What You’ll Find At The Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum

Nestled in the mountain village of Government Camp, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum serves as both a rich historical museum and a vital Mt. Hood visitor center. As the official Mt. Hood visitor center, the Cultural Center & Museum doesn’t just display artifacts — its staff welcomes travelers with brochures, maps and local knowledge to help guide their mountain adventures.

The museum is filled with six permanent well-curated galleries that bring Mt. Hood’s past to life. These include:

• In the Mt. Hood Forest Gallery you can learn about the history of the national forest and the role of the U.S. Forest Service in shaping the region. This also includes a fun collection of Smokey Bear memorabilia.
• The Club House Gallery celebrates outdoor recreation clubs — like the Mazamas (founded in 1894) — with trophy cases and memorabilia.
• In the Going Downhill Fast Gallery, ski history comes alive through vintage skis and stories of early skiing culture on the mountain.
• The Trailblazer Gallery chronicles the courageous explorers and settlers who first traveled and mapped the rugged terrain of Mt. Hood.
• A quieter, more reflective space is the Mountain Artist Tribute Gallery, which features art inspired by Mt. Hood — donated by local artists and patrons.
• In the Mt. Hood Biography Gallery, visitors can study the mountain’s natural history: geology, wildlife and even climbing heritage. A highlight here is a three-dimensional terrain model that offers a tactile sense of the mountain itself.

One of the most compelling pieces of history connected to the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum is its proximity to the Barlow Road Wagon Trail, the final overland segment of the Oregon Trail. Completed in 1846 by Sam Barlow, this toll road provided emigrants a way to travel over Mt. Hood instead of navigating the dangerous Columbia River rapids. The Barlow Road represented both the last challenge and the final push toward the Willamette Valley and the end of their journey. 

Government Camp sits along this historic corridor, and the museum itself is just steps away from where wagon ruts still mark the forest floor. These faint but powerful impressions — carved by tens of thousands of emigrants, oxen and wooden wheels — remain one of the most tangible reminders of Oregon’s pioneer past. It’s a rare opportunity to pair a visitor experience with a direct connection to the Oregon Trail, making the museum not just a place to learn about history, but near an area where you can physically stand in it.

In addition to being a Mt. Hood Visitor Center the staff and volunteers of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum host living-history events, such as yearly Steiner cabin tours, history talks and also fundraising events like the "Ski the Glade" with Timberline Lodge. 

Whether you’re stopping on your way over Hwy 26 to Portland, planning a Mt. Hood hike or simply enjoying the Government Camp experience, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum is well worth a visit.