Twin Peaks fans may know this Snoqualmie, WA retreat as the Great Northern Hotel

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Lots of hotels have a spa. This one has its own waterfall attached.

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot cascade over granite cliffs, steps away from the Salish Lodge & Spa.

For honeymooners and vacationers, it’s worth the splurge for romance and relaxation.

For Twin Peakers, it’s the Great Northern Hotel, a “clean place, reasonably priced” in a fictional logging town.

The hotel’s facade, and the famous Room 315, is in the Twin Peaks series that ran in 1990-91 and again in 2017. The falls are featured in the opening sequence of the cult-classic show set in the quirky town of Twin Peaks, Washington.

The Snoqualmie tribe acquired ownership of Salish Lodge & Spa in 2019. The land and the falls are sacred tribal sites.

The Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, Washington, and the famous Room 315, is in the Twin Peaks series that ran in 1990-91 and again in 2017. Ryan Berry / The Herald

The lodge incorporates its real and TV past into the present.

Kyle MacLachlan, the Yakima actor who portrayed Special Agent Dale Cooper on the show, did a meet-and-greet at the lodge for the annual Real Twin Peaks event in February. (The next Real Twin Peaks, with tours, films, panels and cosplay, is Feb. 21 to 24, 2025.)

Now 65, MacLachlan wore a denim jacket and ball cap over his silver hair at this year’s event. His passion these days is making wine in Walla Walla.

He autographed bottles of his vintage, Pursued by Bear, and did a little shopping.

“He bought a ‘Log Lady’ pillow in the gift shop,” says hotel manager Gwynne Chase.

The microbead pillow is about $30. If you carry it on the plane to use, you won’t look out of place.

A green plastic Great Northern Hotel Room 315 key chain is a fan favorite in the gift shop. That’s Agent Cooper’s room in the series.

Twin Peaks-themed merch can be found at the Salish Lodge & Spa, in Snoqualmie, Washington. Ryan Berry / The Herald

Salish Lodge & Spa is about 50 miles from Everett, making it an easy day-trip destination without an overnight stay. The nearby town of Snoqualmie has a train museum, depot, shops, dining, bars and a casino. It’s about four miles from Twede’s Cafe in North Bend, site of the Twin Peaks Double R Diner, home of damn fine coffee and cherry pie.

A night at the inn is $400 and up. Costco sells an overnight stay package for $369.99, good Sunday through Thursday, that includes a $100 credit for dining, the spa or the shop.

A slice of “Damn Fine Cherry Pie” is $13.

The lodge has 86 guestrooms, billed as personal retreats.

“In 1916, it was just a little tiny eight-bedroom inn across the falls,” Chase says. “Then it transitioned over here. Loggers used to come and have their four-course country breakfast that we’re still known for and still serve.”

The recently redone lobby at the Salish Lodge & Spa features a bar and a lounge. Ryan Berry / The Herald

The country breakfast includes the “Honey from Heaven” service where honey is poured from high above your plate onto buttery biscuits.

“We have aviaries across the street,” she says. “We have a full-time beekeeper and we put honey in everything.”

Spa services include soaking pools, massages and Botox treatments. Rooms have fireplaces, soaking tubs or double-headed showers, and balconies. Toiletries include eucalyptus spray to mist in the shower.

“We want you to decompress,” Chase says. “That’s why people come here.”

A private pool is available at the Salish Lodge & Spa on Sunday in Snoqualmie, Washington. Ryan Berry / The Herald

Rooms have goose feather pillows. If that’s not loosey-goosey enough for you, there’s a “pillow menu” with six varieties: Lavender. Buckwheat. Pregnancy pillow. Body. Memory foam. Synthetic.

“It’s all about the extra touches,” Chase says.

Dogs are pampered, too, with a pet bed, biscuits and a designer collar.

In partnership with the lodge, the Snoqualmie Falls Gift Shop & Visitor Center focuses on the tribe’s history, culture and people. A café has coffee, pastries, sandwiches and ice cream.

Snoqualmie Falls is free to visit. Parking is free across the street.

The platform to see the falls is a short walk for all ages.

The Snoqualmie Falls Trail is an easy 1.4-mile hike from the upper viewpoint to the shores of the Snoqualmie River.

This story originally appeared in Sound & Summit, a special publication of the Everett Herald.

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