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At long last, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Susan and Dwight Sheets.

The couple, who grew up in Salem and live in Sisters, has been restoring the historic Santiam Pass Ski Lodge for seven long years. Now, they’re within striking distance of finishing the ambitious project to restore one of the six lodges originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and ’40s.

鈥淭his was a very good year as far as progress goes,鈥� Dwight said in November 2025.

鈥淲e’re going to get it done,鈥� Susan added. 鈥淚t has been a long project but I really want people to not give up hope.鈥�

If all goes to plan, the lodge could have a grand opening around Christmas 2026. But there does remain a big year of work and fundraising before it becomes a reality.

The goal is for the 6,000-square foot lodge, with 26 surrounding acres, to become a public gathering place on Santiam Pass in winter and summer 鈥� a scaled-down version of Timberline Lodge. The lodge is right next to Santiam Sno-Park and across Highway 22 from Hoodoo Ski Area.

鈥淲hen it’s finished, we want it to feel like 1940s when you walk in the door,鈥� Susan said.

In winter, skiers, snowshoers and sledders will be able to warm up with hot cocoa and caf茅 items. In summer, travelers, hikers and backpackers can stop for a bite while the lodge hosts festivals and educational activities.

It’ll also be open for rentals.

鈥淲e’d love it to be for weddings, parties, family reunions 鈥� really any reason that people want to gather,鈥� Dwight said. “But it will always stay open to the public.”

The lodge won’t offer overnight stays, although overnight stays on site could be considered in the future.

A long road back to Santiam Pass Ski Lodge

Susan and Dwight both grew up in Salem with Santiam Pass as their recreation backyard. In the early 1980s, both spent time at the ski lodge.

The lodge was originally built between 1939-40 as part of the New Deal projects by the CCC. At its peak, it offered overnight accommodations, a large lounge with a stone fireplace, a dining room and ski rental and maintenance.

But it struggled to stay afloat economically and closed by the mid-1980s, beginning a long stretch of falling into disrepair.

By the time Susan and Dwight returned to Oregon in 2015 and laid eyes on the building in 2016, it had been falling apart for decades.

鈥淚t was in just horrible shape,鈥� Susan said of a visit in October 2016. 鈥淚t was filled with rats and droppings.

鈥淚t felt like, ‘somebody needs to do something with this wonderful building,’鈥� she added. 鈥淚t’s our history and it shouldn’t sit empty for 30 years. It needs to be brought back.

“We knew that trying to restore it would be a huge job 鈥� we weren’t blind to the situation,鈥� she added.

‘Huge job’ spans years of work

A 鈥渉uge job鈥� was the correct assessment.

The first phase of the project included restoring the full exterior, replacing the electrical system and septic system, among other projects.

The work was only possible during the dry and non-snowy season, which is fairly short. They also hit major roadblocks with the pandemic, cost of materials and the reality of doing restoration in a highly remote area.

鈥淲e really got slowed down,鈥� Dwight said.

But, thanks to the dedicated Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge nonprofit, which has raised money through donations and grants, and volunteer labor, the project kept chugging forward.

Project enters home stretch

2025 marked a big moment 鈥� the phase I projects were completed so Susan and Dwight can focus on the interior.

鈥淚’m happy to say all the utilities are in,鈥� Dwight said.

The home stretch will require some fundraising 鈥� around $500,000 to complete a commercial kitchen and ADA-accessible restroom.

Susan said the Friends group has raised $1.36 million throughout the span of the project. Of that, they’ve spent $1.1 million.

鈥淲ith $500,000, that would bring us to completion of Phase II and allow opening the lodge,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’ve had wonderful granting organizations that have stood behind us. It’s just about as grassroots as it gets. It’s really been a community coming together to fund this project.鈥�

In addition to funds, the other item they could use help with is snow removal, and in particular, a Skid-Steer.

鈥淚t would be a long-term investment that we’d use at the lodge for many years,鈥� Dwight said. “It would make a huge difference.”

Both lamented that most of the remaining work is skilled labor, meaning there isn’t as much for volunteers to do as in the past.

“Once we get close to finishing, we’ll need to put in a lot of sealer, so we’ll definitely have lots of volunteers up for that,” Dwight said.

Keeping the lodge affordable

The project is close enough that Dwight and Susan have started to plan priorities for the lodge, and a big one is affordability.

In the 1980s, they remember staying at the lodge for a few dollars and getting a bed and a meal.

鈥淲hen this lodge was built, they’re just coming out of the Depression, they want to get people outdoors and it’s supposed to be affordable for every income,鈥� Dwight said. 鈥淲e really want to continue that tradition. Over the years it was hard to balance that 鈥� it’s hard to keep it affordable and keep the lodge maintained. But we’re committed to that idea.鈥�

Ultimately, the hope is to have a place where people can come together in a beautiful setting, in a historic building, in one of the most stunning parts of Oregon.

鈥淲e’ve heard so many stories over the years 鈥� about families who came up here for generations, about how special a place it was and how happy they are that it’s being restored,鈥� Susan said.

The goal is to become the next chapter of that story.

鈥淚 really think that once people come up and see it, they’ll want to come here a lot and bring their friends and family. It’s a special place,鈥� Dwight said.