About

Welcome to Cinnamon Bear Cabin.  This has been a very special place for us with so many incredible memories of hiking, boating, swimming, laughter and family fun. There is so much to do here and no tourism “industry” to bring crowds and noise and traffic. We built this website to help you plan your visit, show you some of the hidden gems, and familiarize yourself with the cabin and it’s special needs.

Cinnamon Bear Cabin is part of the Lake Cushman Community located in Hoodsport Washington.  Lake Cushman is often called Seattle’s Lake Tahoe.  We are nestled in the foothills of the mighty Olympic Mountain Range a short distance from the Olympic National Forest, Hood Canal, Puget Sound, and multiple lakes and hundreds of miles of forest roads.

Cinnamon Bear Cabin is hosted remotely by the owners, not by a management company.  We hire local year-round residents to help with cleaning, maintenance, and guest support services. We offer use of Kayaks, canoe, life jackets, and other amenities that few other cabins can offer. We try our best to make check in and check out quick and easy and we try to minimize the amount of chores that we may ask from you.  We only expect in return that you are a responsible guest and help us to help you have a most memorable vacation in the Olympics.

We use AirBnB and VRBO as our booking platform because they handle the contracts and the money.  Our listings may be found here: (TBD).

Location

Cinnamon Bear Cabin is located in the town of Hoodsport Washington on the Olympic Peninsula in the approximate area shown on the map below (click to enlarge):

The small lake near the red arrow is Lake Kokanee.  At about 2 miles long, it is a wonderful kayaking lake that is stocked with trout for fishing with the kids.  Kayaking on Kokanee brings you in contact with wildlife such as Eagles, Osprey, many species of other water animals.  Our page dedicated to Lake Kokanee is here

The body of water to the left is Lake Cushman.  At over 8 miles long and over 4000 acres, Lake Cushman is fed directly with pristine waters of the magnificent Olympic Mountains Range at the North Fork of the Skokomish River.  The Olympic National Park “Staircase” entrance starts at the western tip of Lake Cushman.  The park entrance is about 10 miles from the cabin along Rt 119 and Forest Road 24 hugging the lake.  It’s a beautiful drive.  We have a page dedicated to Lake Cushman here.  We have a page dedicated to the Olympic National Park here

The long thin body of water to the right is the Hood Canal – actually a Fjord.  Despite being only a mile or two wide, Hood Canal plunges to over 800-1000 feet deep in the center. Hood Canal is home to Giant Squid while Gray Whales and Orcas have been spotted as well.  Hood Canal also boasts salmon runs, shrimp, oysters, clams, crabbing, a many other recreational fishing activities.  Scuba diving in Hood Canal is considered among the best in the world.  Hood Canal is salt water but generally very calm making it excellent for boating.  We have a page dedicated to Hood Canal, here.

Hoodsport, Washington

 The town of Hoodsport is at the bottom of the hill about 4 miles from Cinnamon Bear cabin.  Hoodsport is a very small and a bit quirky with antique shops, outfitters, distillery, winery, restaurants, coffee shop, gift shop and a beautiful new grocery store.  The summer is the most active time for Hoodsport.  Here is our page on things to do in Hoodsport!

Mythology:

The Cinnamon Bear is a term used to describe a brown colored variant of the American Black Bear.  Rumor has it that several Cinnamon Bears roam the depths Olympic National Park.  Don’t worry, there are no grizzly bear on the peninsula and the Black Bear is quite reclusive.

The Cinnamon Bear was also a popular family radio program in the 1950s and 1960s that was aired between Thanksgiving and Christmas – these stories are still popular in the Pacific Northwest.

Finally, a local author named Pete Merrill wrote a series of fictional stories about Ralph Beauregard, a black bear, and his side kick named Shakesbear – the two who caused all sorts of mischief in the area.  The stories are set in the lower hood canal area and the Olympic National park.  You can see a statue of ralph and some of his friends on Rt 106 as you approach Cinnamon Bear Cabin from Seattle/Tacoma.   You can order the books on Amazon, or read our copies at the cabin.  An entertaining collection of Bear books and Bear art adorn the inside of Cinnamon Bear Cabin.

Cinnamon Bear cabin is dedicated all Bears and preservation of Bear environments Worldwide.