Setting the Stage – Blue Pine Lodge Exterior

Today, I’m introducing a new series called “Setting the Stage” which looks at the sets and places that make up the world of Twin Peaks. I begin with a look at one of the first film locations I visited in 1996 – Kiana Lodge. It’s located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE, in Poulsbo, Washington.

WHAT IS THE BLUE PINE LODGE?

In the series, the Blue Pine Lodge is home for Josie Packard, and Catherine and Pete Martell. In episode 2,001, Sheriff Harry Truman answers a telephone call by saying “Blue Pine Lodge.” The name is a nod to a fictional names for one of the two mountain peaks over looking the town – Blue Pine Mountain.

BLUE PINE LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS PILOT

The first scene of the Pilot  just after the opening credits is an establishing shot of ducks floating on a pond. It transitions to an exterior shot of Blue Pine Lodge.

After announcing to Catherine Martell that he is “gone fishing,” Pete Martell is soon seen leaving Blue Pine Lodge. His appreciation of the sound a lonesome foghorn makes is interrupted notices a body wrapped in plastic. For this story, I’m only focusing on Blue Pine Lodge. The giant log on the no-bank waterfront where Laura Palmer’s body is examined in this “Setting the Stage” article.

Josie Packard and Catherine Martell are seen standing outside the Blue Pine Lodge kitchen door. In reality, this is the back entrance to Kiana Lodge.

Pete returns to the lodge to investigate which gives a nice pan of the outside.

Toward the end of the Pilot episode, Sheriff Truman returns to Blue Pine Lodge where Josie and he share a kiss on the porch.

This scene is the final exterior shot from the Pilot episode, yet footage captured during the location shoot in Washington State will continue to appear throughout seasons 1 and 2.

BLUE PINE LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON ONE

A nighttime shot of Blue Pine Lodge is seen in episode 1.002, while in episode 1.003 there is a nighttime shot of the no-bank beach (sans the giant log).

In episode 1.004, there are two different nighttime shots. One has Sheriff Truman’s vehicle and what appears to be a BMW. The second nighttime shot has no vehicles parked outside.

Two additional shots of Blue Pine Lodge close out the first season.

In episode 1.006, a daytime shot of the lodge is shown with Sheriff Truman’s car and the BMW parked outside. This time the cars are parked in an opposite direction from how they were parked in Episode 1.004.

In Episode 1.007, it appears a recycled two cars parked outside shot first seen in Episode 1004 was used.

BLUE PINE LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON TWO

The second season kicks off with episode 2.001. There is a brief but beautiful morning shot from the Blue Pine Lodge porch. The scene is looking toward the area of the giant log (seen on the right side of the image).

After episode 2.001, Blue Pine Lodge is not used as a set or shown again until episode 2.004. You may recognize the Thunderbird totem pole briefly seen in the Pilot which was carved by Don Wells Keys.

Episode 2.006 shows Sheriff Harry Truman walking toward the Blue Pine Lodge at night.

Another exterior image is not shown until Episode 2.013 where Sheriff Truman is shown walking toward the Lodge during daytime. This daytime shot with two cars parked outside has the cars positioned differently than episode 1.006.

The “Piano Concerto in A Minor (1st Movement)” by Edvard Grieg accompanies views of giant storypole carved by Craig Jacobrown outside Blue Pine Lodge in episode 2.013.

These same carvings are seen in some aforementioned establishing shots.

For some unknown reason, episode 2.014 also contains a nighttime, no-bank beach scene that appears just before cutting to the Marsh Mansion. This quick look is similar to the nighttime scene from episode 1.003. It’s unclear why the establishing shot was used for this scene as it picks up with James Hurley packing to leave.

The final exterior shot of Blue Pine Lodge is seen in episode 2.020. It’s a nice bookend to one of the first shots seen in the Pilot.

BLUE PINE LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON THREE

Then in 2017, viewers returned the Blue Pine Lodge in Part 17 of Twin Peaks: The Return. There is a brief scene of Pete Martell headed to his morning fishing spot. The scene appears to be a different part of a take that used in the Pilot Episode.

In the Pilot (seen way above), the scene picks up with Pete walking just as the grass turns to gravel. This scene in Part 17 shows Pete walking to that spot from the Blue Pine Lodge porch.

Specifically shot for Part 17, the area where Pete went fishing is the last exterior image of Blue Pine Lodge.

The funny thing is the fishing spot is actually in the opposite direction from where Pete was walking. You can see the top of the giant log just below the tall pine.