Government Camp – Mt. Hood’s Alpine Village

Government Camp, Mt. Hood’s Alpine Village, has provided visitors with a variety of lodging, dining and shopping choices since the turn of the 20th century. It serves as a base for visitors to enjoy outstanding recreational opportunities such as hikes, lakes, wildflowers, bike trails and birding, including sites on the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail). Huckleberries, a traditional Native American food, can be gathered today in and around Government Camp, and are also served year-round at the Huckleberry Inn, operated by a third-generation local family.

The route of the Oregon Trail passed through the village, and today nearby sites such as Summit Meadow and Laurel Hill provide visitors with a sense of the pioneers’ challenges. A recent revitalization effort has focused on Cascadian architecture, the development of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum with its Arts Cabins project, and expanding the summer and winter trail systems that encircle the community.

• Visitor center on site
• Access requires 4-wheel-drive vehicle or chains in winter
• ADA accessible
• Trained guides available
• Located on both public and private property

Native Americans, early pioneers and military, those using the Barlow Road, local settlers, early skiers, climbers and Forest Service employees, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Works Progress Administration all left their influence on the community. The Mt Hood Cultural center and Museum (MHCC&M) preserves, showcases and interprets this rich history as well as Mt Hood’s recreational legacy. The exhibits as well as the knowledgeable staff operating the MHCC&M 7 days/week (no admission charge) provide great educational opportunities for both locals and guests. The xc and snowshoe trail system has incorporated abandoned ski trails, preserving a bit of history. The MHCC&M’s Arts Cabins project “saved” two unused Forest Service buildings and is creating an opportunity for art and nature to blend to help diversify the community well as to provide a source for Cascadian themed art (like the black iron pieces used on the new ODOT bridge). As the momentum continues to build from the revitalization of the village, the development of the MHCC&M, Arts Cabins, and trail system, more emphasis will be placed on preservation and environmental sustainability.

The arts cabins serve as a marvelous art center in the National Forest on Mount Hood at 4,000 foot elevation. Consisting of two surplus US Forest Service cabins that were saved from demolition, they have/are being adapted to interpret traditional Cascadian / WPA and CCC Arts & Crafts of Timberline Lodge and surrounding area, as well as offering classes and workshops, demonstrations, and studio spaces. Two working areas in full swing are the blacksmith shop and the glass studio. A highlight of each year is the week-long blacksmithing workshop that draws people from all over the USA. The third floor houses a “Friends of Timberline” textile workshop that includes applique, weaving and rug-hooking restoration. The east art cabin is up and running as an alternative art-related activity in a generally recreational area, where local artists come to teach, and locals and visitors can come to learn and grow and share.