Book One of These Adorable A-Frame Rentals Across the U.S.

While A-frame homes have traditionally been built in Alaska for decades as a means to keep heavy winter snows from caving in roofs (the steep slides allow the snow to slide off easier), these two neighboring cabins are brand new this year. Both the abodes, suitably called the Blue Door and the Red Door, sleep six, with a private bedroom downstairs and an expansive loft atop the spiral staircase. Glass windows overlook a private stretch of beach on Resurrection Bay (where it’s not uncommon to see whales, otters, and other sea mammals) and nearby are a variety of forested hiking trails. The company hopes to add a barrel sauna, a handful of additional cabins, and a fireplace on their overwater deck in the coming year.

Considering this A-frame is bordered by Mt. Hood National Forest, it would be understandable if you booked this stay with the intention of spending much of your time exploring the myriad hiking or skiing options literally outside the door. But it would be equally understandable if you scraped your to-do list and instead opted to sip cocoa by either of the two fireplaces or cuddle up with a book in the various cozy nooks of this three-story rental. In fact, the owners have planned on the latter, leaving oodles of novels and games, as well as firewood for your retreat.

If you want to stay at this Scandi-inspired Airbnb you’ll have to act quickly. They release their available dates a month at a time and they always fill up. Built in 1978, the cabin is situated on a private five-acre parcel near the Snake River, so there’s plenty of options for angling, canoeing, and wildlife-watching nearby. It’s owned by a couple who manage a vintage shop in Minneapolis an hour south, so you know they’re fabulous decorators.

This quiet A-frame can either be a tranquil couples getaway or an adventure for the whole squad. Inside boasts room for up to eight people (four of the beds are pod-style) spread over three floors—not to mention a full commercial kitchen and a projection screen with full surround sound. Outside claims a wood-fired hot tub, two fire pits (one of which is portable!), and a private beach on the river.

Situated between Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake, this wooden cabin is airy and bright. Vintage Scandinavian furnishings complement the exposed beams and touches, like Pendleton wool blankets and a record player and album collection, make the Airbnb all the cozier. This rental sleeps up to four, but due to its diminutive size, it’s probably best served for a romantic weekend away for two.

Little Owl Cabin was once featured in a book titled Cabin Porn, and rightfully so. If you were to picture your ideal A-frame, this might be pretty close, with stacks of firewood outside the front door, snug corners to curl up in, a cedar tub, and vintage ski-town decor. If you can tear yourself away, it’s just 20 minutes to Mount Rainier National Park, the Goat Rocks Wilderness, and the Pacific Crest Trail (though you’re already surrounded by Gifford Pinchot National Forest). It’s a great spot for powder-hounds—they see over 400 inches of snow here each year. If Little Owl Cabin is booked, try for either of its sister cabins: Chateau Marmot and Pine Marten.

Most A-frames are found in places with solid snow dumps. This is the exception. Because the weather is so temperate, they were able to design one of the sloping sides to have the ability to convert into a pop-up patio cover, creating an indoor/outdoor room. This A-frame is one of the smallest on our list, with just one room (the bathroom is in a separate building and the kitchen is an outdoor bar), but it doesn’t skimp on the details. Beyond the basics, they include an oatmeal breakfast bar and s’mores fixings, frozen margarita maker, telescope, board and yard games, and a binder full of hikes to do in Zion with corresponding maps to help fill out your days.

Chances are, if you’re going to Girdwood, Alaska, it’s because you heard of the ski-town’s reputation for incredible powder days and the longest continual double-black diamond run in the country. This two-bedroom A-frame is close enough to the action that it won’t be hard schlepping your gear to the chairlift but is removed enough that you’ll have warm and inviting digs to relax in after a day of shredding. Bonus: it’s only two blocks from the single brewery in town.

Throw open the wagon-red french doors of this mid-century A-frame for views of a quiet pine grove in the summer or watch the snowfall fireside in cooler months. While perfectly cozy in its own right, other draws are the slopes of Snow Summit or Bear Mountain, just 12 minutes away, and the nearby town center, where visitors can spend an afternoon tootling around vintage shops and noshing in mom and pop restaurants.

Hygge, a Danish word describing the feeling of coziness and contentment, is an apt name for this cabin at 9,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. The two-bedroom respite from the city is airy and decorated in a minimalist style, with worn wood furniture and fluffy rugs and blankets. And because they’re drawing on Scandinavian influences, there’s the requisite Finnish steam sauna. Behind the house is a private trail that leads directly to a National Forest.