Most guests arrive Friday evening and leave Sunday after lunch, so here's how we'd spend those two days if we were staying with you — the version we give guests who ask the front desk "what should we actually do?"
Friday: Arrival and the Slow Start
Aim to arrive by 4pm. Check-in at Marlowe & Pine is straightforward — a welcome drink at the Understory bar while your room is readied, then a short walk down to see the river before dinner. If you arrive with daylight left, the half-mile riverside loop trail behind the lodge is the easiest way to get your bearings. Dinner at The Timber Table starts at 5:30pm; book ahead if you want a table by the window. After dinner, the Understory stays open late for guests who want a nightcap by the fire.
Saturday: The Big Day Outside
Start early. Breakfast at the lodge runs from 7 to 10am, and getting out the door by 8:30 means you'll have the Guided Ridge Hike trailhead to yourselves. The hike is a five-mile round trip, moderate in difficulty, ending at an overlook where our guide usually stops for a packed lunch — allow four to five hours total. Back at the lodge by early afternoon, the wood-fired sauna and river plunge is the best way to undo a morning of climbing; sessions run through the evening, and we'd suggest booking one for around 4pm. Saturday dinner is the night to consider The Forager's Table, if it's running that week — it's built same-day around whatever our forager found that morning, so availability depends on the season.
Sunday: Easy Morning, Long Goodbye
Checkout is 11am, but there's no reason to rush it. A slower alternative to Saturday's hike is the Sunrise Kayak on the Anders, a two-hour guided paddle that starts early enough to be done well before checkout, with coffee waiting when you're back on shore. If mornings aren't your thing, a walk through the Cedar Hollow farmers market (Saturdays and Sundays, May through October, fifteen minutes from the lodge) is a good way to pick up something for the drive home.
If You Have a Third Day
Add the Cedar Hollow Cider & Wine Trail or a full-day fly fishing outing on the Anders — both are better with a whole afternoon rather than squeezed between other plans.
Quick Facts
- Typical stay length: 2–3 nights
- Best day-one activity if arriving early: riverside loop trail (0.5 miles, easy)
- Best day-two activity: Guided Ridge Hike (5 miles round trip, moderate, 4–5 hours with lunch)
- Recovery activity: Wood-Fired Sauna & River Plunge (90 minutes)
- Checkout: 11am; check-in: 4pm
- Farmers market: Saturdays & Sundays, May–October, 15 minutes from the lodge