How it works
That's step zero and it already happened. A past guest gave you the contact we use for introductions. We trust them; by extension, we trust you. On our end, we'll cross-reference the name with our ledger and confirm they've stayed in the last three years. If they haven't, we'll ask for a second voucher. No offense meant, it's just the system.
Dates, number of people, what kind of trip, whether you want to cook, how far you're willing to drive from pavement, whether a pit toilet is a dealbreaker. No judgment on that last one. Tell us about dogs, kids, dietary things that matter for provisioning, and anything in your group that might matter — a bad knee is relevant if we're putting you at Crowsnest.
We run a physical board, updated daily. Usually we can offer two or three properties that fit. Sometimes one. Occasionally none — in which case we'll tell you, and suggest a different week. We won't sell you a cabin that's wrong for you just because it's open.
You get a short write-up of the cabin, honest photos, the nightly rate, the cleaning fee, the deposit. No surprise charges at the end. What we quote is what you pay. The hold is marked in yellow magnet on the board; nobody else can book those dates while you're thinking.
Balance is due two weeks before arrival. We take bank transfer or a paper check mailed to the grange. We don't do crypto, we don't do deposits under fifty bucks, and we don't do the thing where the rate goes up if you wait. The rate is the rate.
A printed-style PDF we call the Arrival Packet: topo map with the last-mile in marker, gate combo, what's in the cabin, what isn't, how the stove works, where the axe lives, where the satellite messenger lives, what to do if the propane smells funny (shut it off at the tank, back away, call us from wherever you can, in that order). The packet also tells you where the nearest gas pump is and which way to turn if your truck won't start.
You drive in, settle in, read the welcome note June wrote, use the cabin. The day before you leave, you sweep, you pack your trash, you split a little wood. We check in the day after to make sure the cabin's back to zero. If something broke, we'd rather know. Stuff breaks. That's fine.
We keep a small list of returning guests. You get first look at the following year's shoulder-season weeks before they open to new referrals. You can also vouch for someone yourself, once — not a limit we enforce, just a habit worth naming. A referral is a small act of trust on your part, and it matters to us.
Six of eleven properties allow one well-behaved dog. Two allow two. Three don't allow any. We'll tell you which when you book. A $35 per-stay dog fee applies at the pet-friendly cabins — it pays for an extra set of linens to be washed separately.
No. At four properties there's enough cell signal to send a text if you stand in the right spot — Moose Pond's north dock, the second switchback above River Bend, the Dry Creek porch (sometimes), and the top of the Crowsnest stairs. That's the ceiling.
Every cabin has a satellite messenger in a labeled box. Instructions are on the inside of the lid. It's for emergencies, not for checking scores. It pings us and a dispatch service; we'll call you back via the device within ten minutes.
Yes, for the three year-round cabins (Dry Creek, Black Butte, Tin Shed). Seasonal properties open on a rolling basis — Crowsnest, for instance, opens in March for that summer, once Del has driven up to check the road and the roof.
No. We used to. We don't anymore. It's not personal.
More than 30 days out: full refund minus a $25 admin fee. 14–30 days: half refund. Less than 14 days: no refund unless we can rebook the cabin, in which case we refund what we recover. Weather cancellations (roads actually closed, not "it's raining") get full refunds at any notice.
No. But we can recommend a local shuttle driver named Pat who has been driving this valley since before GPS and who takes cash.
If they're already in our system, yes — we'll put a credit on their account. If they're not, we'd need to treat them as a new referral, which means you'd be vouching for them. Same rules, different payment.