My first visit to the Real Twin Peaks of Snoqualmie Valley, Washington was in August 1996 for the Twin Peaks Fan Festival. During the event, I took a bus tour of the film locations which included the Mt. Si Motel in North Bend, Washington. This was the spot used in David Lynch’s masterpiece Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and in Twin Peaks – Part 15 from The Return. I recently unearthed a three-minute video from this brief stop to the historic motel.
HISTORY OF MT. SI MOTEL IN NORTH BEND, WASHINGTON
The Mt. Si Motel, located at 43200 SE N. Bend Way in North Bend, Washington, is located in the shadow of the great Mount Si. Constructed at some point in the 1950s, this motel offered travelers a place to rest before continuing on to Snoqualmie Pass. By 1950, an “average of 4,200 cars passed through North Bend every day, with more than 7,000 a day during the tourist and hunting seasons.”
Ownership of the motel changed hands a few time, from Mr. and Mrs. George Cunningham in the 1960s to Marlo Vistrand in August 1994. The motel was sold to Mt Si Motel LLC (Jason Lee) on October 19, 2016. On January 10, 2018, a permit was filed to remodel the motel. That summer on July 16, another permit was filed to replace the roof. The building received new paint colors around June 7, 2019, which completely erased the look of the motel seen in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
You can read about this film location for the Red Diamond City Motel in this article. I also discussed The Dutchman’s Lodge from Twin Peaks Part 15 in this article.
I stayed at this motel in Room 5 in August 2024 for the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me screening with Sheryl Lee at the North Bend Theatre. I loved waking up to the sounds of birds outside my window. It was, to paraphrase Agent Cooper, a clean place and reasonably priced. It’s wonderful the Mid-Century neon sign still lights up at the motel.
VISITING MT. SI MOTEL ON AUGUST 10, 1996
My first visit to the motel was on August 10, 1996 during the Twin Peaks Fan Festival when our bus tour guide, Travis Black, made an unscheduled stop at this location. Travis took a candid photo of me sporting my grandfather’s fishing vest and carrying a tripod.
While I didn’t take any photos during this brief stop, I captured a nearly three-minute video of the location. You can hear my excitement of spotting a black dog when we first arrived.
I was also clearly fixated by the Coca-Cola vending machine, which I thought was the same one found in Lynch’s feature film.
Leland Palmer walks by two vending machines near the main office at the Motel after he “chickens out.”
There was also a vending machine outside Room 6 which Marlo confirms in the video was brought in for the shoot in mid-September 1991. Neither machine match the ones at the location in August 1996 so I’m not sure what I was thinking.
MURDER SUPPOSEDLY FILMED IN ROOM 6
Marlo also shared that the script called for the murder to take place in Room 6.
“In the original script that they wrote and filmed here, they were going to kill her in six instead of in the train,” said Marlo. “When they were doing final cuts and putting the movie out, they decided to kill her in the train. So they filmed scenes to that effect in six.”
While I don’t recall anything in the script about Laura Palmer being killed in room 6, I believe Marlo may be referencing the murder of Teresa Banks. This behind-the-scenes shot has Ray Wise and Pamela Gidley outside room 6. They are wearing attire not seen in the scene when Leland “chickens out.” Pamela, however, is wearing a pink waitress uniform which she wore in the scene where Leland kills her.
I did a deep dive about how I believe the Tremond Trailer and Teresa Banks’ murder was filmed in a trailer parked at the Mt. Si Motel. Marlo’s story must have some nugget of truth that was obscured by her not being a super fan like you reading this article or me.
During my visit in August 1996, I captured the hallway Leland enters before meeting up with Teresa Banks outside Room 5.
The hallway is now closed off with a door.
Roof work was being done above Room 6 during my first visit. It was nice to capture a shot of the original red, white and blue color scheme that was seen in the film.
The door to Room 6 is now white, complete with a digital key pad.
Looking back at the courtyard where Leland Palmer departs and the Jumping Boy suddenly appears.
The same courtyard in August 2024 which appears mostly the same except shrubbery was removed and cars no longer park closer to the motel rooms.
STAYING AT THE RED DIAMOND CITY MOTEL – ROOM #6 ON AIRBNB
If you’ve ever wanted to stay in Room 6 at the Mt. Si Motel, it’s now available to book via AirBNB.com. Leo is an excellent host and is outstanding with communication. The room looks slightly different compared to when the scenes were shot in 1991, yet this is one of those unique locations where you feel you are living inside the dream. Room 6 is quite popular so book early if you are planning a visit to the Real Twin Peaks of Snoqualmie Valley, Washington.
