Cabin On The Range | Relaxing Offgrid Recreation Playground

Located just 20 minutes from Merritt high above the beautiful Nicola Valley, this cabin sleeps 7 and is set on approximately 2 acres. It is a perfect vacation getaway or a home away from home when travelling for work. It is a recreation playground all year long, surrounded by endless miles of mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking trails in spring/summer and fall and a stocked fishing lake at the end of the road. In the winter it becomes a winter wonderland of endless cross-country skiing and snowshoeing possibilities with some truly great tobogganing hills. You can do it all right from the cabin. Then relax by the fire, or on one of the decks, enjoy a meal and snuggle down in one of the comfy beds for an amazing night's sleep.

The cabin is located on the beautiful Coutlee Plateau just outside of Merritt about 1000 feet up above the Coldwater River. Access is via 9km of gravel road that is well maintained and generally passable with 2wd year round if you have good winter tires. Everything you need for a comfortable stay is provided including all bedding, towels, soaps, a fully stocked kitchen, library, board games and more. Internet and cel service are generally excellent and quite reliable. The local bike shop in town has all kinds of recreational rentals available like skis and paddle-boards if you don't have your own. There are mapped, maintained trails for biking, hiking and horseback riding all around the cabin as well as lots of logging roads to explore and a stocked fishing lake at the end of the road.

Winters are long but the snow is usually pretty much gone by the end of April. May and June are beautiful as the grasslands come alive with wildflowers and new leaves emerge on the deciduous trees. Songbirds and hummingbirds abound and you will likely see brand new foals running with the local wild horses and maybe a fawn or two. The range cattle come up mid-May so you will see LOTS of cows and calves too! This is a wonderful time of year to get out and enjoy the beauty of the grasslands and forests surrounding the cabin before the heat of summer sets in.

July and August bring the heat and a perfect excuse for lazing on the deck or at the nearby lake. There is a significant temperature difference in the shade as the climate is quite dry here. Without the humidity, it is easy to escape the heat of the day with a walk in the forest. The days are long and the sunsets spectacular.

September can be warm too but the evenings and mornings get cooler and the days are getting shorter. September can often be a perfect month. October is absolutely stunning as the leaves change and the mornings start to get frosty. This a popular area for hunters with abundant wildlife so the cabin is a perfect spot to set up camp.

November tends to be the start of winter and we can usually count on our first big dump of snow by the end of the month. The days keep getting shorter and is a good time time to settle in for long evenings by the fire and explore the large selection of books and boardgames in the cabin. You won't find a more beautiful spot to celebrate winter holidays than the cabin. A white Christmas is pretty much guaranteed. December is a magical time to get out in the forest on skis or snowshoes. You'll be amazed at all the animal tracks and the sheer beauty of it all. Celebrate the winter solstice with a bonfire or come in January to unwind after a stressful holiday season in the city. The days are starting to get a little longer and we still have TONS of snow for you to play in.

February and March are the tail end of winter and your last chance to play in the snow before we transition back to spring. In March, you can often turn right out of the gate and go mountain biking or hiking between the cabin and the valley bottom or turn left and find some good snow up higher on the mountain.

You can easily spend your whole visit in the area surrounding the cabin but the Nicola Valley has many other adventures to offer. As the saying goes.... we have "a lake a day as long as you stay," beautiful rivers, provincial parks, art galleries and so much more!

Please Note: There is TMX Pipeline construction happening in the area and you will get to see it in all its glory on your way up to the cabin. It is quite an impressive operation and you might think its cool and enjoy visiting your tax dollars. We're pretty tired of it but looking forward to having a nice wide new trail to add to the collection when they are done. There isn't anything going on immediately around the cabin so it shouldn't disturb you once you are here although there is more traffic on the road than usual during the day. There is another road you can take to get here that bypasses the construction completely. It takes 10 minutes longer but is much more peaceful. We can give you directions when you book so you can decide which way you want to take.