Ashford: Copper Creek Inn (August 2014)

My spouse and I visited the Copper Creek Inn for happy hour on a Saturday afternoon in early August 2014. The restaurant is open daily, except in winter when it closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily in the summer. In the spring, fall, and winter, the restaurant serves breakfast only on weekends, with lunch and dinner daily (except in winter, dinner is not served on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as previously mentioned).

We did not have a reservation, nor do we think that the restaurant accepts them. When we arrived, this restaurant was busy, so we added our name to a waiting list after we requested an outdoor table. We waited for about 10 minutes before the host seated us. No bar exists at which to wait; a small counter offers seating for diners rather than people who are waiting and / or drinking.

The Copper Creek Inn and Restaurant is located near the town of Ashford, about two miles from the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The inn sits on a well-forested piece of land adjacent to State Route 706. Complimentary street parking exists on SR 706, as well as a few formal parking spots directly in front of the restaurant. From the outside, this restaurant appears to be a rustic country roadhouse (bar). The establishment was built in the 1920s as a service station with a lunch counter, which later expanded to a cafe and an inn.

The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating on the ground floor, and additional outdoor seating on a deck (accessed from outside of the restaurant). Bathrooms are accessible from outside of the main restaurant. No air-conditioning exists inside the restaurant, so it can be warm.

Not only does the Copper Creek Inn offer dining, but it also offers lodging. About 16 different lodging options exist, most of which (except three rooms) are single cabins that sleep at least two guests, each with its own kitchen and private hot tub / Jacuzzi. Three rooms / suites are available upstairs from the restaurant that sleep at least two people each. All lodging options include private bathrooms.

We shared a smoked fish dip, followed by a piece of Copper Creek Inn’s famous blackberry pie accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Inn is famous for its baked goods, including pies (but only blackberry!), cinnamon rolls, cookies, and breads. In fact, the Inn advertises that they bake their pies every 45 minutes, and if so desired, you can take one “to go” (either fresh or frozen), along with their other baked goods. The restaurant makes all of its soups, chilis, and stews from scratch as well. A small gift shop is located in one corner of the restaurant where you can buy a unique souvenir.

Our happy hour at the Copper Creek Inn was an excellent way to end the day spent touring in Mount Rainier National Park. The atmosphere is social, because most of the patrons also seem to have spent their days outdoors and are ready to relax and swap stories in this casual atmosphere.