The rainy season for me means finding new cabins and unique stays to enjoy with the ones I love. This last weekend my husband and I had booked this tree fort in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon.
This area is full of gorgeous hikes, wineries, and cute towns that are worth visiting. Due to it being a further drive from Portland, I find this part of the state is less busy overall.
What I loved about this tiny home before I booked it was that it was off-grid…no wi-fi and no cell phone service. In the summertime I find camping and backpacking for this reason; to disconnect from the internet and the real world.
Disconnecting from the internet is important for everybody. It is intentional and provides the reset that our mind and spirit needs. For my husband and I, we really needed this too. Without having the distractions of our cell phones, we were able to find laughter, dance, delicious cooking, and romance that is unmatched in day to day life.
I cannot recommend it more.
In this post I will share the tiny home we stayed in, and what to do in the area when you plan your stay.
Tree Top Studio
A few months back I booked this tiny home for Benji and I to stay in. As planning got closer we anticipated leaving to visit Ashland or go hiking. Once we arrived we knew we had no reason to leave.
Tucked deep into the country mountainside, Tree Top Studio is located on Still Moon Farm, a tea farm. We arrived at night time so we had no idea what our views would be in the morning. We felt like we were in a treehouse, but still had the luxuries of a cabin: induction cooktop, refrigerator, toaster oven, electricity, and a queen size bed. It was actually quite spacious!
Details Inside The Tiny Home
We brought our crockpot and groceries for the weekend so we could truly unwind. While there was a wi-fi area on site if we needed, we truly didn’t find a reason to.
Hipcamp is a new booking site for me. I find it to be more affordable than AirBNB but listings won’t necessarily have modern day amenities, so it is important to find your comfort level prior to booking.
For example, this cabin doesn’t have a flushing toilet or shower. The shower is a propane heated outdoor shower. There is no privacy, but the house is far enough away from the rest of the property I felt comfortable getting naked. True forest bathing!
The composting toilet was built in a beautiful outhouse. It was cold, but clean! You are instructed how to use it, by adding sawdust down the compost hole after use.
@itsloganmarie Enjoyed being offline this weekend at this Tree Fort outside of Ashland, Oregon. ##tinyhome are
♬ Take Me Away (feat. EARTHGANG) – Sinead Harnett
A short hike downhill from the cabin, the outdoor shower
Composting toilet outhouse
Hipcamp properties can be unique in the way that there are hiking trails on site, or water features. This property has two hikes on site, one to a ridgeline overlooking the Siskiyou mountains. The other right alongside the cabin is a 10 minute walk down to the creekside.
The forest trail a short walk from the Tree Fort
Applegate Valley Hiking
We had no desire to leave the property while we were there, but if you’re traveling from further than us, you might want to check out local hikes. Here are some ideas for you:
Crater Lake National Park-2 hour drive
Jedediah Smith Redwood Park-2 hour drive
Oregon Coast, Brookings-3 hour drive
Rich Gulch Trail– 30 minute drive
Norling Gulch Loop-35 minute drive
Applegate Valley Fun
If you’re looking to explore local towns while you are here, I suggest traveling to Ashland or Jacksonville. Both have an abundant amount of yummy restaurants. Ashland is a 40 minute drive and there’s quite a bit of shopping to do as well. The Applegate Valley is full of wineries and yummy farm to table restaurants. No shortage of things to do even though you might do quite a bit of driving; choose your adventure!
Jacksonville restaurant recommendations: Jacksonville Inn, Bella Union Restaurant, Gogi’s Restaurant, Schoolhaus Brewery, C. St. Bistro.
Ashland restaurant recommendations: Louie’s, Alchemy Restaurant and Bar, Brickroom, Peerless, Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is very popular as well, full of many plays and events that you should book in advance. There are events happening most of the year in the historic theatres of Southern Oregon.
If you’re here in the summertime, the area is full of wineries. While we didn’t visit any wineries when we came this time, we would like to come back and spend more time doing just that. Be sure to check hours as some close seasonally.
Wineries on our list in the Applegate Valley: Quady North, Daisy Creek Vineyard, Anchor Valley Wine Bar and Tasting Room, DANCIN Vineyards, and Valley View Winery.
If you’re heading north on you’re way home we stopped at MaMosa’s for brunch in Grants Pass. Most of the seating is outside as the restaurant is quite small. They are known to be slow but thats farm to table for you. I promise it is worth the wait!
Enjoying the view of the mountains in the front
I hope this post left you feeling inspired to chase the unique stays near you. If you are just getting into traveling booking a cabin close to home is the perfect introduction.
Leaving the comfort of your own space and driving onto an unknown property or placed can feel weird for the first time. But I have come to learn facing the uncomfortable things in life will bring growth that other aspects won’t bring you.
Go with a friend or partner that you feel safe traveling with. Pack items from home that make you feel comfortable. Over time, the more you travel, the less you will be consumed with what to bring and more consumed with what to do while you’re there.
I promise it’s worth facing that fear.
xx,
Logan
