TELLURIDE, Colo.-
How does this sound for your next vacation: A backcountry log cabin on a lake, with a fireplace and nothing to do all day but fishing, hiking, canoeing or relaxing on the porch with a good book.
If that seems appealing, check out “The Top 100 Most Beautiful Rustic Vacations of North America,” which lists ranches, lodges, inns and cabin rentals in 23 states, plus Canada and Mexico. “Extraordinarily beautiful wilderness surroundings” was one of the top criteria used by author Dave Johnson, who goes by the pen name Dusty Dave, in choosing the places to be included.
But he adds in his introduction that “a ‘rustic’ vacation does not necessarily mean sleeping bags and outhouses. On the contrary, almost all of the places in this book have comfortable beds, running water and indoor toilets. What ‘rustic’ refers mostly to are cozy wooden cabins or lodges in remarkable forested settings.”
Recommendations range from the Sorrel River Ranch Resort, a luxury lodge with a spa in Moab, Utah––where stays run $200-$400 a day, to the Birches, in Rockwood, Maine– –where cabins rent for as little as $50 a day and activities include moose-watching cruises in the warmer months and ice fishing in winter on Moosehead Lake.
For a splurge, consider the Afognak Wilderness Lodge in Alaska, which runs $700 a person per day but includes meals, fishing gear, boats and professional guides–.
Does the cowboy life intrigue you? The Colorado Cattle Company in New Raymer, Colo.––lets guests take part in everything from rounding up the cows to mending fences to branding calves. Rates are about $300 a person a day, including meals and activities.
At Heartland Country Resort, in Fredericktown/Chesterville, Ohio, you can learn to ride a horse, feed the farm animals and enjoy the countryside, including a nearby Amish community, for $100-$200 a day–.
How about sleeping in a treehouse? The Out’n’About Treesort in Cave Junction, Ore.––offers accommodations of $100-$200 per treehouse per day, including breakfast. Get ready for an experience that is much nicer than your average backyard treehouse. Some of the units have kitchenettes, showers and queen beds. Rappelling, tree-climbing, horseback riding, biking and swimming all offered on the premises.
The $22.95 paperback, published by Rusty Duck Press, can be ordered from Amazon.com and other booksellers, or visit the Web site, which also offers recommendations on where to stay.
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