Vintage Pet-Friendly Family Cabin and Bunkhouse in the Atlanta State Forest

I am a recently retired high school teacher and artist. I love the woods and wildlife, but I also am drawn to the older vintage cabins that were built in the 1950s before expressways dictated where travelers could go. We searched northern Michigan for a few years, driving up on weekends whenever we saw a place that might have some potential. We wanted a real cabin, not just another house in another location. We found Pine Oaks Lodge in the spring of 2019. When I first laid eyes on the place, I about fell out of the car with excitement. The exterior looked shabby and the interior was all decked out in blue indoor outdoor carpet and other odd embellishments. But I knew that the place had some great bones and would be the cabin I was searching for with some work. I am also a tiny house enthusiast, so I was giddy to learn that the building behind the cabin was also mine. In the 50s and 60s, many of the residents of this are built "hunter's cabins," small outbuildings with wood stoves that they rented out to hunters. I have restored ours and even created a stone fireplace to match the massive fireplace in the main cabin. Pine Oaks is cute and nostalgic, with just the right amount of modern conveniences.

Pine Oaks Lodge sits on the edge of the Atlanta State Forest and is right down the lane from a major trailhead that connects to thousands of acres of forest. The area was originally 1950's era vacation houses, most of them simple wood-framed cabins built with lumber and logs (see interior pictures) from the adjacent forest. Over the years, people have added on to these original cabins, but you can still see some that are the original 400 square feet models. Ours is now over 700 square feet, but retains the original design and enormous stone fireplace. I love walking out the door and into the woods on the trails that radiate from the trail head. There are wild elk, black bear, coyotes, bobcats, and lots of other wildlife. There are over 50 lakes in the area, most with public access points. Beautiful places are everywhere!

Pine Oaks Lodge offers a nice family space. There is a large open-concept living area that includes a giant stone fireplace. The two kozy bedrooms offer privacy for sleeping. The Hunter's cabin out back is adorable and offers two twin beds, a small refrigerator, heating and cooling. The back yard is big enough to park your boat or other vehicles or pitch a tent and there is a fenced area so you can let your dogs outside. As a person who travels with dogs, this is the best feature! Nothing more frustrating than having to walk dogs in a strange new place every time they need to go out! Old fashioned sash windows swing open to let the breeze pass through screened windows and we have an air conditioner for those rare days that it gets hot enough to need it. Pine Oaks gives the peace and quiet that comes with seclusion, but is also a good jumping off point to visit endless parks, lakes, and attractions. We are just 25 miles from Alpena which sets on the Thunder Bay of Lake Huron and the Sunrise Coast. We are about 35 miles north of Mio and the famous AuSable River for amazing kayak trips. To the west about 40 miles is Gaylord, swiss style village and ski town. Sixty miles north is Mackinaw City and the bridge to the UP. This is dark sky country, so If you are lucky enough to have a clear night, the sky will blow your mind.