Dry Creek Cabin, a gorge-view design retreat, White Salmon, Washington

A Two-Pod Spa Cabin Dug into the Gorge above White Salmon

Dry Creek Cabin sits above White Salmon and the Columbia River Gorge, a 1,280-square-foot retreat for two that the architect-owner built for himself and his dog. It is almost invisible from the road but, as you arrive from above, you'll see the roof floating over the hillside, and you'll enter via concrete steps cut into the slope.

Rather than one box, the home is two pods split by an open-air breezeway, or dogtrot. Living and sleeping are on one side, the spa on the other. Cross it and the Gorge and Mount Hood line up ahead of you. In winter, it tempers the Gorge winds, and in summer it draws the cool air through.

Fieldwork Design & Architecture, led by Cornell Anderson, built the new cabin on the bones of an old one, keeping the original framing, foundation, slab and retaining walls and dropping a new gabled volume on top.

Inside, the walls are clad in gray-washed local lodgepole pine, warmed by a wood stove, with skylights and floor-to-ceiling glass keeping the daylight and the view in the room. The kitchen punches well above the cabin's size, with a Wolf cooktop and an Ooni pizza oven among the tools, and it's stocked down to the coffee beans and the olive oil. The spa pod has a wood-burning sauna, a round cedar soaking tub set to face the Gorge, a steam room, and rain showers, sequenced so you move from one to the next.

Outside, the deck faces west into the firs and toward the mountain, the place to enjoy the last of the sun after the sauna. Douglas firs close in around the cabin, charred cedar wraps the exterior, and the Gorge falls away below.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in White Salmon is designed for two but sleeps up to four guests. The cabin is arranged as two pods linked by an open-air breezeway. The primary pod holds the queen bedroom, the living space with the wood stove and the chef's kitchen. The guest pod holds a second sleeping room and the spa. There are two full bathrooms, both with rain showers, the second doubling as the steam room.

• Bedroom 1: Queen

• Bedroom 2: Sofa bed

• 2 full bathrooms (rain showers, the second with a steam room)

Good to know

The cabin is reached by a flight of concrete steps cut into the hillside, so pack light for arrival. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, and the backyard is fully fenced. Exterior security cameras cover the breezeway, the deck and both entrances, with none indoors. A regional burn ban is typically in effect from June through November, when outdoor fires and grilling pause.

Amenities & services

Wood-burning sauna, round cedar soaking tub overlooking the Gorge, steam room, two full bathrooms with rain showers, outdoor shower, wood-burning stove, ductless mini-split heating, air conditioning, chef's kitchen with Wolf induction cooktop, Fulgor oven, Liebherr refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Balmuda toaster, Fellow kettle, Breville milk frother and Ooni pizza oven, full cookware and spices, organic locally roasted coffee, organic olive oil and avocado oil, floor-to-ceiling windows, Starlink high-speed internet, sound system, books and board games, cotton and linen bedding, Flamingo Estate bath products, Dr. Bronner's soap, private fully fenced backyard, private patio, outdoor furniture and sun loungers, barbecue grill, washer and dryer, non-toxic laundry detergent, iron, self check-in by lockbox, exterior security cameras, on-site parking, pet-friendly (well-behaved dogs and assistance animals welcome).

Available on request: mid-stay cleaning.

Around

White Salmon runs along a bluff on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, across the bridge from Hood River and about an hour east of Portland. Its main street, East Jewett Boulevard, packs in wine bars, a glassblowing studio, and some great kitchens, including White Salmon Bakery, Soca, and Votum.

The Gorge itself is the draw. The White Salmon River runs whitewater past Husum Falls. The Columbia at Hood River is one of the world's great windsurfing and kiteboarding spots. Gorge wineries such as AniChe Cellars and Syncline sit within a short drive. Mount Adams and Mount Hood put snow within reach in winter, and wildflower hikes like Catherine Creek open up in spring.