Charming Cabin in the Woods near Woodstock, New York

Description

This is a charming cabin in the woods on more 23 acres of forest land overlooking Chloe's Lake, a 1 and 1/2 acre lake. Before booking, we recommend you read all the information below carefully.


· 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 – 80 inches by 27 inches. For 3 adults, the cabin is too small. We recommend no more than 2 adults and one child.

· There is a Sioux Tipi on the property. You can't see the Sioux tipi from the cabin but the tipi will occasionally have guests. Guests at the tipi will have access to the well, the floating dock and canoe. The "Tipi Room" is near the tipi. It has a flush toilet, sink, and outdoor shower. In winter, the water is shut off in the Tipi Room. The pump near the cabin is winterized and operates year-round. Extra supplies, such as paper towels, propane tanks for Coleman stove, paddles for canoe, are kept in the Tipi Room. There is also a 115-volt AC electricity. One can charge electronic devices there. If the door is locked, the key is in the lockbox hanging next to the door, the combo is 2-5-0-0.

· The Cabin is insulated and has heating. There is a sleeping loft with a queen 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 have running water inside but has a water well. The cabin is not connected to the electric grid and we have installed a small solar electric system. This provides 12 V DC to operate a lamp and to run the water pump. We have a lightweight 2 person Kevlar canoe for your use. Chloe's Lake has lots of fish - bass and sunnies. 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 fireplace with a grill. It is an idyllic getaway for those who appreciate nature. We had a well for the cabin drilled in 2014. Directions for pumping water: At the wellhead, there is a "pump house," It's perhaps 2 feet square. Inside there is an off/on switch. Also in 2014, we built a floating dock to make access for swimming and canoeing easier, and we added a small wooden ladder that makes getting in and out of the water much easier.


· Saugerties is about 3 miles away, a sweet village with numerous antique shops. Woodstock Village 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. 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.

· The cabin comes with 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 [or queen sheets and pillowcases], a flashlight, matches, newspaper for lighting the campfire, etc. - what you would for any camping trip. In front of the cabin, there's a fireplace with a grill. We supply firewood. You may need to split it to size for campfires – there is a “Kindling Cracker” at the cabin. In dry season, be sure no combustibles are left near the fire pit when you make a fire and never leave it unattended.

· A note on cleanliness:
As we don’t live near the cabin, it is not workable for us to do housekeeping between each guest. We rely on guests to leave it clean and tidy, dishes and utensils washed, and to take their trash and put it into the bear-proof container that is at the beginning of the road into the property. While more than 95% of the time, that works fine, sometimes there is a disrespectful guest. You should know this is a possibility. So there are two options. The first is, if it has not been left clean to your satisfaction, make it right and we will be happy to reimburse you for your time. The second is, don’t take a chance – book some other property.

Please remember that to get to the bed one must climb a ladder, so if you are not physically fit, it will be hard. Given 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.

It is safe around here. There are no dangerous animals. We have seen bears a few times on the property, but they are not dangerous. Lots of wildlife,too. Over the years, we have seen wild turkey, great blue heron, geese, green herons, ducks, foxes, and deer; until a couple of years ago, there was a resident beaver family, the lake has sunnies and bass. You may also see our enormous grass carp, nearly 3 feet. We introduced them years ago to eat algae – they are 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. For fishing off the property you'd need a license. Licenses can be purchased online cheaply for 1 day.

The cabin is about 75 feet from the lake, on a little hill overlooking it. “Swimmability” varies according to 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]. From 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 pinhead 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, that is, while the surface water gets warm, the deeper water, a foot or more below the surface, stays cool. Having a thermocline is one of the differences that distinguish a lake from a pond. If a body of water is not deep enough, it cannot keep the thermocline. The photo of the lake on the website was taken in June when there was no watermeal on it.

· While we email a map to each guest after booking and suggest they print it out, nevertheless we receive an occasional frantic call or text from an arriving guest saying they don’t have the map to find the cabin. So just in case, here are directions from the entrance at 375 Hommelville Road in Saugerties: Wood Road goes straight in for 1000 feet, then takes a sharp left turn. Almost immediately after the turn, the road forks. The right fork leads to the tipi. To the cabin, take the left fork. 50 feet beyond the first fork is a second fork, to the right is toward the cabin. In 300 feet the road ends. The lake is to your right, the solar panels and well are to the left, and the cabin is about 60 feet up a slight hill to the left.
· After you book, we need to send you an email with attachments. That includes maps, directions, and where appropriate, key information. Without this information, you may have problems finding the property. If you don't receive the email within 24 hours, check your spam folder first, then let us know.

Luxury camping: Woodstock, New York rentals for the best Upstate getaways