forest service cabin rentals

Have you guys ever heard of this?  These historic forestry service cabins and fire lookouts are available for nightly rental.  Some year-round, some only during certain seasons.  Some you can drive up to, and some are really remote and are only accessible by hiking or snowshoeing.  Some have electricity and kitchens, and some are really primitive.  Some allow pets! 

From the website:

"Many of the cabins and lookouts that compose the Recreation Lodging offering in the Pacific Northwest Region are the historic representatives of a once- extensive system of protective structures designed to detect wildfires – and to house fire guards, "smoke chasers", who formed the front-line defense in fighting those fires as the initial attack.
The cabins were "Guard Stations" – intermediate protective facilities between the Ranger Station and the back country. Guard Stations were strategically located, to afford the maximum contact with people headed into the back country– to check permits, provide information, and caution about the use of fire. Guard Stations also placed fire guards closer to forest so that no time would be lost in getting on the trail when a phone call came in from the lookout locating a "smoke" (fire). Many of the trails that are now recreation trails began as fire trails to connect and supply fire lookouts, and to reach far into the back country."

I love stuff like this.  Last summer, my husband and I went on an epic road trip down the coast of Oregon and California.  In Humboldt County, the coastline there is called the Lost Cost because it's so remote and difficult to get to.  In fact, much of the Lost Coast is only accessible by hiking the rocky, windswept coastline.  After driving for what seemed like hours down a twisty, muddy dirt road, we got to Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, where we stayed the night in an old barn.  On a bluff overlooking the crashing surf, with groups of pelicans flying home for the evening outside our window, we inflated our Thermarest sleeping pads and rolled out our sleeping bags.  (The barn is part of the State Park and costs $30/night to sleep in--we weren't just crashing in some random barn.)  It was so beautiful and foggy and desolate and romantic.  We only stayed one night--I really want to go back some day.

 Image of Sinkyone State Park barn from here.
Find out more about the forestry service cabins here.