There’s something inherently cozy about a log-cabin getaway, in that it offers a rustic simplicity and proximity to nature. But for those who like the idea of a back-to-the-basics vacation more than the reality of it, consider a log-cabin hotel. They offer all the rustic charm of a simple A-frame structure in the middle of nowhere, coupled with modern conveniences (hello, room service!). Here’s our look at some of the most luxurious log cabin-inspired getaways in the U.S., which offer welcome touches like rain-head showers, wood-burning fireplaces, and high-thread-count sheets. —Christina Valhouli
Dunton Hot Springs
The antique miner’s cottages at Dunton Hot Springs look historically accurate from the outside, but the interiors are anything but rustic. This entire resort is crafted from a restored 1800s ghost town. Some of the cabins have outdoors showers to make the most of the mountain views, and there are hot springs on site. Meals are served up in an old saloon, and there’s also a dance hall.
Insider Tip: While most people don’t associate Colorado with wine, Dunton has a sister property called Sutcliffe Vineyards, located about an hour and a half away.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Colorado Guide
El Capitan Canyon
Known as a pioneer of “glamping,” El Capitan Canyon is tucked among groves of oak and sycamore trees. The resort offers a mix of safari tents, upscale cedar cabins, and adventure yurts. The cabins offer front porches and A-line roofs, and interiors are decked out with all comforts, including full bathrooms and kitchenettes.
Insider Tip: Don’t miss the trout sculptures on the property’s Larry Callahan Bridge, which symbolize the fish ladders the hotel has helped build to allow safe passage of steelhead trout back to El Capitan Canyon Creek.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Santa Barbara Guide
The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch
This luxury dude ranch is spread over 30,000 acres and guests of The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch have plenty of choices when it comes to accommodation. The cabins range from new builds to renovated historic ones, and interiors are rustic but luxurious, with sitting rooms and glass showers. Some have potbelly stoves or furnaces. Family style feasts are served up in the Lodge Great Room, and activities include horseback riding, fly fishing, and clay pigeon shooting.
Insider Tip: To reach the ranch, take the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, which crosses the Medicine Bow Mountains and offers views of the glacial-fed Lake Marie.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Wyoming Guide
Post Ranch Inn
The Post Ranch Inn is located high above the Pacific Ocean, and the wood and glass design of the cottages is meant to blend in with the surrounding landscape. While accommodation style varies, some are meant to be a modern riff on a traditional log cabin, such as the stand-alone Tree Houses, which are built on stilts nine feet above the forest floor. The Mountain House has a circular design inspired by nearby redwood trees.
Insider Tip: Nearby Pfeiffer Beach is known for its purple sand and natural arches, but head to the far north end of the beach where heart shaped rocks wash up on shore.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Big Sur Guide
The Ranch at Emerald Valley
Guests looking for a more rustic option at the famed Broadmoor resort can opt to stay at The Ranch at Emerald Valley located just a few miles away in the 100,000-acre Pike National Forest. Take your pick from the ten rustic log cabins, which offer one to three bedrooms, as well as fireplaces and every modern amenity. The main lodge offers a patio fire pit for morning “Cowboy Coffee” and evening storytelling. For a taste of the outdoors, guests can spend their time horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking, or canoeing.
Insider Tip: Book a spa treatment inside the spa tent, which is located right next to a waterfall.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Colorado Guide
Nick’s Cove
Located along Highway 1 on the coast of Tomales Bay, Nick’s Cove has a simple rustic charm. Nick’s consists of a restaurant and twelve nautically designed cottages. The cabins blend seafaring touches with lush amenities, such as wood clad walls, wood burning stoves, and claw foot tubs. At night guests can dig into homemade s’mores kits, which include handmade graham crackers and marshmallows along with local TCHO chocolate.
Insider Tip: Guests of Nick’s Cove receive complimentary barbecued oysters when they arrive.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Colorado Guide
The Ranch at Rock Creek
Spread over 6,600 acres of wilderness in southwestern Montana, the vibe at The Ranch at Rock Creek is lavishly rustic with an emphasis on the outdoors. Guests can choose from a stay in a restored log cabin or glamp it up in a canvas tent. There’s also a spa and party barn onsite. Activities include fly fishing, horseback riding, sporting clay shooting, and geocaching.
Insider Tip: The nearby Rock Creek drainage has been an active sapphire mine since 1892, and in the past the sapphires were used in Swiss watches.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Montana Guide
Steamboat Bay Fishing Club
Located on Noyes Island, near Ketchikan, the Steamboat Bay Fishing Club offers two log cabin inspired places to stay: The Lodge and The Residence, which was completed in February 2015. The Lodge was hand crafted by local artisans, who used native timbers and reclaimed material from the seafood cannery that used to be on site. Both properties feature Native American artwork and Great Rooms with a large wood-burning fireplace.
Insider Tip: Look out for the humpback whale that likes to hang out in the bay just in front of The Lodge and The Residence.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Alaska Guide
Winvian Farm
For an eccentric take on log cabin décor, head to Winvian in Connecticut. The property is spread over 113 acres and has 18 wildly different cottages, each with a unique theme. Three of the cabins riff on log cabin décor. Woodlands Cottage is crafted from rough-cut pine and peeled tree trunks, and in Beaver Lodge a dome of intertwining sticks crowns the bed and trees reach the ceiling. The Log Cabin looks authentically aged on the outside, but the interior is decked out with leather club chairs and a wood-burning fireplace.
Insider Tip: Winvian is also a working farm and focuses on serving non-GMO food in its farm-to-table restaurant. For seven months of the year, 70 percent of the food served at the restaurant comes from the property’s grounds.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Connecticut Guide