Four queen bedrooms, so nobody draws the short straw.
Most five bedroom cabins in these mountains give you one king bedroom and a pile of bunk beds. Ours has four large bedrooms with a queen in every one. Bring three other couples or the whole family. Everybody gets a real bed and a door that closes. That is the whole reason this house works the way it does.
I BUILT THE OUTSIDE MYSELF
I bought this house with one idea: make it the perfect escape for a family, or for couples like us. Then I spent years building the outside to match.
Nature trails through the forest canopy. A manicured creek running through the back yard. An island in the woods with a fire pit, lit beautifully at night, reached by a log bridge I built. A discovery course for the kids, and a playground scattered along the trail rather than parked in one corner of a lawn.
Over an acre of it, and almost none of it came with the house. None of this is a shared community amenity you have to walk to. It is all on our own land, it is yours while you are here, and you can walk the whole thing without leaving the property. In ten years I have not found another cabin in this county with anything close, because nobody else built one.
TEN MINUTES TO THE SKI SLOPES
Cataloochee Ski Area is ten minutes away by the back road. That is closer than almost anything else in this market and it is a big reason people book us from December through March. Snow tubing is right there too.
WHERE IT IS
A three story luxury log cabin in the forest outside Waynesville, North Carolina, in Haywood County. Thirty minutes from a Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance, not inside the park.
And it is easy to get to. This is not one of those dirt road, twisting, looking over the side of a cliff mountain drives. The road is paved all the way to the driveway, in any season, in a normal car. Guests tell us this every year.
THE HOUSE
Five bedrooms, seven beds, 3.5 baths, three floors, about 2,900 square feet. Sleeps 10.
Four bedrooms with queen beds. One kids' bunk room with a custom log bunk. A pullout couch downstairs.
The great room has twenty foot vaulted ceilings, a stacked electric fireplace running the full height, a large Roku TV and the mountain view. Ten people fit in it comfortably.
The kitchen is fully stocked with granite counters and current appliances, seating for eight, with enough of everything that four couples can cook one meal together. Washer and dryer on site. Hardwood floors. Fast WiFi covers the house and the grounds. An indoor jetted soaking tub.
Downstairs there is a rec area with its own Roku TV, and a workout corner with mats, free weights and resistance bands. Not a gym, but enough to keep a routine on a long stay.
Level 2 EV charger, included, no charge. Around five percent of cabins in this area have one.
FOR FAMILIES
The discovery course and the playground are ones I built myself, scattered along the trail in the trees. The creek is shallow enough for kids to splash in and the front yard is big and flat. This has been a family cabin for ten years and it still is.
HOW FAR TO EVERYTHING
Cataloochee Ski Area, 10 minutes by the back road
Downtown Waynesville, 15 minutes
Blue Ridge Parkway, 20 minutes
Cherokee, 25 minutes
Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance, 30 minutes
Asheville, 35 minutes
Cataloochee Valley elk viewing, 35 minutes
Asheville Regional Airport, 45 minutes
The Blue Ridge Parkway through Haywood County is fully open. If you are driving toward Gatlinburg, I 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge is open at one lane each direction. I drove it myself in August 2026 and it took an hour and twenty five minutes door to door.
A FEW HONEST NOTES
The creek is not fenced. It is shallow most of the year and runs fast after heavy rain. Children need an adult with them near the water and on the log bridge.
There is an indoor jetted soaking tub. There is no outdoor hot tub. I would rather you know before you book.
Dogs and cats are welcome with approval, non refundable $100 per pet per stay. No weight limit.
Three floors, upper floors by stairs only.
We are in a quiet residential community, so no motorcycles or RVs, and no outside noise after 10 pm.
Check in is after 4:00 PM with a keypad. Check out is before 10:00 AM.
We are based in South Florida these days, which means I am reachable by phone or message any time and I answer fast. Ask me anything about the area. I built the trails out back and I have driven every road around here.