Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge

LISA: Martin and I stayed in the Afrika room over New Year’s. The «Afrikan» vibe of the room was humbly evident in several thrift store accessories — a zebra stripe pillow on the futon and several tribal-​esque prints on the walls. The true appeal of the room, and the Lodge itself, was in the heated soaking pool (a jacuzzi with the jets turned off), that was situated on our deck about 30 feet from the Columbia River, affording amazing views of it and Oregon across. This, the pseudo-​wood burning fireplace, and the kitchenette, in which we stored our PBR and plastic box of lettuce Martin brought because he’d «eat it» («You’re gonna take that?» «[Indignantly], Yeah, I eat as a snack all the time!»), made for an amazing stay I’m eager to revisit! Though other reviewers have lamented about the train noise (minimal and soothing), and the low thread count of the sheets/​towels, these complaints are superfluous in light of the cheap rate and amazing setting!
MARTIN: Me and Lisa bringing in the new year, greasing on omelets and tubing at Cooper Spur, sledding at Old Man Pass and soaking in the hot tub, the roar of the wind and the whistle of the freight trains, lounging in my loafers and relaxing in my brand new Captain Kirk house coat, waking with my lovely woman in my arms and the roar and rush of the mighty Columbia waving by the doorstep… day one of the new year, so far SO good.

Our family stayed here for a wedding back in September and that was a huge mistake! We had the largest lodge that sleeps 7. I called to ask if the loft had stairs or a ladder because the picture wasn’t very clear. The man who answered the phone said it was definitely stairs, I said great because we have a baby…
It’s a damn ladder! Have you carried a baby up a ladder ?? Scary! Also lets talk about the TRAINS that come by every 10 – 15 minutes blaring their horns 100 feet from your bed… NO SLEEP at all. We live in Vancouver and should have just slept at home because it was horrible!
The scenery was beautiful in the morning with the lake outside your door but that was the only upside to the place.
Should have known once we saw earplugs on the night stands.
Towels are old and stained, beds are squeaky and loud. :(save your money people.

For more than a decade, our group of Oregonians (10 – 15 folks) have reserved most or all of the rooms at Riverside Lodge during the weekend of the Brews & Blues Fest. We always reserve an entire year ahead of time.
We just got a call from the owner Angus, who tells us that we had been booked for the wrong weekend, and that he he would not honor our reservations. Instead of canceling the reservations of the people that he allowed to reserve (much) later than us, he has chosen cancel ours. The only thing he has offered to mitigate his screw-​up is to «allow» us to get a refund of the reservation money we paid a year ago, so we had no real choice in the matter.
Our group will no longer be spending our money at the Riverside Lodge, and the folks at the Brews & Blues Fest, the restaurants, the shops, and other businesses in Stevenson will certainly miss the hundreds of dollars we spent there every year for the past decade. Riverside Lodge was a nice place for us to stay until the unfair, undeserved, unethical treatment we got from the owner this year. If you go there, don’t expect to be given common consideration.

I booked the Columbia Gorge Lodge for my wife’s birthday weekend. It has turned out to be the WORST experience I’ve ever encountered in my days on earth. First the owner left on vacation and left it to a person who knew little or nothing about how to deal with wireless issues and other issuse, maintenance, whatever. The tub was not clean! I have been trying for 5 hours to get on the wireless with no luck at all. I’m fairly computer savvy but I am still not on and the person left in charge (Joke) hasn’t a clue! Shall I go on? OK… Next I draw my wife a bath. NO HOT WATER!!! I go to boil some water and one of the two burners on the stove and one is broke!!! Shall I go on? This place is a complete disaster. It’s being run by people who want to keep their operating costs down at the expense of their customers. DO NOT… book this place. The odds are you will be more disappointed than not. Spend an extra 40 bucks a night and go to the Best Western at Cascade locks. They have more hot water than you will ever need and wireless on top of TV. Oh… did I mention that Columbia Gorge Lodge does not have TV!!! Well they don’t. So what can you use? Wireless!!! OOOOPPPPPS. That doesn’t work.

Pretty cabins. Unnerving experience. My wife and I needed a well deserved break from our insane restaurant jobs and wanted a nice secluded cabin to unwind. We decided on this place. I must have gotten a lobotomy when I made the reservation. The cabin was nice but tiny.
They advertise a queen bed but in reality it was just a full and my wife had to end up sleeping on the awkward futon chair. Wtf… Also we prayed to the vacation gods that the place would have no other renters because we did not want to share the hot tub with anyone. Low and behold, the dim bulb who made our reservation also booked the adjoining cabin with two nosy dykes who one of them seemed more than eager to stare at us in the hot tub. Btw. They say soaking tubs because all they did was remove the ability to use the jets on the hot tub by breaking off the knobs. That was a major no no. The entire God damned compound was empty and you felt compelled to book two overly loud and intruding women directly next door to us???
Then then trains… the fucking trains… all God damned night long… every 15 fucking minutes a freight train screamed 20 yards past our cabin… the whole room shook. Ear plugs provided? I have tinnitus ffs… that’s like strapping radio signals to my ears. and finally the icing on the cake.
Check out is at noon, we only booked this place for one night but low and behold after having maybe 3 hours of sleep, fucking house keeping starts banging on the door at 10 a.m. Before I could answer the door barley clothed this idiot tries to let herself in! I pushed the door shut and told her to go away. Where in the fuck was the do not disturb placard and why house keeping before we even check out? Why put a bunch of cabins next to a freight rail road line? Are they secretly sadists??? We left frazzled and fried only to end up having to drive through Camas WA which smelled like a loaded baby diaper filled with rotten broccoli and human feces… never…ever…again…

As Ev’Yan says, the wifi is wonky, the bathrooms are small, etc. etc… And, Angus, the owner is the first to say that the hot tubs are intentionally non-​bubbly.
And, when you’re there, you can sit on the little decks and watch the fish jumping in the Columbia. You can smell the rain and watch the clouds and fog rolling up the Gorge. You can walk into town and find the friendliest folks. The local breweries brew some great beer, and the food everywhere I’ve so far eaten is really good.
If you love supporting businesses that are cared for as you’d care for yours, Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge – and so far as I can see, most all of the businesses in town will make you feel at home.

Wonderful stay! We had booked the La Frontera cabin almost a year ago after driving through — we asked the manager and she had said «book early» — glad we did. This place books up SOLID due to the sail-​board activity on the river. It’s the cabin right in front, closest to the river, and not a duplex. It’s VERY large and spacious, perfect for a family with 2 twin beds upstairs. Bathroom is HUGE with a Jacuzzi tub in it, as well as the hot tub on the deck itself. Full kitchen — 2 burners, Microwave, fridge, pots and pans and silverware — so we «ate in» all 3 nights. There’s a VERY nice grocery market just a few blocks away that has anything you might want.
During late summer/​early Fall, the sail-​board crowd takes over the VERY adjacent park! Eye candy in sails, boards, and «operators» LOL! Just so nice to watch them all work the waves on the river! The resort is just a few hundred feet from the paddle wheel boat dock, which was there when we arrived Friday — SOOOO picturesque — just like being on the Hudson River in NY a hundred and fifty years ago IMO!
SO about the trains: Saturday, the first was at 4:23 AM. There’s a reason I know that time LOL! The second about 4:40. Third about 4:50. Fourth about 5:05. And so on and so on and so on. BUT THE WEB SITE WARNS OF THIS, AND THEY PROVIDE EARPLUGS!!! I really don’t think it’s fair to down-​rate this place because of the trains, when it’s clearly listed on their website. Just know — this is something you should consider if you’re a light sleeper or «late night person» — they start EARLY. On Sunday, the first was at 4:30 and not another until 7:30 — «Sunday morning mercy» :-)
The town is WONDERFUL — lots of shops, restaurants, grocery store, gas station, post office — anything you could want — all within reasonable walking distance.
The ONLY reason my review is 4 instead of 5 — towels, blankets, and pillows! Yuck on all of them (at least in La Frontera cabin). VERY worn out towels (scratchy), pillows are not so great, and blankets not so great. But being VERY frequent travelers, we always bring our OWN pillows, blankets and fans. Oh — there is no AC! It was HOT this weekend — but thankfully we brought 2 nice fans — plus there is a ceiling fan that helps…
Overall, a WONDERFUL experience!!! Would totally stay here again — especially if they were to upgrade the towels (rough, old, scratchy) and pillows (cheap!)…
Great place — 100% worth the 4-​star rating based on the comments above
[WiFi note — couldn’t make it work — used my iPhone tether instead]
Dave & Anne

My husband and I spent our honeymoon here and loved it. The lodge-​esque, outdoorsy location and style was perfect for us. Loved being right by the water in such a cute town, and didn’t miss the excessive pillows and impersonal style of most hotels. The set up of these cabins are perfect, and include everything you need, including a fridge for your champagne :) We booked a jacuzzi suite, and also took advantage of the outdoor hot tub (which we had to ourselves). Yes, the trains were loud but it honestly didn’t bother us too much.
The cabins are an easy walk to all of Stevenson, including the grocery store and Walking Man Brewery.
Great deal! We will be coming back.

BUYER BEWARE!
The major train line tracks (multiple tracks) run right next to the property, directly adjacent to a road crossing. Your cabin will shake and the blasting horn will wake you up every 30 minutes all night long. Unbelievably loud.
The reservation details, in fine, fine print on the website are for no refunds after 14 days.
Tha cabins have poor soundproofing between them and the wifi was terrible.
Avoid this place. It’s a ripoff.

This place was great! I have no complaints, not even about the trains that come through every couple hours. The train sound becomes part of the experience; I slept just fine without the earplugs that the owners provided. The décor of the individually-​themed cabins is just right; not kitschy, nor pretentious. Kitchenette was nice to have, though I wish they had ovens, or at least a toaster oven.
The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and better appreciated from your partially covered soaking tub. Even in rainy weather, the Columbia River and mountains on the Oregon side are part of the view. Bring a board game to play in front of the fireplace in case you get tired of the hot tub, or stroll a short way to Walking Man Brewing. There’s an easy put-​in for canoes and kayaks in the park next door, and there’s a sheltered/​fairly calm area of water just a few minutes away. Dozens of hiking trails within a ½ hr drive.
Our room was spotlessly clean when we arrived, the bed and futon bed comfortable, the shower hot and flowing well, and the owners were attentive and friendly. I can’t wait to go back.

Here’s the whole truth & nothing but the truth:
The Wifi is lousy & cuts in & out; the bathrooms are so small that your knees will hit the door when you sit on the toilet; there’s no television or clocks; the beds are small; the shower doors are wonky & hard to open/​close; the hottub is shared with your next door & upstairs neighbors (which can be problematic & cramped), & has jets but they don’t work; & the trains! — holy sweet zombie Jesus, the trains are deafening!
But. .. I love this place; absolutely, without a doubt love it, because with its many quirks, it prompted me to practice patience, stillness, & gratitude.
For the lousy, slow, inconsistent wifi, I learned that there’s no use to be on my phone or computer incessantly when I could enjoy the magnificence of nature right on the deck & the company of my loved ones.
For the absent television, I learned that to stare at the boob-​tube would be silly when I could feast my eyes instead on the gorgeous view of the rushing river & get lost in the beauty of my surroundings.
For the non-​working jets in the jacuzzi, I was just grateful to be able to relax in the heat of a hottub when I don’t have one at my home. And in sharing our hottub, we were lucky to meet some sweet new friends.
For the crazy loud trains that roll by hourly, I used the complimentary ear plugs the lodge provided us (which helped tremendously!), & played some ambient music on my iDock to help me sleep.
For the small, full-​sized beds, I simply enjoyed cuddling up to my man a little tighter.
Things like that.
A lot of people might fuss & harangue at these quirks (& from past reviews, I see some people already have), but they didn’t bother me as much when I remembered to be appreciative for having such an amazing place to stay at such a low price per night.
And it truly is an amazing place to stay. The grounds are owned & kept up by two of the sweetest people I’ve met, Angus & Lauren, who will do anything to improve your stay if you ask them. The cabins are cozy & the kitchenettes are stocked with everything you need for a comfortable stay: forks, knifes, plates, cups, a coffeemaker. They allow your fur-​babies to stay with you for a small fee. (My dog absolutely loved romping around the large grass areas on the lodge grounds.)
And the views! I took one look out the back porch & booked one more night.
When you book here, I hope that you’ll leave your ego & need for perfection & connection at home & bring with you a sense of adventure & open-​mindedness. I hope you’ll allow yourself to be spoiled by the little conveniences that are given to you in your cabin that, by all means, don’t HAVE to be provided.
But I especially hope that you’ll do what you’re supposed to do at a humble place like this, which is relax, relax, relax.
All of the quirks are a blessing in disguise if you allow them to be.

We went for a getaway weekend. We usually camp or yurt our getaways but thought we would try this place out.
To begin, the front desk wasn’t staffed at all, our room key was just taped to the door. That seemed impersonal for such a small place. Okay, fine, no biggie. All was good until it got dark and the trains started. This place is 20 feet from the tracks. Friday night they must’ve run every hour or more until 5 am. The earplugs didn’t help, we weren’t able to sleep at all.
On Saturday the carpenter ants showed up. on the bed and the counters! We wanted to leave but thought it better to wait until morning than to drive in the dark on little to no sleep.
We won’t be staying here again. Not only because of the trains and ants but because we weren’t given a heads up before we got there about these issues.

The view from this place was amazing! It knocked our socks off. We stayed in Cabin #1, «La Frontera.» It was right down on the river’s shore. Lauren and Bob were attentive. Too much light at night, though. I would think that at 10:00, most lights could be turned off on the grounds. Train was loud during day, but not a problem at night, esp. with the provided ear plugs. Spiders could have been prevented with a bit more pest control. The soaking tub is just that, not a spa, so don’t go looking for a switch to turn on the jets. The loft was kind of cool for a bit of kinky action, but it would be dangerous up and down for little kids. I’m definitely going back.

Lizzie B. pretty much summed up the accommodations to a tee.
Here’s the plan: Book a room here during the off-​season. Be prepared to get friendly with your neighbors, as you will probably be spending jacuzzi and/​or deck time with them, or at least running into them along the little winding paths that head to your room. Hike along the river for a bit. Spend some time at the Walking Man Brewery, which tends to close early. Then head a few miles west for drinks and dinner at the Skamania Lodge bar. DO NOT EAT AT THE CASCADE DINING ROOM. You are not Donald Trump. But the hotel bar has a menu that will allow you to eat like Donald Trump without overdrafting your account. Return to the Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge full of booze, belly full, and hang out on the grassy knoll adjacent to the Lodge with a few beers (remember to get these in advance). Watch the moon do its thing with the water and allow your significant other to tell you how romantic this whole thing is. When appropriate, crawl into the bed of your small, but beautifully wood-​panelled cabin. Awake the next day to a glorious view of the Columbia, and make breakfast in your full-​on, in-​room kitchen. Maybe put some V-​8 in a Budweiser. Feel your hangover drift away like so many waves wafting toward the opposite shore.
MOST IMPORTANT: Tell all of your friends that you had a terrible time, so that this place doesn’t get overrun by douche-​bags.

Holy Train Noise Batman!!!
Other than the racket from the passing trains (and yes, they do go by in the middle of the night), I really liked this place. Amazing location right on the water. Spacious and cozy rooms with kitchenettes. Very fair prices, with most rooms under $ 100/​night. Pet friendly ($ 10 per pet per night fee).
Bottom line: good value if you can ignore the trains passing in the night. We stayed here four nights and got used to it by the second night.

This place had a fabulous view, cute cabins with kitchenettes and a porch looking at the river. There was a hot tub on the porch and the property was well landscaped. It was close to a lot of points of interest… and sadly, the train. Price seemed fair for the quality.

I’ve stayed here once before in the big cabin and am staying there again this weekend in one of the smaller cabin. While they can be hard to reach on the phone, with persistance, I was able to get a reservation. Normally I would never be so persistant in getting a reservation — I figure if they want my business they’ll contact me back soon — but since they got back to me within a couple days (my boyfriend is still waiting to hear back) and because I’ve had such positive experiences there and in that area, I felt it was worth it. The cabins are smaller but the price can’t be beat and the town is a really neat place to look around at. However, note that they do not have ovens in their cabins. That came as a surprise to us last time but we made it work and had a great time staying there. I’ll be keeping this place in mind for a quick getaway and will definitely be staying there again after this weekend :)

This is a beautiful place. I’ve stayed once in their bigger unit up front closest to the river. The river boat comes in right there. It is very relaxing and peaceful as there is no distractions of a tv, love it!
Now for the price of such place, I didn’t mind the cost until, we tried the hot tub and found out they removed the jets, so all you get is hot water. This was not all, they have a beautiful big jetted tub in the very spacious bathroom, which I thought at the time I hit the jackpot here, but no the hot water tank did not fill the tub, so why have a jetted tub if you can’t fill it with hot water. it took three times to have enough water to enjoy the tub. By that time I just decided to take a shower.
Well maybe they need to lower their price a little to match their amenities.

I’ve stayed at the cabins quite a few times now, and I absolutely adore them. There are a few minor drawbacks that might deter those who enjoy all the amenities: the rooms are small and only have full size beds, and the cabins are barely 100 yards away from the train tracks (complimentary earplugs are provided on the nightstands). The rooms have no clocks, radios or televisions, so be sure to bring an mp3 player or laptop (free wi-​fi in Stevenson). But all of those minor issues certainly don’t deter me from making an annual visit!
On the positive side: can’t beat the price of $ 79-​$ 99 per night for a cozy themed cabin with a kitchenette and a hot tub overlooking the Gorge smack on the riverbed of the Columbia. The views are impressive; the location ideal for a quick overnight getaway and adventures into our beloved Gorge, and the cherry on top is the location is not even stumbling distance from the one and only Walking Man brewpub. A growler can be procured in less than 5 minutes and you are comfortably back on the deck enjoying the hot tub, a fine local brew, and the breathtaking view!

The Columbia Riverside Lodge is a newer lodge. The rooms are themed studio logcabins with a kitchenette. We stayed in the Highlands cabin (Scottish theme). The cabin was very cozy, heated by a gas fireplace and a very relaxing place to spend a couple days.
The lodge is located less than 100 feet from a railroad crossing, and trains do cross throughout the night blowing their whistle loudly. Marie and I didn’t have trouble ignoring the train, although we did have trouble sleeping. I left my CPAP machine at home (dumb) so I usually woke up several times a night. The beds are small and firmer than I’m used to, so sleeping was a bit tough.
One other thing, the cabins don’t have television. Stevenson has free wireless though so we brought our laptop, listened to music, watched DVDs and surfed the web, altogether a fun relaxing way to spend a couple days.
That caveat out of the way though, this is a very, nice place to get away from it all. A hot tub is available on each cabin, which is shared between the the two rooms per log cabin. And the view from the tub is lovely. The staff are friendly, but hands off. The cabins were mostly empty while we were here so it felt most of the time like our own little lodge on the Columbia River.