Travel

The 8 Best Cabin Vacations in America

3 / 8

by Peter Koch

360-Degree Views: Candlewood Cabins, Wisc.

Candlewood Cabins has intimate one-room cabins with 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on Wisconsin’s woodsy Ocooch Mountains (from $115/night). Commune with nature on the Wisconsin River, with its good trout fishing and lazy-river paddling, or enjoy some of the area’s more urbane pleasures, like the bright lights and brewpubs of nearby Madison.

Remoteness: The Glass House is an easy 90-minute drive from Madison’s Dane County Regional Airport.

Book It: Cross your fingers for a last-minute cancellation or put your name down for next summer. Or ask about the new Meadow House cabin, which offers a similar experience but is still a bit of a secret. candlewoodcabins.com

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4 / 8

Canyon Campout: Phantom Ranch, Ariz.

Everyone knows the Grand Canyon is big, but its true size is impossible to grasp till you’re at its bottom. Phantom Ranch, set in a cottonwood grove near the Colorado River, is 4,500 feet below the canyon’s touristy rim. The rustic cabins (from $135/night), stocked and serviced by mule train, make a great base camp for day hikes fueled by hearty family-style meals of steak and stew.

REMOTENESS: Once you hit the ranch’s South Rim, it’s still a half-day hike down steep canyon trails—and the return trip is even longer.

BOOK IT: Way ahead. Getting a reservation is almost as hard as the hike out, and the more people, the trickier. grandcanyonlodges.com

5 / 8

Redwood Hideaway: Glen Oaks Big Sur, Calif.

The Big Sur Cabin at Glen Oaks is everything you want in a Central Coast hideout. Tucked into a redwood grove next to the Big Sur River, it feels intimate, upscale, rustic, remote, and—with 240,000 acres of hot-spring- and waterfall-studded Ventana Wilderness—accessible all at the same time. But the real clincher is the cabin’s small courtyard, where you and your partner can soak sore muscles in a pair of fireside claw-foot tubs. ($450/night)

REMOTENESS: Glen Oaks is a two-hour drive from the San Jose Airport and less than three from SFO.

BOOK IT: It’s popular, so for high season book way ahead for two or more consecutive nights. glenoaksbigsur.com

6 / 8

Quiet Caribbean: Bahia Honda State Park, Fla.

For the best waterfront lodging deal in all of the Florida Keys, head to Bahia Honda State Park, where a handful of basic cabins that sleep up to six people rent for just $160 per night ($120 off-season). The simple accommodations—no TV, no wi-fi, and no phones—take a backseat to the incredible nature surrounding them on the 524-acre island refuge. Hiking trails, white-sand beaches, and swimmable coral reefs are all on your doorstep.

REMOTENESS: Bahia Honda is a 50-minute drive up from Key West International Airport.

BOOK IT: Pray for cancellations or stalk the reservation website for next year’s stay in paradise. floridastateparks.org

7 / 8

Hiker’s Bunkhouse: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, N.H.

For more than a century, the Appalachian Mountain Club has maintained a European-style alpine hut system in New Hampshire’s rugged White Mountains. At 5,050 feet, this is the highest, with one of the best front-porch views this side of the Mississippi. The coed dorms (from $127/night) are pretty basic but come with delicious, stick-to-your-ribs meals to fuel challenging above-tree-line hikes to the surrounding Presidential peaks.

REMOTENESS: It’s a strenuous three- to four-hour hike to reach Lakes of the Clouds, ascending a minimum of 2,500 feet.

BOOK IT: Two months in advance. Most dates are snatched up at least that early. outdoors.org

8 / 8

Deep Wilderness: Ultima Thule Lodge, Alaska

Set in the 13-million-acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, these fly-in luxury cabins look out over the braided Chitina River and beyond to wild, unnamed mountains. Owner/bush pilot Paul Claus turns one of the world’s largest protected wilderness areas into your personal playground by dropping you off daily for remote hikes, glacier walks, fly-fishing, climbing, or rafting. At night, chow down on grub that’s been locally grown, fished, or hunted. (From $7,700/ person for four nights, all-inclusive)

REMOTENESS: Ultima is 100-plus miles from the nearest road, so access is by bush plane only.

BOOK IT: At least four months ahead, as just 12 guests can stay at a time. ultimathulelodge.com

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