North Cascades Mountain Hostel | Building a Purpose-Built Mountain Hostel in Winthrop, Washington

In this episode of the Hostel Road Trip Podcast, we travel to Winthrop, Washington, to interview Liza and Paul, cofounders of North Cascades Mountain Hostel — a purpose-built mountain hostel located in the Methow Valley near North Cascades National Park.

This episode explores how a small, simple hostel in Washington State evolved into a thoughtfully designed, community-driven mountain basecamp serving hikers, climbers, skiers, cyclists, and adventure travelers in the Pacific Northwest.

Paul originally started with a modest hostel concept, but together he and Liza made the decision to reimagine and rebuild the space from the ground up. The result is one of the most unique and intentionally designed hostels in Washington, created specifically to foster connection, flow, and shared outdoor experience.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How the original hostel in Winthrop began
• The challenges of rebuilding and financing a hostel in a mountain town
• What it takes to design a purpose-built hostel
• Creating community-centered spaces for outdoor travelers
• Lessons learned from transforming a small operation into a respected Pacific Northwest hostel

North Cascades Mountain Hostel now operates as a year-round adventure basecamp in the Methow Valley, offering access to hiking, skiing, climbing, and outdoor exploration near North Cascades National Park.

This episode is ideal for hostel owners, aspiring hostel founders, outdoor hospitality entrepreneurs, and travelers exploring Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.

The Hostel Road Trip Podcast is hosted by Jimmy Black and Bobby Dyer of ITH Hostels and features in-depth interviews with hostel founders and travel entrepreneurs shaping the modern hostel industry across North America.

Learn more at www.HostelRoadTrip.com