This Unassuming Oregon Restaurant Serves The Best Cinnamon Rolls In The Stat
Last summer, I took a wrong turn on Highway 26, Oregon, and stumbled into what looked like a giant log fortress.
Inside, cinnamon rolls the size of dinner plates were flying out of the kitchen. Camp 18 isn’t your average roadside diner.
This legendary logging museum and restaurant has been feeding hungry travelers and locals alike for decades with food as massive as its history.
The Name Tells a Logging Story
Camp 18 got its quirky name from old-school logging operations that numbered their camps along the route.
Positioned right at milepost 18 on US Highway 26, the restaurant pays homage to Oregon’s timber heritage in the most literal way possible.
Back when loggers carved paths through these forests, numbered camps dotted the landscape like breadcrumbs. Today, only Camp 18 remains standing as a delicious reminder of that rugged era.
An 85-Foot Ridgepole Steals the Show
Walking into Camp 18 feels like entering a cathedral built by lumberjacks. The dining room is crowned by a jaw-dropping 85-foot ridgepole weighing 25 tons, claimed to be the largest in the entire United States.
This isn’t just décor. It’s a genuine piece of Oregon logging history stretched across the ceiling.
Diners crane their necks upward between bites of pancakes, marveling at the sheer engineering feat above their heads.
Front Doors Thicker Than Your Textbook Stack
Before you even taste the cinnamon rolls, you have to wrestle with the entrance. Camp 18’s hand-hewn front doors are carved from old-growth fir and measure over four inches thick.
These aren’t doors you casually push open while texting. They’re solid, heavy, and remind you that everything here was built to last centuries, not just seasons.
Each grain tells a story older than your grandparents.
An Outdoor Museum of Logging Giants
Step outside and you’re transported to a logger’s playground. The grounds feature a towering 161-foot spar tree surrounded by dozens of vintage logging machines that look like iron dinosaurs.
Kids scramble over old chainsaws and rusted equipment while parents snap photos.
It’s part history lesson, part playground, and entirely free with your meal. Who knew breakfast could come with a side of industrial archaeology?
A Memorial That Honors Timber Heroes
Tucked among the machinery stands the Logger’s Memorial, a solemn tribute featuring a bronze statue framed by a giant log grapple hook.
It commemorates the men who risked everything in Oregon’s forests. Logging was brutally dangerous work, and this memorial doesn’t sugarcoat that reality.
The statue’s weathered face and the massive hook overhead remind visitors that every beam in Camp 18 came at a price.
Built by Hand Starting in the 1970s
Gordon Smith began constructing this massive log cabin in the early 1970s using locally felled logs that were hand-peeled and shaped with draw knives.
No power tools, no shortcuts, just sweat and determination. Every beam, every corner, every joint was crafted the old-fashioned way.
Smith’s vision took years to complete, but the result is an architectural marvel that looks like it grew straight from the forest floor.
Cinnamon Rolls the Size of Frisbees
Now for the main event. Camp 18’s cinnamon rolls are legendary, often described as Frisbee-sized, dripping with frosting and arriving warm enough to fog your glasses.
Logger-style plates here mean portions designed for people who chop down trees for a living.
One cinnamon roll could easily feed two people, but good luck finding anyone willing to share. They’re sticky, sweet, and absolutely worth the drive.