Cowlitz River Lodge

This place is not on or near any river; it overlooks either a parking lot or (in the back) a private home. When I read the description of a "warm, welcoming mountain town" I thought this would be a great place to spend $207 a night for a couple of nights. We didn't even get to spend the first night due to an incompetent clerk giving us directions to another part of the state, 2.5 hours away from there. The next morning when we did arrive, the clerk barely looked up to get us checked in. They also have no breakfast but do have four or so restaurants within about a half mile from the place. I would say that this would be a cozy stopping point on the way to somewhere else, but for what I paid, I guess I expected a bit more of a bang for my hard earned money.

A hotel in great location if you are in town to visit Mount Rainier National Park and associated trails. My room was spacious, clean, quite, with comfortable beds, and well appointed with micro-fridge, microwave, coffee machine and TV. Wifi is free but relative slow. I measured 3-4 mbs speed. The hotel is practically in walking distance to shops and restaurant. Parking is ample and free. I would have given it more stars not for the complete lack of room service. I stayed for 3 nights, and put the sign: Make up the room after my second night there, but no one neither cleaned the room, removed trash, or replenished coffee used in coffee machine. Nevertheless I would still stay there if I returned to Pachwood due to location.

Think motel structure with 'lodge' decor. The walls are thin and you can hear those walking above you on the next floor. Showers/sinks were hit and miss, in terms of fully functioning. The bed was comfortable and the AC was excellent. It's a great location; in walking distance of a grocery & pub. There's a gas station across the street.

The staff there is L A Z Y. They make you feel like they are doing you the biggest favor for walking into the hotel and anything that you ask is a HUGE inconvenience. When I'm on vacation, I would like for people to treat me with kindness and a cheerful attitude. Just be nice. You will NOT get that here.||Beds a little soft but room was clean.||Would not stay here again.

I called to inquire about my booking and was disappointed with the way I was treated over the phone. The staff seemed unfriendly and unhelpful, which made me lose confidence in my booking. To be honest, I'd already read some bad reviews about the staff's attitude, but I thought maybe it was just an isolated issue. Unfortunately, my experience on the phone seemed to confirm those reviews. What's more, I was surprised to see that they attempted to charge my credit card multiple times before my stay, which was flagged for security purposes and resulted in my card being declined. I find it unusual that they're trying to process payments before check-in, especially when I'm not even there to confirm the details. Given the poor phone experience and the unusual payment attempts, I decided to cancel my reservation. Hopefully, they can work on providing better customer service and sorting out their payment processes in the future.

A good place to stay for visiting the Rainier. It was expensive, give the vicinity to the National Park. They don’t serve breakfast though. Could have done better service at the reception. Not the most welcoming :(

Positive: Loc5 Negative: Very very poor wi-fi. The showers were very loud from other units so much so it would wake you up. The floor transition had nails sticking up ..step on it more than once on check out management knew

A completely unpleasant town to spend your night in! To be honest, the beds were okay, but the staff was unwelcome and made you feel like a burden. For $488 (two nights), it was a serious overcharge. ||The locals go out of their way to make you feel unwelcome. Two nights in this town, and I couldn’t get fast enough! Find. Somewhere. Else.

I thought this was a good place for a short stay and had everything we needed -from drinking water to a fridge ,coffee machine , cable ,toiletries and a warm breakfast in the morning . The online booking and check-in both were a breeze . Parking is right out front and hence loading and unloading gear in your car is not a pain .The premises is clean and well kept and the lady at the reception was friendly and helpful . Their prices are good for all the facilities they offer, along with free Elk watching .

Comfy beds, clean room, and elk outside our window made our night at the lodge enjoyable! The mattress and the bedding were really nice. My daughter liked that the back window opened all the way without a screen so she could sit on the ledge and watch the elk out back! Honestly, the only thing we were missing was a pool/hot tub, which the kids were hoping for!

Booked for the summer based on Expedia saying they accept pets. Read a few reviews on Yelp that talk about folks bringing pets. Read on the website as of 2022 they don't accept pets. Cancelled stay. Disappointed they recently excluded pet loving guests. I am not mistaken...notice the photo attached.

We loved this place, friendly staff, Elk in the front and back waiting for us haha, room was clean and bed was comfy. The Decora is fantastic. Simple breakfast in the morning.

Suuper friendly staff, great location, clean and comfortable room, free wine (between 6-9pm you get two free glasses), water pressure in the shower will knock you over, elk roaming the grounds, did I mention free wine? Will define stay here again.

My family and I had the opportunity to stay here for a few nights. The property is in a beautiful area and the hotel itself is amazing. The check-in was painless, the staff more than accommodating and friendly. The breakfast was pretty good and had good options for the kids and me. I will be coming back here more frequently. The only drawback? (Not a drawback at all, I love wildlife)I couldn't walk my dog at one point in the morning because of the elk coming on the property. The gang of elk kept looking at me like they wanted to be friends, but I think they were looking to give me some hugs. And if you know anything about elk, they don't have hands, they have hoofs and hoofs hurt a lot when they hug. So being that my dog who's the size of a VW Jetta, and he likes to protect me from ants and dinosaurs, I thought it wise to take my dog back to the room until they left. Overall great time here, I would recommend highly.

I did not really have high expectations for this place, but it was PERFECT! We were 3 - my husband and I were traveling with our 21-year-old nephew. We got a room with 2 queen beds. It was easily as nice as a Holiday Inn Express. Clean, nicely decorated, comfortable beds. Extra vanity outside the commode/tub area which made sharing easier. Keurig coffee maker and fridge. Lobby area was well-decorated and welcoming. Breakfast is included (continental plus a waffle iron), but we wanted bacon & eggs so went down the street.

This is a good 3 1/2 star motel/lodge with clean rooms and a OK breakfast. I am shocked to see so many recent 5 star rating which influenced us in selecting lodging at Cowlitz River Lodge. If you are interested in good food, I don't think Packwood Washington is the place to stay. The food in town is OK but not great.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to stay relatively close to Mt. Rainier and want a cozy place to relax after long hikes. My husband and I checked in at 9pm on a Friday evening and were given such a warm and welcome greeting by the owner of the place. She always greeted us with a warm smile and friendly hello. We missed the evening social hour but our hostess graciously offered us two glasses of wine after our 12 hour driving day. We stayed in a single queen room on the first floor. While we did hear our neighbors going outside for a smoke, for the most part it was quiet and didn't disrupt our sleep. The rooms are incredibly roomy and equipped with a decent sized fridge and keurig for coffee in the morning. The hot breakfast is great - eggs, pastries, yogurt, sausage, gravy, waffles, juice and cereal in addition to more coffee and an assortment of teas. Trust me, it's worth the price for the quality, breakfast and security.

When we showed up the front lady was very inviting. And it smelled wonderful in there. We paid 179 bucks for the room. Knowing that we had a free breakfast coming. That in itself is worth the extra money. Our night stay was fine. At 9 o'clock in the morning we got a knock on our door someone just came right in. We were still sleeping. She asked if we were still there we said yes or sleeping. At 9:35 we went downstairs to get breakfast we were told it was until 10. There was nothing left. A few sausages and some watery eggs. No gravy no biscuits no milk no juice it was desolate. Then we went back to our room to shower and get ready to go at 11 we got another knock on the door and somebody coming in at 10:15. At this time I'm naked in the shower. My husband went to the door and said "checkout is 11 right?" She replied "yes" and he said "ok then come back at 11!!!!!! " Oh no I would not stay here again. Not for that price anyway. We didn't get the free breakfast we were promised and we got woken up. Kind of a bummer.

It was clean. I felt safe. It was close enough to walk to the restaurants in Packwood. Those are good things. But, the room was on par with what you'd expect from Motel 6, but at 3 X the price. Not repulsive, but not impressive, and if I ever need to stay in Packwood again, I'd probably give someone else a shot.

This was an awesome experience. First day on motorcycles we come into the lodge soaked to the bone , only thing to look forward to was a warm shower... well no power. But in the lobby was a gas fireplace, beautiful exposed beams, elk horns, deer horns and our host. She was amazing for putting up with 6 of us. We were able to dry out dripping wet gear next to the fireplace, and once we all the guys had dry cloths on from changing in the rooms it was very high spirits. Power being out was actually kind of nice because of the hospitality of the folks managing the lodge. And as the lodge is in Packwood losing power should almost be expected... it is the middle of the mountains. And in the morning the was simple delicious breakfast, lobby and food area very clean. I highly recommend this spot. Once again 5 STARS and I'll be back again

Management are nasty people. People that I will never do business with again. After paying for their services, I was refused and made feel like I was garbage compared to them. Please take your families to any other hotel in Packwood. Don't support the managements bad habits at this crumby place. Read Darryl's review below. This is how they treat their guests. It's disgusting.

A simple, charming little place to lay your noggin' between spending two days in Mount Rainier. First off, Packwood is a little town, to the southeast of Rainier NP. Its an ideal place to retire for the night, after spending the day in either the southern part of Rainier or the northern section. The motel is a privately run place. I believe that its the proprietor who checks you in - a sweet lady who seems as if she grew up nearby and is proud of her charming little burg where visitors from faraway pass through each year. The lobby area looks like a triangular addition which was added some time ago, to the rest of the two storied motel. When one walks in, it has the feel of a mountain cabin, with local paraphernalia hanging on the walls and its old fashion furnishings. The motel rooms are well kept and clean. Although the entrance to each room is directly accessed from outside, the place shows no signs of decay, dustiness, or pests. Everything was clean, and well-functioning. One could tell that the owners took pride in maintaining a good place. In the evening, a group of elk graze nearby, causing visitors to come out of their rooms and take a closer look (but don't get too close). Evidently, this is a regular event here, according to the locals. Looking out the back window, one will see a group of them laying in the grass as well. A good, simple place in a nice mountain-side town (all two blocks of it), where one can sleep the night in peace, surrounded by fresh mountain air.

Such a nice place! Very nice lodge look. Friendly management. Clean rooms and comfy beds. Wine and goodies in the evenings. If you're lucky you might be there when the manager/former pastry chef makes chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel filling. Amazing! The breakfast is also quite nice. It's self serve with a good variety and hot entree. Also liked the ease of parking in front of our room. Plus we saw elk right on the property.

Not SERVICE DOG FRIENDLY!! TURNED AWAY DUE TO MY SERVICE ANIMAL. Told that we had to stay in a pet room and we're turned away from our reservation. No refund has been given yet. Reservation staff at front desk was HORRIBLE, Rude and uninformed. I was going up on... DONT GO

The lodge is charming and clean with spacious rooms and very comfortable beds. The manager was very kind and welcoming. This is a perfect base for enjoying White Pass ski resort just 25-minutes down Hwy 12. The day we arrived we were lucky and got to see several elk grazing on the front lawn. For winter this was a perfect little excursion for us. I want to come back in the summer to explore the hiking around here. Would definitely return to this lodge!

Everything was fine during my two day stay until the second evening. I was staying here with my fishing buddy and god friend. At about 10:45 pm we stepped out for a smoke and accidentally locked ourselves out of our room. I want to the main entrance to the hotel and looked for some sort of sign or doorbell. There was none. I knocked several times. Then I loudly knocked. It was 25° and I was cold. When the man who works there came out of his room he immediately screamed at me using profanity. He told me that we were told to ALWAYS keep our room keys with us(we weren't ) and at first refused to open our room! My friend then luckily intervened. The next morning as I was prepareing to eat the mediocre complimentary breakfast this same man comes from behind the front desk and physically threatens me once more with anger and profanity. Is this how you trear your guests??

Great little lodge!! Rooms are big and cozy! Pet friendly! Walking distance to restaurants. Very sweet front desk lady! Felt very welcomed! Could stay here a week!!

Denies government rates to military member!! First time ever being denied government rate ever.

This place had the nicest and most helpful staff we have ever encountered. Expedia messed up our reservation and they bent over backwards to accommodate us and not overcharge us despite being sold out. They also gave us great advise about the National Park, where to get dinner, etc. And room was clean and comfortable too. We highly recommend staying here! They definitely prioritize hospitality over everything else!

Lovely updated motel conveniently located near Mt. Rainier National Park. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great, reliable wi-fi. Rooms are basic, but spacious with fridge, microwave, in-room coffee, updated bath fixtures. Lobby is comfortable. Daily evening wine and light snacks. Coffee always. Expansive morning breakfast offered. Elk sightings on the lawn most evenings! Highly recommend if one is wishing to stay in the Packwood area.

The rooms are very clean and updated. Complimentary biscuits and gravy in the morning. Front desk was very nice and humorous. This hotel will be our go to on trips to white pass.

We loved this place! Great warm welcome, nice room and comfortable bed. Hot breakfast included.

Newly renovated and clean. The bed was comfy and the pillows amazing! The shower had great water pressure. The staff is very nice and helpful. A bonus: elk come through the field right behind the hotel. We counted 8 this time. Last year there were at least 20 when we stayed here. I would definitely stay here again. Oh and dining, groceries, and gas is within a couple of blocks. Cruisers has really good food.

New ownership has really revamped this place. Beautiful remodel, clean rooms, comfortable beds, fascinating sink fixtures. New managers were especially friendly and accommodating to our large group. Perfect gathering place for our antique car club tour. Ask for Cindy, she'll take care of you!

Nice and quiet. Clean too! The view out your back window is a nice meadow with lots of Elk to stare at. Walking distance to food and drink.

Packwood is one of those small Washington towns just a short drive from incredible scenery. Cowlitz River Lodge is a sufficient place to hang your hat, but it's definitely more about function than form. There is no atmosphere; the rooms are spartan of decorations, but clean. The continental breakfast does the job, but that's about it. I stayed here while visiting family, so it was the perfect reason to stay here. If I were looking for a quaint romantic place, I'd try to find a bnb elsewhere. Oh yes, they have wifi, but I stayed on the end unit and it never worked for my gadgets.

Our four night stay while visiting Mt. Rainier was terrific. The room was clean, spacious and nicely decorated. The beds were quite comfortable and it was very quiet at night. The room had the quietest air conditioner we've found in any motel. It worked without cycling on and off - and there was no fan noise. There was a hot breakfast in the lobby: eggs, sausage, waffle maker, yogurt, cereal; whole milk, bagels, English muffins and more. The coffee was good, although they had no decaf. Staff was friendly and helpful. The location is convenient, with the Blanton market and Cruiser's Pizza less than 2 blocks away. It's only a short drive to the National Park entrance. Prices went up from last year and will probably go up again next year because the new owner is doing some upgrades, including a larger breakfast area. We'll definitely stay here again when we return to Packwood.

Very nice. Rooms nice and well accommodated. Woke up to twenty plus elk in front of the lodge. A/C worked great since it was in mid 90's outside. Complementary wine in evening and breakfast in morning. Only negative has nothing to do with lodge but with river access - there isn't any! Only access within miles was packed with people. All river access close is private land and zero access. Again, the lodge was great but don't expect to get near river.

Spacious clean room with pretty views out front and back of rooms. Free coffee and ice. Walking distance to restaurant and bar. Elk grazing in front and back lawn areas.

I love this place. We stay twice a year for a week and call it a second home. I makes us look forward to the job that we are in the area for. The updates are very nice, and the personal feel like you just arrived at a familys home has always been great. LOVE IT!!

Nice little motel. Clean and cozy. Packwood is a cute little town just outside Mt Rainier NP, and close enough to White Pass Ski Area. Every evening, a herd of elk hang out around the lodge.

The views can't be beat, Breakfast was very good. Staff was friendly. Our only complaint was the cleanliness of our room. Tub hadn't been cleaned, several dark hairs..the base of the toilet had urine on it, the toilet didn't work, and there was an empty tube of lip gloss and used Kleenex on the floor by the table. Ick!!!! Complained to the front desk upon check out, she apologized.

Clean room, just outdated, but plenty of parking. Normal pet policy for a one time $20 surcharge no matter how long you stay. Very friendly receptionist and the best part were the elk that were grazing on the front grass. Elk obviously use to humans because they were not disturbed by me getting very close for a picture. Not 5 stars because walls are a tad thin, but I would recommend for anyone coming to White Pass. Talked to owners and they are working on the updates now, they started with the lobby, and for the price of the room it cannot be beat. Wife and I stayed at end room and wifi worked great, writing review on their wifi now.

This place was great!!! Clean, close to the parks, and the staff was very nice and friendly. Breakfast was good. I heard MANY people compliment this motel as they were sitting down eating breakfast.

I'd give this place a 5 star rating for heart. They knew we were coming in on motorcycles, it was cold and wet, but when we got there Margie made sure the heat in our rooms was on and she invited us to park the bikes under the portico. Easy walking distance to restaurants, elk grazing on the grounds, outside seating for gathering with friends, incredible site seeing nearby and nice clean rooms. Thank you, Cowlitz River Lodge!