UPDATE, JUNE 2023: I have now been to the Portland (Mount Adams outpost) Getaway House at least three times, and the Seattle (Skagit Valley outpost) Getaway House once. I thought I would give this review a big ol’ update now as a frequent Getaway-er. I’ve also added in some updated notes in the original post below. If you’re looking for a referral code, follow this link to book with my referral code if you’d like! You’ll get $25 off and I’ll get some credit: https://fbuy.io/getaway/mrhfrcys

 

Mount Adams vs. Skagit Valley Outposts for Seattle Residents

This article will cover the Mount Adams outpost, which is the one closest to Portland. But, I live in Seattle and it’s my preferred location! Here’s why:

• More interesting woodland layout that allows for more wildlife spotting: I see many more deer, birds, and chipmunks here than at the Mount Vernon location.
• Forest is less dense so you get more light: There are two cabins (Ruth and Christine) that barely have any tree cover and instead look out over a field, so those get the longest daylight hours.
• More remote: This could be a downside or upside depending on how much you like being out of cell and internet range. I still had some cell service at the Mount Vernon location, but here at the Mount Adams outpost, I had none. This made truly disconnecting mandatory instead of having to convince myself to not check my email, texts, etc.

That said, I did still enjoy my time at the Skagit Valley outpost and will be there again later this year, so look for an update on that!

But let’s get into it.

 

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Planning trips and vacations for myself is a form of self care and self love, and of course the whole coronavirus thing — maybe you’ve heard of it? — threw a huge wrench into that usual process in 2020. Up until then, I would think about what city I wanted to explore and plan a trip around that. But at the height of social distancing and cities being shut down and every person becoming a Stranger Danger? Trip planning was much weirder. Big cities were out. So what was in?

Besides camping. It’s not that I am anti camping, it’s just that I am pro showering.

 

Getaway House is maybe the very first Instagram ad that worked on me. So well done, ad people, who put together the perfect formula that accurately labeled me as “misanthrope who wants to be away from other people, but somewhere pretty and with air conditioning and the aforementioned shower.” Then my cousin went to one outside of Houston and I took that as a sign to immediately book my own escape.

The first time, I stayed for a total of three nights. I used the “3 weeknight” package, which saved some money rather than just booking the dates as-is. Definitely check out those “Getaway Often” deals to see if your dates will be cheaper using them.

But yes, I did say “first time” because I loved it so much I started going every year.

 

The Location

How easy is it getting there?

 

The closest Getaway House outpost to Portland is, confusingly, actually in Glenwood, Washington near Mount Adams. From Seattle, it was a 4.5-hour drive to get there via I-5. FYI, according to Google Maps, all three possible routes to the outpost take about 4.5 hours. I opted for the I-5 route because it was the easiest. Google Maps will have you drive down to Oregon and then have to come back up to Washington via the Hood River Bridge, which is too narrow, too windy, and THANKS I HATED IT.

But for those who hate terrifying bridges, you can absolutely avoid them and just stay on the Washington side the entire time by driving along the WA-14. A plus of this route is there is no bridge, no toll to pay, and it’s much more scenic in my opinion. You can stop by Beacon Rock or Cape Horn along the way to snap some photos! Driving this way offers some gorgeous views of the Columbia River Gorge looking towards Oregon.

 

Other than The Avoidable Bridge That I Hate, the drive is very easy. You take highways all the way there, and only lose cell signal in the last stretch where you’re climbing up into the farmland of Glenwood. The outpost is clearly marked, and you are texted your specific cabin’s name, location, and keypad combination the morning of your reservation (I got my text at 8am). I am guessing it might be trickier in the winter because of snow and early sunsets, though.

 

Just how secluded is it?

I admit I was worried about just how secluded these Getaway Houses would be because I am someone who watches too many murder-of-the-week shows, but I felt completely safe the entire time I was there. This is critical considering you have no cell phone signal or internet access.

There is a landline for emergencies, which I can confirm works because I had to use it to call AAA last year when I locked my car keys in my trunk. Whoops. I guess I can also confirm then that AAA can in fact find you out here.

 

If you’re hoping to be like 100% all alone in the wilderness to where you can run around naked outside and howl at the harvest moon, Getaway House will not help you fulfill that fantasy. It’s private, but not actually secluded. People will see you when you’re outside.

There are other Getaway Houses within view, and a good many of them were occupied for at least part of the time I was there for every trip. How much you see of your neighbors depends on your cabin. Some of the cabins I stayed in had big trees or shrubs blocking the view of any neighbor’s driveway (the only place where you would really see them because of how cleverly they’re arranged), while others were more visible.

For example, at the Dominique cabin, I saw my Getaway neighbors much more often than I did at the Christine cabin. This is because their driveway is visible from the window at the foot of the bed, so I saw folks walking to/from their car regularly.

But even though they were close enough so I could see them from time to time, they were also far enough away to where I didn’t hear them while I was there. It did feel very private!

 

The Cabins

At the Mount Adams outpost, I’ve now stayed at:

• Christine (2020)
• Dominique (2021)
• Ruth? I don’t actually remember (2022)
• Marvin (2023)

All of the cabins are a little different in terms of how they’re laid out and what kind of environment you’re in, which means your view changes with the cabin too.

 

What’s the cabin like?

 

There are cabins with one bed and cabins with two. I, being one person, always stay in a one-bed cabin. You park right by your cabin, which makes carrying things in and out super easy.

You then access your cabin via key code, but don’t worry, there are locks and things on the inside so you can secure it just in case someone with an infinite amount of patience wants to try guessing the code. I’ve had one incident where the provided key code did not work, and all I had to do was drive to one of the emergency phones on the outpost property and call Getaway House. They reset the code and I was able to get in within minutes.

 

 

The cabin itself is indeed small, but really thoughtfully laid out. For one person, it was perfect. I never felt cramped while I was there, but I can imagine it feeling a bit more confined with someone else. The best part is of course, the queen bed pushed right up against the giant picture window. I tell you, I sit right there for hours on end just reading, writing, and birdwatching. There are some shades that work well to keep the light out when it’s too bright, and for extra privacy if you feel you need it.

 

 

 

 

The entire cabin is air conditioned. You have control of the thermostat, which was a blessing from the heavens given it can get scorching in the summer months. But while the air conditioning is good, it can’t perform miracles. You will still need to use it reasonably. The bed area also stays warmer than the kitchen area because of the window and air circulation. Run the air conditioning reasonably throughout the day (so like don’t blast it at 65 degrees for seven hours straight) if you want it to continuously run throughout the night.

The first time I stayed at one of these places in the dead of summer, I ran it the entire afternoon so it froze at night and wouldn’t turn back on until midnight. Whoops.

The kitchenette has a lot of the things you’d need for basic cooking, including packets of olive oil, salt, and pepper. There’s also some cocoa, tea, and coffee you can buy on site. Things it does not include that I think you might want to bring along on your own:

• cast iron pan if you want to cook outdoors
• cooking oil if you don’t want to use the provided packets of olive oil
• coffee apparatus, like a French press or Aeropress
• actual foodstuffs and snacks

The mini fridge fits a surprising amount of things inside. I can personally vouch for the fact that it fit a package of bacon, sausages, alfalfa sprouts, two packs of cheese, a jelly jar, pasta sauce, half a cheesecake (don’t judge me), a carton of eggs, and three Nalgene bottles. I menu planned for two meals a day (I’m an overplanner, it’s true), but ended up only eating half of what I brought. Still, better to bring too much food than too little, especially considering how far you’ll be from grocers while you’re out here!

There’s also ample storage under the lofted bed for two carry-on sized luggage sets, and some hooks behind the door for things like keys, chargers, and sunglasses.

 

 

The bathroom has a toilet and shower. There is body wash, shampoo, and conditioner provided, as well as towels and toilet paper. The water pressure is okay and the showers get hot, but the hot water runs out pretty quickly. Shower fast!

You also get drinking water from the sink.

 

Are the cabins different from one another?

You bet! Having stayed at a bunch of different ones, I can confirm each is laid out just a little differently. See below:

 

 

The things that can change are:

• Outlet location: I’ve seen it by the bed, between the kitchen and the bed, and above the table by the door
• Cooling/heating system: Every cabin has these things, but they might be a digital thermostat or a dial you turn on the air conditioner itself
• Shelving setup: The Marvin was actually the first time I stayed at a cabin where there was no upper shelf
• Vent availability: The Marvin was also the first time I stayed at a cabin that did not have a vent in the kitchenette. That said, I don’t know how effective those things are in general anyway.

But for the most part, they are the same. In other words, I don’t think you’ll ever be too thrown going from one to another. The most noticeable difference is where they put the outlet, since that can impact whether or not you’d need an extension cord if you want to use your laptop, etc.

Note that the cabins do begin to show some wear and tear, but never in a way that’s made me feel unclean or unsafe. These are little cosmetic things, like the fridge missing some of its letters, chips and scuffs on the table and walls, paint chipping off the mugs when I washed them, and a notch in one of the kitchen knives. Nothing that impacted my stay at all, but it brings up the point that the cabins will age. I wonder how often Getaway House replaces/refinishes them.

 

How’s the bed?

Comfortable. I can vouch for the fact that one could sit on it for many hours and still be quite content.

 

What is the surrounding area like?

Outside your cabin, you have a fire pit, picnic table, and outdoor chairs. You can buy bundles of fire wood and fire starters on site. Your particular surrounding area will vary based on where your cabin is located, but for the most part you’ll have your own little patch of outdoor space.

 

 

 

 

There are some hiking trails nearby (as in a few miles away), supposedly, but I did not plan ahead and note those down before arriving, so without internet access, I had no idea where those trails were. However, on the actual Getaway House property, there’s a very short “nature trail,” which was cute. It cuts into the woody area behind some of the cabins and runs up against another campsite. The path is clearly marked.

There’s also the Conboy Lake Wildlife Refuge about a 10-minute drive from the outpost. I highly recommend it for a beautiful walk and birdwatching. Rumor has it, you can see elk there too during the season where they get very randy.

 

The Downtime

So the question I get asked the most is…

 

What the hell do you do without cellphone or internet access???

I was worried about this too. I used to pack so many activities: puzzles, craft kits, books, paints, movies and TV shows that I downloaded — and every single time, I barely did any of it. Instead, I spent the majority of the time reading, writing, and birdwatching from that glorious bed window.

Just from my window, I saw cedar waxwings, lazuli buntings, American goldfinches, Western tanagers, orange-crowned warblers, house wrens, California quails and all their baby quails, and various hummingbirds (Calliope, Rufous, and Anna’s). I even saw my very first wild stoat! That window was like a prime viewing spot for nature’s show. Plus, the wonderful sunrises and sunsets.

I find it surprisingly easy to disconnect out there. It always feels good to just do everything at my own pace and know that I have no one else to check in on, no one else to please, no one else who would care if I ate only Cheeto Puffs for dinner one night or stayed up until 3am reading a Babysitter’s Club Mystery book or spent a solid two hours watching a quail family scratch their way through the brush by my cabin. Your time is your own!

 

Why do you go every year, you insane person?

I love to go to the Mount Adams outpost during the spring/summer specifically because it’s migration season for birds. I do a lot of birding, and a key component in birding is to be still at a location for long enough to notice the birds that are around you. At one of these cabins, you are doing exactly that but in the most comfortable way possible.

I always see some new lifers every time I visit, and a plus is that because it’s in the spring and summer, the daylight hours are long. More time to sit by the window and see who’s around! I love sitting outside during the dawn and dusk chorus and watching for hours, and I retreat inside to watch by the window during the hottest parts of the day. I also regularly wake up at dawn to go to the Conboy Lake Wildlife Refuge to birdwatch there because it’s so much easier to be a morning person when all you have to do is step outside your door to be immersed in birdsong.

 

Overall Tips For Your Trip

After a few stays, I’ve learned some things that make for a better experience:

• Bring a table fan. It was great having the table fan circulate the air throughout the day, and was especially handy to blow all the hot air and steam coming from the stove top out the door and window. Plus, you can point it at yourself when you need to cool down.
• It is quiet out there, but the cabin can be noisy. The sound of the fridge suddenly kicking on/off is pretty jarring when everything else is dead quiet. Play some soft tunes or white noise through the Bluetooth speaker that’s inside every cabin.
• Don’t bring anything that needs to stay frozen. There is a little freezer section in the fridge, but it will not keep things frozen. I brought some homemade dumplings and because they didn’t stay frozen, it all congealed together into one massive dumpling, which was… interesting. Needless to say, don’t bother bringing ice cream.
• Plan meals that require minimal prep. There’s a kitchen you can work with, but who wants to be chopping a bunch of stuff when you’re on vacation?
• That said, bring some kind of vegetable to eat. If you’re going to be there for more than 2 nights, plan to eat some vegetables. Your body will thank you. I’ve found this is true for any kind of vacation — you need to remember to eat vegetables! I brought broccolini (washed and chopped at home) to boil and throw into pasta.
• Bring “inside only” slippers. If you’re going in and out of the cabin throughout the day — which you should because it’s beautiful out there! — you’ll track dirt back inside. Since it’s such a small space, you can easily bring it into the bed. If this bothers you, have some “inside only” slippers to wear around so you can take them off before climbing into bed. Problem solved!
• If you’re sensitive to light, bring an eye mask. The shades are pretty good, but the sun still gets in along the sides. This does not at all bother me, but as someone who used to date a guy who hated even the tiniest sliver of sunshine leaking in when he was sleeping, it’s something worth mentioning.

Enjoy your getaway experience! If you’ve gone and have any tips, I’d love to know them too!

 

 

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PS. On the way back to Seattle if you’re traveling along I-5, you can easily stop over in Toutle for a quick peep at Mount St Helens. Why just see one volcano when you can see two, am I right?

 

 

Follow this link to book with my referral code if you’d like! You’ll get $25 off and I’ll get some credit: https://bit.ly/amyk-getaway