Live The Alaska Dream: Stay In A Log Cabin: Bearfoot Guides Shows You How

The modern log cabin is tidy, lovely and totally authentic. And, often,
you can find one where you can spend the night!

Authentic cabins -- with full baths -- are all over Alaska.

You Can Do It! Stay Overnight In A Genuine Alaska Log Cabin. Rates Are Very Reasonable

Log cabins exist all over Alaska's road system, built by hard-working, talented modern log builders. Unlike many of the log cabins of yore, these new cabins have been crafted at a slower pace than the desperate end-of-the-summer dash of the early gold miners and trappers.

They are esthetically pleasing, nicely chinked, and decorated with attractive, Alaskan-style furnishings.

As a traveler, you'll be getting the best of all worlds.The people who built the cabin took their dreams to fruition. And, you're getting to reap the benefits.

Refurbished trapper's cabin in Talkeetna.

The cozy Alaska cabin that's rented to overnight guests comes in a variety of ages and types. Some, like the one at left, are genuine "older" cabins, retrofitted and upgraded for use overnight. This usually consists of rechinking with modern materials, sanding the inside walls, and using a polymer or other clear finish on the walls. Modern heating systems are also added. And, often, there's indoor plumbing. (If there's no indoor plumbing, there's usually a shower house or other facility close by.)

Cozy cabin table.

A substantial modern rental cabin.

There are also very nice custom cabins in many communities, all over Alaska. Some are small and cozy. Others are multi-story, with decks, waterfront views, and every amenity you might want.

In many places, you can rent a cabin that's in somebody else's yard. Usually they have a larger cabin, and your cabin is smaller.

In Hawaii, this type of arrangement is called an "Ohana," which refers to "family" or "close friends." In Alaska, the term "Ohana" isn't used, but it's the same idea. You'll be able to incorporate your life, in some small way, into the lives of real Alaskans. Doing this, you'll be able to imagine (without all the work!) what it's like to actually be an Alaskan. It's a good deal, for the cost of a night's stay!

This cabin's in somebody's yard in Talkeetna.

If you can stay in a log cabin in an actual community, like Talkeetna or somewhere in the Kenai Peninsula, it's fun to pretend that "this is your life." What would it be like if you had come north to Alaska, and actually chosen a life that included living in a cabin -- in this community?

Of course, the tough stuff: the lengthy winters, and lack of work, the cars that won't start, the looking for, and dragging in the logs... None of those things are part of renting a cabin in Alaska in the summer.

But you can talk to the cabin owners (who are most often also the cabin builders) about what it was like; what challenges they had... and how they started their business and wound up where they are today. It's a meaningful two-way street, renting a cabin in Alaska for the night!

Cabin for rent overnight in Talkeetna, Alaska.