This is a charming 'Camping Cabin' in the woods on more than 20 acres of woodlands overlooking a 1 1/2 acre lake. [Some would call it a pond, but it is 10 feet deep with a thermocline, by definition, a lake - more on that below]
This tiny cabin has maximum occupancy of 3 people. There is a queen size mattress in the sleeping loft, and the bench on the first floor has a 6 inch thick foam seat that is the size of a single bed. If you are considering more than three, please contact us to discuss before booking, we have another off the grid cabin that sleeps 4. Also, there is a Sioux Tipi on the 20 acres that can be rented together with the cabin if it’s available.
For a stay of more than two nights, rate can be discounted. To arrange that discount please click "send a message" and ask about it.
This property has one other residence on the 20 acres, A Sioux Tipi, but it cannot be seen from this cabin. [As the crow flies, it is about 250 feet away] The Cabin is insulated and has heat. There is a sleeping loft with a king size mattress accessed by a ladder. Chloe's Cabin is 8 feet by 10 feet, and 13 feet high, plus a covered porch. The cabin does not having running water inside. There is a water well [see below]. The cabin is not connected to the electric grid - that's what 'camping cabin' refers to. We have installed a small solar electric system. This provides 12 V DC to operate two lamps and an inverter that will give up to 40 watts 115 volt AC power - enough to charge a cell phone, and to run the water pump.
There is a Kevlar canoe for your use. Lake has lots of fish - bass, sunnies and carp. The forest has lots of wildlife, deer, fox, bear, wild turkeys, owls, etc. For cooking there is a 2 burner Coleman camp stove, and outside, a fire place with a grill. It is an idyllic getaway for those who appreciate nat This is a charming 'Camping Cabin' in the woods on more than 20 acres of woodlands overlooking a 1 1/2 acre lake. [Some would call it a pond, but it is 10 feet deep with a thermocline, by definition, a lake - more on that below]
In 2018, we plumbed and electrified a small outbuilding [the "Tipi Room"]that is about 200 feet from the cabin. When the weather is not too cold, the outbuilding has hot and cold running water, a toilet, sink, outdoor shower, and small refrigerator. As it is not a heated building, the water must be shut off and drained sometime in October, and is not turned on again until early or mid May. [Otherwise the plumbing would freeze and break]. The Tipi Room and the facilities are shared with the guests, if any, staying at a Sioux Tipi, which is the only other structure on the property. During the colder weather, the only water for the cabin is cold water at the well head that is near the cabin. Year , around, it has electricty, if you have need to run an appliance or charge a device. [usually the solar electric at the cabin has enough power to charge small electronic devices] There is a floating dock at the edge of the lake. The canoe and the flosting dock are shared with guests of the tipi, if amy. It has a ladder, which is the best way to swim in the lake.
About the area: Saugerties is about 3 miles away, a sweet village with numerous antique shops. The center of Woodstock is less than 10 miles from the property. The equestrian 'HITS' is nearby. This is at the edge of the Catskill Mountains, with fishing, hiking, tubing, and other outdoor activities nearby. For the past 25 years, this has been one of our favorite retreats, starting in 2011 we began to share it with like minded people.
In the summer months the lake has watermeal, tiny pinhead size leaves that float on the surface. When it's breezy, the lake surface is clear of it, when it's totally calm the leaves spread out on the lake. When cold weather comes, they're gone. Our favorite times there are October through May. The cold weather makes the water clear, lake-like, in summer, it looks more like a pond.
A guest has suggested we caution that getting into the sleeping loft requires climbing a ladder, and, if one is not physically fit, old, or overweight, it could be a problem. I am 76 years old and for me its still easy. As this is a safety issue, please err on the side of caution -- if in doubt, please do not book this cabin. We request anyone much over 200 pounds not book the cabin because of the loft ladder.
Below is the outline of a plan we started with in summer 2011, to share it in a way that is reasonably priced without putting too many demands on our time. So far, it has worked out really well, and almost all the more than 100 guests over the few years have enjoyed their stay.
When we started thinking about the possibility of sharing it, the question was, how can we do it? The question we faced was, how to make it reasonable in cost, and at the same time, deal with cleaning and housekeeping that goes with having a rental. Hiring a housekeeper to change sheets and towels right away increases the cost. Our goal was to be able to keep this charming spot, not as a profitable business, but at least have the expenses and taxes covered. After I retired, owning and maintaining a $400,000. property just to camp a few weekends a year became extravagant.
Originally we thought only renting for a week minimum would be practical if we had to hire a housekeeper between every guest. But most initial inquiries were for 2 or 3 days. So, to make that work, we decided to ask guests to bring their own sleeping bags and towels, and that they 'leave it as they found it' This has worked well, it turns out that guests who are interested in this type of retreat seem to be respectful of the property and of the next guest. [Note - so far, every guest but two [out of more than 100] has left the cabin in good shape and clean - this has exceeded our expectations and been gratifying]. Every month or so we check out the cabin to restock supplies and fix deficiencies, if any. We have at the cabin plates, glasses, utensils, toilet paper, paper towels, candles, a Coleman 2 burner propane stove for cooking, and fuel for it. As it is camping, we ask that you bring sleeping bags, a flashlight, drinking water, etc. - what you would for any camping trip. [The copy preceeding was written before we had a well drilled – we use the well water for drinking now.] In front of the cabin there's a fire place with a grill. The woods are full of kindling and dead wood for firewood. there's a camp saw and ax, please only use dead wood, there's plenty on the 20 acres. IN DRY SEASON BE SURE NO COMBUSTIBLES ARE NEAR THE FIRE PIT WHEN YOU MAKE A FIRE, AND DON'T LEAVE AN UNATTENDED FIRE. We now deliver seasoned firewood to the cabin. There is a maul for splitting the seasoned firewood. In 2019, we purchased a “kindling cracker” for the cabin, a really cool device for making kindling form firewood.
Following are notes sent to us by guests who spent a week at the cabin in 2014, with information about getting to the cabin if you don't have a car, and about the [then] new well:
'- For anyone without a car, the bus from NYC to Saugerties is excellent, the Saugerties Stagecoach taxi to the cabin was mot costly.. We brought enough food for 7 days in our backpacks, no problem. [Host’s note: If you don't bring all the food you need with you, there' a market one mile away that's shown on the topo map we send]
- We drunk the well water - it was perfect. . .
[Hosts' note – once in a while, we detect a slight sulfur smell in the water]
Spam heads up:
If you don’t receive an email from us with maps and key information shortly after you book, let us know, sometimes our emails to guests fo into their spam folder.
A recent inquiry asked some questions and we copy them and our reply below:
1) Is it safe there? (I mean, are there any strangers and / or any dangerous animals around?)
2) Is the lake swimmable?
3) How far is the lake from the cabin?
Answers
It is safe around here. No dangerous animals. We have seen bears a few times on the property, but they are not dangerous. Lots of wildlife, we have seen over the years wild turkey, great blue heron, geese, green heron, ducks, foxes, deer; until a couple of years ago, there was a resident beaver family, the lake has sunnies and bass. You may see our enormous grass carp, nearly 3 feet, we introduced years ago to eat algae - it is vegetarian, so you can't catch it with bait. It is advisable not to leave food or anything outside that would attract bears. In addition to fishing in the lake, we often see people fishing in the nearby reservoir from the bridge [see the topo map for location]. For fishing off the property you'd need a license. Licenses can be purchased online cheaply for 1 day or 7 days. Here's a link: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6101.html
> The cabin is about 75 feet from the lake, on a little hill overlooking it.
Is it swimmable? The “swimmabiliy” varies with the time of year. For us it is swimmable, whenever the water is warm enough. We often use flotation devices [little inner tubes or rafts one can buy for a few dollars]. In the fall through spring, up until some time in June or so, it is clear and "lake-like." Sometime starting in June, watermeal grows. Watermeal is a plant like a tiny pin head size leaf. It floats on the surface of the water. When there’s a breeze, it blows to the edge of the lake and the surface is clear of it. If there is no wind, it spreads over the lake. Also, the water gets a greenish tint when the hot weather arrives, not algae or nasty, but more pond like - some people wouldn't choose to swim in it, we do. The lake maintains a thermocline all summer - the surface water gets warm, the deeper water, a foot or so below the surface, stays cool - having a thermocline is one of the differences that distinguish a lake from a pond.
