember forever.
The lodge is located on the back road to Mt. St. Helen’s, allowing for the beauty of the northwest to really shine. Our wedding overlooked a beautiful valley, and people are still talking about how great the location was.
We were there Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning, which gave time for people who had never been to the northwest to explore. Many went up to Mt. St. Helen’s back side, which is about an hour/​hour and a half drive on curvy roads. They don’t regret it! There is also swimming and numerous trails that can be hiked.
If you have any doubts, go and look! Make an appointment with Arvid to show you around, you won’t be disappointed. Yes, it’s a bit far out there, but that’s part of the beauty.
About Anderson Lodge:
It’s like camping, but with plumbing, electricity, beds to sleep in and kitchens to cook in.
There are two locations, Anderson Lodge, and the Hilltop House. The Lodge is down off the road, and the Hilltop House is… well. it speaks for itself. We had our wedding at the Hilltop House.
–The view is amazing from anywhere on the grounds.
–The stonework is amazing and makes for a great backdrop for a wedding or other event and is also located around the patio areas.
–So peaceful my parents were sitting on the deck and saw a couple deer wander by.
–Great fire pit for hanging around after dark.
–Kitchens had pretty good equipment, their ovens were awesome (my friend baked our wedding cupcakes up on site with no problems!).
–Beds are camp beds, not great, not awful.
–Has room for indoor or outdoor weddings or events, multiple locations too (and I’m talking just at the Hilltop house).
–Friendly, reasonably priced and good quality catering available through them.
–Pricing is really good. It may seem expensive at first, but look around. For the Portland area, we spent as much there for three nights and four days including catering for the reception as we would have for 6 – 10 hours in the city just for a location… and here our guests had free lodging.
–Well water. Oh so good.
–Options to hook up RVs or pitch tents for peoples sleeping preferences (we had people want both).
–And did I mention the view was amazing?

I stayed at this lodge recently for a work related retreat.
We stayed on the hilltop and made use of the small cabins and the house with several rooms, as well as the open conference/​meeting space in the center of the cabins.
The location of the lodge and the views from the deck of the meeting area were absolutely beautiful. There is a lot of open space around the lodge — and had it not been raining while I was there, I would probably be able to tell you about trails in the area, or more about the grounds. The firepit with amphitheater seating was covered and also a nice hang out area.
I stayed in one of the rooms with 4 built in bunks. I hadn’t slept in this type of arrangement before, and was worried it might feel like a coffin, but it turned out to be open. The mattress wasn’t comfortable at all, but I imagine kids wouldn’t mind, and would probably enjoy sleeping in something like that. I would personally bring an air mattress next time.
Overall the place was clean, bathrooms and kitchens were updated. Wifi was available, but cell service was not available, except for some AT&T users who were able to find a corner that worked for them.
The downside of my stay there was the catering, and though I didn’t organize the event, I understand there were limited options in choosing said caterer. Everything was taken out of bags or boxes and put on a plate. The food was not good at all, more than half of each meal that was leftover was packaged up and taken away immediately by the caterer (what if someone wanted more? or wanted it later?). Presentation was also poor… not only did it not taste good, it didn’t look good.
This would be a wonderful place for a wedding or family reunion, especially if people traveling to the event needed a place to stay. I would just be cautious of the food/​catering choice or try to work something out with a different provider.