Trees are ablaze with colour in the U.S as autumn turns leaves from green to red, orange and yellow. Fall’s vibrant leaf displays are at their best in October, offering the ideal time for a relaxing jaunt to the countryside.
From Oregon, Alaska and Vermont to New York, Maine and North Carolina, here are seven cosy cabins for rent, which offer dreamy autumnal scenery, fireplaces and fire pits, and have styles to suit all tastes.
Tillamook cabin, Oregon
A slice of Portland style (laid-back, retro-chic), this monochrome cabin is idyllically set in misty forests beside a clear river, a few miles from Oregon’s wild coast. It has lofty ceilings, river-facing glazed walls and a large brick fireplace. Retro wicker and rattan seating, a record player, lush plants and shaggy rugs complete the look.
Narrowsburg, New York State
Live like a woodsman at this Smokey Belles Catskill Mountains homestead, handcrafted from wood in 1955 and has an antique metal stove to cook on and a roll-top bath. Guests can fish for trout on the Ten Mile River stream, wash in an outdoor shower (with a hot tap) and try maple tree sapping. A rustic writer’s shack is also available.
From $240 a night (2-night min stay)
Seward, Alaska
This Lake Kenai contemporary cabin is a ‘dry’ dwelling meaning it has no plumbing and no electricity, and no phone service (ideal for a digital detox holiday). Instead, there is a handpump well, a wood stove, outhouse, a wood-fired sauna and a rowing boat for exploring the lake. Fall leaves and snowy peaks are all around on the nature-filled Alaskan Kenai Peninsula which is off the beaten tourist trail.
Rhododendron, Oregon
Refurbed in 2016, this wooden A-frame is a contemporary take on rustic Pacific Northwest style. It features three tapering levels and a vaulted top floor, timber-clad walls, and is lit by a wall of glazing. The blackened exterior merges into its pine forest setting in the Mount Hood National Park, near the 146-mile Mount Hood Scenic Loop – a renowned route for fall scenery.
From £120 per night (2-night min stay)
Flintstone, Georgia
At the base of Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, this stilted treehouse cabin has a tree going right up through the middle of it and is surrounded by deciduous leaves on all sides. An easy-access staircase entrance opens onto a chic home with an American colonial feel (natural and whitewashed panelling) mixed with midcentury touches, including white Berber-style rugs.
South Hero, Vermont
Oak trees surround this modern cabin on the shores of Lake Champlain on the New York-Vermont border. Wooden floor planks and ceilings and framed folk art are rustic and warming while glass walls bring in bright light off the lake. Get up high to see Fall’s colours on Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s high peak, about an hour away.
From $317 per night (2-night min stay)
Greene, Maine
Picture windows frame the natural scenery set around this tiny ‘dry’ cabin-on-wheels, parked on the shores of the Androscoggin River. The modern wooden dwelling has raw timber interiors and is heated but has non-mains LED lighting, a 5-gallon BPA-free water jug and a portaloo, which lies nearby. A kaleidoscope of autumn colour can be found at the Bradbury Mountain State Park and Sebago Lake State Park – both are within an hour’s drive.
Austin’s Hotel Magdalena serves up supreme 1970s vibes