NCW’s Beloved “Hobbit Inn” Razed By Chelan Hills Fire

In addition to at least 25 primary residences and dozens of outbuildings, the Chelan Hills Fire also razed North Central Washington’s only known smial over 4th of July Weekend.

Although not an actual smial (or hobbit-hole) of any legendary local repute, the whimsical hogan known as the Hobbit Inn had been a popular retreat for fans of fantasy fiction and JRR Tolkien since opening as a vacation rental back in 2015.

Owner Kristie Wolfe built the unusual getaway digs as an homage to Tolkien’s novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” and fashioned them as she imagined an actual smial would have looked, replete with gothic adornments, a whittling station, and a wooden bathtub.

Now, all of Wolfe’s actualized visions along with the entire Hobbit Inn property have been reduced to a pile of ashes.

Only hours before the smial was engulfed by the wildfire’s raging flames sometime late Saturday, the Hobbit Inn’s last-ever guest had checked out that morning and a cleaning crew had readied the hole for its next sojourners, who were reportedly turned away by road closures and evacuations in the area when they arrived to check in.

The following morning, reports began to circulate on social media that the smial was nothing more than smoldering cinders, and Wolfe drove to its location all the way from Idaho on Sunday to survey the destruction for herself.

She described the Inn as a “total loss,” while noting that many others in the same vicinity also lost what had been their primary residences to the blaze.

The Inn was last known to be charging around $250 per night and required booking well in advance, with Wolfe saying she had to cancel 110 reservations for the smial due to its ruination.

Now, only days after it burned to the ground, Wolfe has launched a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise enough funds to rebuild the Inn on the same spot it once stood.

“When I first stood in the ashes, I really didn’t think I would rebuild. I thought maybe that was the end of this chapter. But then I shared what happened online and the messages started coming in — stories from guests who had stayed there, people who had followed along for years, and people who were still hoping to visit someday.”

On her fundraising campaign’s page, Wolfe noted that the Inn wasn’t insured for enough to be completely rebuilt, since it was a unique property which defied many of the Spartan requirements of the industry.

As of Wednesday afternoon, her efforts had yet to raise a single dollar but she is hopeful that, over time, enough money can be brought in the bring the smial back to life again.