Unique mountain log home experience. 5 bedrooms + bonus bunkroom. Amazing long range views. Hot Tub, Game Room, and 4 Ensuites! Hiking from doorway through Pisgah National Forest and Catawba Falls. Pet Friendly. Nature lover's dream.
WELCOME TO BIG SKY LODGE
If you are looking for a unique mountain getaway experience in a custom log home with long range views, you have found it! This is the place where family quality time, fun and memories will be made. Big Sky Lodge is a 4400 square foot cabin built of 9”southern yellow pine logs and sitting on 10 acres, affording majestic views that will exceed your expectations. The views from this home are breathtaking! Big Sky Lodge backs up to a section of the 500,000 acre Pisgah National Forest with miles of hiking trails, streams, and waterfalls including the popular Upper Catawba Falls. A true nature lovers and hikers dream come true, the national forest is home to an abundance of wildlife including black bear, bobcat, coyote, whitetail deer, and wild turkey.
The location
The cabin is located in The Catawba Falls Preserve, a gated mountain community preserve with paved roads, located just 9 miles (18 minutes) from the quaint town of Black Mountain and 24 miles (35 minutes) from Asheville. There is easy access to the property from the paved community roads. A long private driveway allows you to pull right up to the front door. As long as snow/ice not imminent, any car can easily access the cabin (a 4WD vehicle is normally not necessary). In addition, this cabin is one of the few in the mountains that has no steps at its entrance, making access a breeze. One can unload car and walk just a few steps straight through front door.
A unique home
From the massive eastern red cedar log deck posts to the colorful barn quilts, to the “fish” greeting you above the entrance, this house is “unique”. Patterned after the traditional log home styles common to the north woods of Maine or the Rocky Mountain foothills of Wyoming, the home is an authentic pine log cabin (not log vaneer) that finished construction in 2016. It includes 5 bedrooms, 4 of which have Ensuites (There are 4 full bathrooms). A bonus bunkroom is located in the lower level. There is a well stocked custom kitchen featuring granite countertops, and granite sink with stainless steel refrigerator, and Bosch dishwasher. There is a GE cooktop and oven with microwave. There is a Dutch oven, crock pot, blender and a large selection of pots, pans, cooking utensils plus myriad spices. The cozy vaulted dining room features a long rustic table with chairs and a long luxurious cushioned bench that can easily accommodate 10 adults. The table can be expanded if needed.
With a wall of large west facing windows you can enjoy grand mountain views from inside the vaulted great room while relaxing around the cozy wood stove (full cord of firewood stored next to driveway). On those rainy days, browse the large great room book collection containing literary classics and new releases and read a book while relaxing in the Amish rocking chairs. A large selection of games, puzzles and DVDs are also available. This is the traditional mountain cabin of your dreams with red canoe hanging from great room rafters, mounted trout displayed over large smart TV and quirky (but not real) wildlife hiding throughout the house.
The walkout lower level includes a large game room-living room featuring a ping pong table, foosball table and air hockey table and also features a large screen smart TV with surrounding couches. The lower level bedrooms are split with the game room-living room located between them. DirecTV with expanded sports package provides guests with a wide variety of viewing options from sporting events to movies and local TV channels. The cabin uses a high speed internet system provided by StarLink with three Netgear routers which provide speeds up to 230 mbps. This system allows great streaming with little to no buffering, and is adequate for videoconferencing from most rooms in the cabin for those guests with virtual job responsibilities. The smart TVs also have the apps you expect and which you can access with your login/pw. There is reliable cell phone service from most cellular carriers at the cabin. Since there are no actual phone lines supplying the neighborhood, we provide a “landline” phone which is actually a voice over internet (VoIP) phone. Please note that in the rare event of a power outage, the VoIP phone will not be functional.
BEDROOM CONFIGURATION
The cabin is set up perfect for extended families or multiple couples vacationing together. The cabin can accommodate 13 comfortably in beds which includes 3 in the bunk area.
Bedroom #1: King master bedroom is on the main level and has its own bathroom with walk-in shower and whirlpool tub. The room has a smart TV and features poplar bark and log walls and views of the National Forest.
Bedroom #2: Queen bedroom is also on main level, with its own bathroom with walk-in shower and smart TV. This bedroom features its own private side deck.
Bedroom #3: A Loft King bedroom with full bathroom and walk-in shower. This room features amazing views of the mountains in the National Forest. Please note: This is a loft bedroom and while very private and set back, it is kept open below in order to capture the beautiful views.
Bedroom #4: Lower Level King bedroom with full bathroom and walk-in shower. It features views of the mountains and forest and opens on to the lower level patio with porch swing.
Bedroom #5: Lower Level King bedroom. This is the only bedroom not connected to its own bathroom.
Bonus Bunk room area: Lower Level bunk room area with a full and twin bunk beds as well as a queen bed. Please Note: This is a good room for kids and as such the door has been removed to keep the room open in order to enhance supervision.
The beds are all made up prior to your arrival and quality towels and linens are provided.
The bathrooms are furnished with Eco brand soaps and shampoos.
CABIN EXTERIOR AND PROPERTY
The 10 acre cabin property is very quiet and peaceful with breathtaking views. There is a main level wrap around deck that includes a covered outdoor sitting room with sectional couch. There are plenty of other comfortable outdoor seating options including a dining table with benches and numerous rocking chairs and chaises. The rear deck is the place to relax with your favorite glass of pinot and enjoy the mountain views, forest smells, and cool breezes while lulled to sleep listening to the whippoorwill and horned owls. Hungry? Well then fire up the propane grill located near the covered deck sitting area (propane provided). The lower level patio features a 6 person Hot Tub where you can mellow out in privacy while being on the lookout for black bears (which have been known to explore the hot tub area).
Bored?? Then take a hike: This cabin even has its own private trail that leads down to the Catawba River headwaters and the Pisgah National Forest. (This is a non-maintained trail so always use Trail Sense- don’t hike alone, take food/water/flashlight, let others know your itinerary, take cell phone but be aware that cell signal is not dependable in deeper parts of the forest). A more spectacular and better maintained hike is the ever popular Upper Catawba Falls trail, a must see for every visitor. The Upper falls trailhead is located a short ½ mile (10 minute walk) to the end of our road. Once at the trailhead, the hike to the falls is about 30-45 minutes each way. Be careful with young children because of steep sections and falling risks.
Or wet a line and go fishing: For the fly fishermen (and women) in your group, Curtis Creek is a 35 minute drive from the cabin. This is an amazing body of water with wild and stocked rainbow, brown and brook trout. There is even a local outfitter in our nearby town of Black Mountain that can help you with supplies and even provide fishing guides. Amazingly, you can also fish within walking distance of the cabin – we have caught small rainbow trout along the Catawba River as it runs along the above mentioned Catawba Falls Trail.
And don’t forget the shopping, restaurants, breweries, art scene and live music offerings in nearby Black Mountain and Asheville.
PETS
We are people friendly and pet friendly (actually some of our favorite past guests have been of the canine variety). Up to 2 well behaved dogs (and 13 well behaved humans) are permitted with $195 pet fee assessed per stay.
OTHER DETAILS.
We keep our availability calendar up to date. Please check our calendar before inquiring about availability. We usually respond to all email inquiries promptly. We have a 3 night minimum stay requirement in low season (Sept and Nov-May excluding holidays and spring break) and a 7 day minimum stay requirement in high season (Memorial Day through Labor Day). The month of October requires a 4 night minimum.
CLEANLINESS.
We take cleaning our house seriously. We have instructed our housekeeping team on the latest recommendations such as high heat laundry settings, airing out cabin during cleanings and disinfecting all surfaces.
THE FINAL WORD
Don’t leave your suburban home to travel to the mountains only to stay in another suburban mansion. If you desire to experience the mountain magic of western North Carolina, then stay in a traditional styled sportsman’s lodge type cabin with its own unique quirky charm. Look no further than The Big Sky Lodge! Serving mountain explorers since 2016.
