Iron Horse Inn Bed & Breakfast

After about 60 miles of gravel cycling along the Iron Horse trail we were really looking forward to our stay in a caboose! It was awesome. The hosts were friendly and helpful. The caboose was adorable and comfortable. The goats and chickens were friendly and curious. They even accommodated my limited diet, serving up a great breakfast featuring homemade apple sauce and baked oa**eal that was full of fruit and almonds. My wife enjoyed the eggs and pepper hash as well. We'll definitely return on our next ride to Cle Elum. It is a great stopping point for a ride eastward or a place to stay the night before a ride back across the pass.

A group of friends biked from Duvall to Cle Elum as a part of an annual 'do some stupid bike ride' celebration/memorial for one of the mothers who passed from cancer. This year we decided to stay overnight in Cle Elum and picked this place. WOW, what a wonderful surprise. Honestly the web site (as of this review) doesn't do it justice (y'all need more pictures). We all stayed in the bunkhouse so I have no experience with the railway cars. But the bunkhouse was amazing. The rooms were moder, clean, fresh. The shower had epic shower pressure. USB chargers on the nightstand -- you can't underestimate the value here. The owners were super kind, helpful, and even offered to drive us in to town for something (we ended up not needing it) since all we had was our bikes. Breakfast was great and just what we needed. The common area was a great place for us to end our day just talking trash with each other and getting/giving updates on lives. It's a small walk to Smokey's BBQ which I recommend if staying here. The bunkhouse is rich with the history of the Milwaukee Road (the rail line) with tons of fun pictures and info. The rooms are named after the Monopoly train rides, which I loved. It's decorated well, but not 'kitchy' at all -- very well done and keeps with the history of the house/area. Honestly, this is a hidden gem in Cle Elum...I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this...and walked away very pleasantly surprised. It's right off the John Wayne AKA Iron Horse AKA Palouse to Cascade trail for the adventurous and they were very accommodating for our bikes.

Great little B&B that was an excellent fit for our train themed getaway weekend. We were in the Milwaukee Caboose that had a fully equipped bathroom, mini fridge, microwave, and plenty of outlets. 1 Queen with 3 “bunks”, and enough natural space for a pack n play (that we brought). It which was perfect for our family! 6yo daughter had an enormous amount of fun climbing up and down the bunks and turning the wheel outside the train car. WiFi was a little spotty cause your in a thick walled train car (you can just go outside on the deck for reception) and there was an issue with our door lock but all the little quirks were easily forgotten in such a welcoming and safe environment. The breakfast was excellent too! Our kids loved interacting with the goats and chickens and they even used a fresh egg our daughter collected in our breakfast (which was really tasty and plentiful). Just across a small bridge is an outdoor train museum that makes for an informative and interesting nature walk. We had a great trip!

The Iron Horse Inn B&B was converted over 30 years ago from a long-empty lodging house for railroad workers into a bed and breakfast, one I frequented over half a dozen times over the years. In late 2019 a chimney fire spread to the whole structure, luckily when there were no guests present, and the inn burned to the ground. Others might have walked away, but the owners didn't, they rebuilt it better than ever. The new Inn has four spacious bedrooms on the main floor, plus an expansive common room where one can lounge on sofas by the gas fireplace, make a cup of tea, chat with other guests. It also has tables for breakfast, which featured delicious egg dishes with eggs the owners let our granddaughter "harvest" from the chicken coop nearby when we arrived. The new inn is quite a change from "before the fire" when the original room configuration was small rooms and common bathrooms down the hallway, just the way the railway workers had it. But there's something to be said for spacious rooms and private bathrooms, as it is now. Over the years the inn also acquired four cabooses. These have been open while the inn itself was rebuilt, but without breakfast as there was no common room or kitchen for that. Breakfast in the main inn building is now part of the deal for the cabooses. Our adult son and his wife and two kids (7& 11) were over the moon over the experience of sleeping in a caboose! They all shared one of the two cabooses that have child-sized beds in the former cupula sitting area atop the caboose. The adults had the queen bed on the main level of the caboose and the kids were up high, similar to the top bunk of a bunk bed, with windows giving them a 360 view when the curtains were pulled back. We are SO happy to see the Iron Horse Inn B&B back at "full steam" again. Our room, the common room and the caboose were spanking clean, the breakfast tasty and filling, the coffee endless, the hosts some of the friendliest b&b owners we've encountered over the years. The Inn is also connected by a short path to the former rail yard of the Milwaukee Road train line that closed up shop in the 1970s. Train buffs will want to spend a bit of time walking around a self-guided tour of the train yard, where the station is still there in fading glory, and remains of the former roundhouse and other structures may be examined like archeological ruins. This is also a great area for biking, and many years ago I led a bike club trip from the inn. Quiet country roads parallel I-90 for many miles in both directions and also off to Roslyn and Lake Cle Elum, and the path of the Milwaukee Road train line is now a bike path that runs from the Seattle suburbs to points east of the Columbia River.

This was a fun place, with several caboose converted to hotel rooms. The decor remains very authentic, with railroad advisory stencils, cupboards, handhold, and windows. The place was comfortable but not plush, small microwave, frig,and coffeemaker included, but TV was out (good wifi). Each caboose had its own deck, there were group areas for outdoor games such as horseshoes available, a gas grill, and hot tub. A lovely lobby space, and a delicious made-fresh breakfast. It was an easy walk to the rail museum and a great BBQ restaurant.

We cannot say enough good things about the Iron Horse B&B. Matt and his family are the kindest owners. From check-in to check-out we had an amazing time. We only wish we could have stayed longer and are already planning our next trip to Washington to visit. The Iron Horse B&B suffered a catastrophic fire in 2018 and had to rebuild from scratch. What Matt and his family have endured and overcome is a testament to their strength. The inn is absolutely spectacular and the thought and detail into every square inch of the property do not go unnoticed. We stayed in the Northern Pacific Caboose. It was beautifully decorated and unbelievably comfortable. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a family of bunnies and I nearly cried with joy as bunnies have such a special place in my heart. We were the only guests that night so we were fortunate enough to have breakfast all to ourselves and enjoyed a lovely conversation with Matt (who is a phenomenal cook!). After breakfast we explored the grounds, said hi to the chickens and goats, and walked along the historical path just behind the main house. Along the route we learned about the train depot that is now Smokey's BBQ. It is only fitting that these train cars now live permanently next to their old stomping grounds. Location was extremely convenient as we were able to get to many hiking paths before and after, as well as a one-night trip to Leavenworth (which we highly recommend). We wish Matt and his family all the best and cannot wait to return. We highly recommend booking directly through the Inn via their website instead of through 3rd party sites like AirBnB.