Opal Brook Trail is a small-timber lodge on the edge of a working forest, built for people who want a real night's rest after a real day outside.
Hand-drawn by local cartographer Suki Tanaka and letterpress-printed on 100lb cotton stock at a small press in Millhaven. Shows the full nine-mile loop, the creek crossings, the upper falls, and the beaver pond. 11x17 inches, unframed.
The same Lodge brand 10-inch skillet we use in every cabin kitchen. Pre-seasoned, heavy, and will outlast everything else you own. We sell them because guests ask where to get one after cooking eggs in the cabin for three mornings.
Put together with the Ridgeline Bakery in town. A small jar of active starter, a recipe card for a basic country loaf, and a linen proofing cloth. The starter has been maintained at Ridgeline since 2011.
Most people have never used a wood-fired hot tub before they arrive at Opal Brook Trail. They have…
The Opal Brook Loop is a nine-mile circuit that starts and ends at the back gate of the lodge. It…
Delia Marsh leads foraging walks at Opal Brook Trail from May through October. This is her plain…
Margot Ellison grew up in eastern Washington and spent her twenties leading wilderness trips through the Cascades for a guiding company out of Bend, Oregon. In 2013 she bought a run-down timber property in the forest and spent the next two winters building the first cabin with her brother Cal and a retired carpenter named Bud Holt. She opened Opal Brook Trail in 2014 with one cabin and a hand-painted sign at the end of the gravel road. She still answers every booking email herself. On mornings when there are no guests, she walks the full nine-mile loop before breakfast. She keeps a small vegetable garden behind the main lodge and is a reliable source of opinion on cast-iron cookware.
Correct. The cabins are intentionally offline. There is a signal in the main lodge building if you need to check something urgent, and cell service is patchy but exists on the ridge. Most guests find this is fine after the first few hours. A few find it is the whole point.
Yes, in the Creekside Cabin and the Bunkhouse. Please mention it when you book so we can set up the water bowl and towel. We ask that dogs stay off the furniture and are kept on leash on the trail during nesting season (April through June). There is no extra fee.
A thermos of drip coffee, two eggs from our neighbor Hank's hens, a loaf of sourdough from Ridgeline Bakery in town, butter, and whatever fruit is in season. In summer that is usually stone fruit. In autumn, apples. We leave it at your cabin door by 7:30am. If you have a dietary restriction, let us know when you book and we will sort it.
Summer weekends fill up fast, often six to eight weeks out. Weekdays and the shoulder seasons (April-May and October-November) are easier to get on short notice. If you are flexible on dates, email us and we will tell you what is open. We do not hold reservations without a deposit.
Full refund if you cancel more than 14 days before arrival. Within 14 days, we keep the deposit (50% of the total stay) unless we can rebook the cabin, in which case we refund in full. We are reasonable about genuine emergencies. Just email Margot directly.
Yes. We stoke it every evening from 6pm. It takes about 45 minutes to reach a good temperature. It is shared between the Ridge Cabin and the Creekside Cabin guests, so if both are occupied we ask people to coordinate. It has never been a problem. The Bunkhouse has its own separate soak tub on the back porch.
Fill in the form and Margot will reply within a few hours with availability and any details you need. No automated responses.