‘It’s a total loss’: Washington’s most wished-for Airbnb, the Hobbit Inn near Lake Chelan, destroyed in Chelan Hills Fire

Washington’s most sought-after Airbnb is gone.

The Hobbit Inn, a hobbit-hole vacation rental carved into a hillside near Orondo, was destroyed over the weekend by the Chelan Hills Fire in Douglas County. FOX 13 Seattle reported the rental was the most wished-for place to stay in Washington, with most guests waiting more than a year for the chance to visit.

“It’s a total loss,” owner Kristie Wolfe told The Spokesman-Review. “Burnt to the ground, but a lot of the neighborhood was in the same boat.”

She posted video of the destruction on Instagram.

A decade of hobbit magic near Lake Chelan

Wolfe built the whimsical getaway in 2015 as a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” designing it the way she imagined a real hobbit dwelling would look. The underground home featured a wood bathtub, wood floors, and a whittling station so guests could immerse themselves in the lifestyle, with views of the Columbia Gorge and Lake Chelan.

“I had kind of created a character that lived there in my head, and this hobbit was a woodworker,” Wolfe told The Spokesman-Review. “I made it so that an actual hobbit lived there.”

The Orondo Airbnb developed a devoted following. Charging $250 a night, it rarely went a day without a booking, and most guests had to reserve far in advance. With the inn gone, Wolfe worked with Airbnb to remove the listing and cancel 110 upcoming reservations, a number that reflects just how far in advance guests had to plan.

How the Chelan Hills Fire destroyed the Hobbit Inn

Saturday had gone as usual. A guest checked out, a cleaning crew turned the property over, and new guests were due that afternoon. But when they arrived, they were turned around by evacuations and road closures. Wolfe checked the fire maps and saw the Chelan Hills Fire sitting directly on top of her property. The next morning, neighbors confirmed the Hobbit Inn was gone.

The Chelan Hills Fire has burned more than 10,000 acres in Douglas County since breaking out early Saturday, July 4, and was about 50% contained as of Wednesday. One person who lived in the area was found dead in a vehicle after it slid off the road and was consumed by the fire. Investigators believe the fire was human-caused, though the official cause remains under investigation.

Fans flood the Hobbit Inn’s Instagram with grief

Wolfe shared the loss in an Instagram video, pairing before-and-after footage with music from the Lord of the Rings films. The post drew more than 500 comments from former guests and Tolkien fans, many mourning and offering to help rebuild.

One commenter reached for Tolkien’s own words.

“And though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater,” they wrote. “Thank you for pouring your heart into this beautiful piece of the shire and sharing it with so many.”

Another framed the loss through the lens of the books.

“The spring following the hobbits’ return to the shire ended up being more beautiful than any they’d seen in a long time,” they stated. “And that was after great destruction and devastation had been brought through the Shire. I just hope that with the return of spring comes a renewal of these once lovely places.”

The memories poured in. One guest wrote that she and her husband had spent their first wedding anniversary there. Another couple had celebrated their 25th. One woman wrote that her daughter had been booked to stay this week and was in “shock and grief.” A visitor who had toured the Hobbit movie set in New Zealand said a guide there told her this was the best Hobbit inn she had ever seen outside the Shire itself.

“Oh, this is heartbreaking,” another wrote. “The visit I had here was incredibly lovely, and watching the mists roll in over the hills from the door in the morning while the bees are just beginning to wake and go about their buzziness remains my favorite memory.”

Will the Hobbit Inn be rebuilt?

At first, Wolfe wasn’t sure she would rebuild. But the flood of messages changed something.

“I posted about it late last night, and then everybody’s been sending me their pictures,” she told The Spokesman-Review. “So going down memory lane is really great.”

She remains unsure whether she can or should rebuild, but said it would be a shame for the property’s views of the Columbia Gorge and Lake Chelan to go unused. According to KPQ, Wolfe has since launched a fundraising effort to rebuild the inn on the same spot where it stood.

“People want it to be there, want it back, but I just don’t know what I’m going to be able to pull off,” she said.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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