A Vacation Cabin in Idaho Is the Perfect Family Escape

Photography by Todd D. Kammeyer

 

Nestled among miles of sprawling evergreen forests, this Idaho log cabin boasts spectacular views on all sides. But the cabin itself is quite the sight to behold, with striking red cedar logs provided by Pioneer Log Homes that come together in Swedish cope style to make an undeniably rustic-luxe mountain escape. It's also just what the owner dreamed of.

 

“I visited log cabins all over the West—including Jackson Hole, Montana—in addition to Canadian building companies. I studied a lot of log cabin home magazines,” explains the homeowner, “and eventually I figured out the kind of look I wanted, a Swedish Cope cabin.”

 

Inside, the cabin features three stories complete with five large bedrooms, a loft, a game room and a theater. River rock outlines the two fireplaces, while a warm color palette adds a touch of coziness. “I love earth tones and really like to fish, and so I wanted river rock, but because there was so much wood on the walls already, I didn’t want everything to feel too woodsy," explains the owner.

 

Even so, the abode’s location, about an hour or so away from Yellowstone National Park, was chosen for a variety of reasons, but primarily for the access to the great outdoors. From snowmobiling to world class fishing, the family that vacations here partakes in all kinds of open-air adventures. When it comes to toy storage, the cabin meets the challenge, boasting a 30x50 garage with log veneer to match the house.

Maintaining the cabin has proven easy, says the homeowner. To preserve each log’s gleaming luster, painters check in every year. Any part of the wood showing degradation from the weather is sanded down and refinished with stain. Then the painters add two new shiny layers of clear coating. In fact, the logs glisten so much that sometimes they appear almost like plastic because they offer such a fine glow.

 

Currently, the house is a vacation home. But sooner or later the owner would like to retire to the house and enjoy the cabin life full time. “For years and years, I always wanted a log cabin home," the owner says. "It has been a dream to have my family enjoy it with me for so long.”