A cabin by a lake
 

Hi all, I am in LA in mid Feb 2023, then I have 8 days off in the very end of Feb 27/first week of March.
Having only seen the US from tv and movies, I have nostalgic memories of cabins by lakes. I was wondering if anyone could recommend an area that might not be under snow at this time, but still has some forest and other scenery. Not looking to do any water sports, just looking for a beautiful vista.
Ideally I would like to do some hiking and wandering around, and I am not really wanting to buy a whole lot of winter gear (which I appreciate limits my choices). I am also not looking for tourist attractions or museums/shops etc.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

“ . . . might not be under snow . . . “

Are you saying you want no snow or simply snow that would keep you from getting there? Either way, trying to predict in advance will be an exercise in eliminating some of your best options. Consider instead waiting until a week or so before when you’ll have good weather predictions available & book then. It isn’t high season for lake cottages unless you want to ski and will let you choose based on scenery & most easily reached from LA so you don’t waste cabin time getting there.

I guess I am looking for somewhere that would not be impacted by snow...I don't mind the cold, but wont be geared up for that. Good suggestion re: late booking to see what options are best. thanks

An attractive lake with pine trees in the West is likely to have snow that time of year. There may be lakes with live oaks in California which wouldn't have snow. The Southeastern US would have such lakes without snow.

Look at Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA... HIke a little, drive to PR to wine taste a little and/or visit Sensorio, head to Cambria and walk on the beach a little, make a day trip to Hearst Castle or, if the weather is really nice, up Hwy. 1 to Big Sur. It's about a 4-hour drive from L.A., or about 4.5 hours if you go via Santa Barbara, Pismo, etc.

Weather in March:

https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/cal...#rainfall_days

If you were willing to fly, I'd look around western Washington State, using Seattle as your destination. Round trip airfare from LAX to Seattle in February is around $200.

If you were willing to consider saltwater frontage as well as fresh, you might look in the Hood Canal area south and west of Seatac airport (around an hour) where there are a number of VRBO properties that might suit your needs. Here are a couple of examples:

Charming lakefront cabin with gas fireplace, private hot tub & dock - Mason County (vrbo.com)
Dreamy Lakefront Cabin with Two Decks, Private Dock, Garden, & Full Kitchen - Pierce County (vrbo.com)
Picturesque Hood Canal Waterfront with Olympic Mountain View - Kitsap County (vrbo.com)
Hood Canal, 1930's Beach Cottage, 315' Cove with Oysters! - Hoodsport (vrbo.com)

There are numerous similar waterfront listings all around the Puget Sound region. They're all at sea level, so the chance of snow on the ground is minimal, and they're all reachable by road (sometimes including brief ferry rides) from Seattle or Tacoma. While most will have neighbors (but maybe not in February) some are fairly isolated, but all will be close to wonderful hiking or exploring options - historic towns, beach walks, etc. The weather will likely be wet but not horribly so.

Thanks all, some good food for thought there. I would be happy flying and hiring a car to get to a destination.

If you are coming into Seattle you could also look at Whidbey Island and/or San Juan Islands.

I can think of lots of great places in New England... but not in February -haha.

There is oceanfront in Southern California. You don't need to fly for that.

We sort of like Lake Isabella along the Kern River too.

Well, there are hundreds of thousands of lake cabins in the North Central US and also Manitoba and Ontario, all these currently under snow. But I am not sure these types of cabins have ever been represented in film or TV so I’m not really sure what you are looking for. A single cabin on an alpine lake? Those will be frozen too.

There are a lot of reservoirs in Texas and across the South with cabins although to me a reservoir is a bit phony.

Laughing at the not bothered by cold comment. Unless you are from Russia, Lapland, or Mongolia you have no idea how cold parts of North America can get.