0 Bedrooms,
1 Bathrooms,
Sleeps 4
Studio
(400 sq. ft.)
in Catskill, NY
2.8 miles from Black Lake
…….The Cabin is insulated and has an airtight wood stove. There is a Murphy bed with a queen size mattress. It does not have indoor running water or electric [other than a small solar electric system described below] - that's what "camping cabin" refers to. The forest has lots of wildlife, deer, wild turkeys, foxes, raccoons, great horned owls, etc.
……..For cooking there is a 2 burner Coleman camp stove, and outside, a fireplace. Solar power: Solar electric panels charge a storage battery. It has a USB port for charging small electronics and operating a couple of CFL lamps.
……..Officially, it's the "Potic Creek" but one of our guests from Europe liked the location so much she named it Poetic Creek in her 2014 review. It is an idyllic getaway for those who appreciate nature. It is about 25 miles north of Woodstock; about 2 hour drive from the GWB.
. . . . . When we started thinking about the possibility of sharing a cabin a decade ago, the question was, how can we do it? It is an hour and a half round trip from our home, so traveling to the cabin after every guest was not feasible. To make it work, we ask guests to bring their sleeping bags [or sheets and blankets] and towels, and “leave it as you found it.” We figured most guests who were interested in this type of retreat would be respectful of the next guest, and that has been true. We ask, if you cannot make a commitment to leave the cabin clean and tidy for the guest after you, and take with you any trash and empty water bottles, please don’t book a stay here. Once a month or so, we check out the cabin, restock supplies, and do any cleaning that’s needed. As in any cabin in the woods, mice do get in. If that would bother you, please don’t book a stay here. When we see evidence of them, we set traps and get rid of them, but before long they're back.
…….Pets: Your dog is OK. Our two Yorkies love it there, we do not charge a pet fee. Due to past problems of guests with cat allergies, we do not accept cats. We do ask that if you bring your dog, that you do a thorough cleaning to remove hair and, that you not have your dog on the bed, unless you bring a sheet or blanket large enough to cover it. This is on the honor system, please respect other guests, we can't go there to check up between every guest.
…….At the cabin are plates, glasses, utensils, pots and pans, a French press coffee maker, T paper, paper towels, dish detergent, and candles, A Coleman 2 burner stove for cooking and spare propane canisters for it. As it is camping, you will need sleeping bags, [there are a couple of quilts at the cabin so you could bring queen size sheets and pillowcases] and towels - and having a flashlight is a good idea, essential if you are arriving after dark. Bring what you would for any camping trip - matches, newspaper for starting the fire, and drinking water. In front of the cabin there’s a stone fire place and with a grill. We provide cut seasoned firewood. There is a maul [splitting ax] for splitting cut logs to the appropriate diameter. The firewood is provided for heating the cabin with the wood stove. Outdoors, only make a fire in the fire place in front of the cabin only, nowhere else. There is a small BBQ there. If you wish to use that, bring charcoal.
……. To repeat, please do not make outdoor fires other than in the outside fire place in front of the cabin. While the firewood is cut to length, most of it requires splitting with the maul. For the wood stove, up to 4 or 5 inches in diameter works once the fire is going. For starting the fire and if you cook on the outside fireplace grill, it's best to split fire wood to 1 1/2 to 3 inch diameter. Smaller sized firewood burns hotter and more quickly get to embers good for cooking.
…….Bringing newspaper and matches for fire starting is recommended.. For heat, there is an excellent, efficient Napoleon airtight wood stove. It has a glass front door, so you can watch the fire burning. We will send instructions in case you are not familiar with the use of airtight wood stoves. Safety note: Do NOT use fire starting fluid in the wood stove, it is dangerous and can damage the stove.
. . . . There is a small shed with 2 porta potties about 100 feet from the cabin.
. . . . THE ROAD: The wood road in is a mile long. It’s a bit rough, but not a problem to drive in as far as the parking spot for the cabin. [We can drive in in our Prius, which is quite low to the ground, but do need to drive slowly in a few places]. Over the years, two guests [out of a few hundred] have told us they felt the road too rough. The parking spot is 250 feet from the cabin. The road from the parking area to the cabin is rough and steep, so if you don’t have 4 wheel drive with good clearance, walk this last part.
…….ROAD IN WINTER: If snow prevents you from staying at the cabin, we will give a full refund or a rain check, at your option. If there is a significant amount of snow, you would need a four wheel drive vehicle, as the road will not be plowed. If you book it for winter, and it snows, there are two options. If you have 4 wheel drive you can drive to the parking area just before the cabin and walk to the cabin. If there is just a couple inches of snow, two wheel drive should be OK, as there are no steep hills before the parking area. If there is really heavy snow, then even four wheel drive may not be enough. Also, if there is significant snow, it’s a good idea to have a shovel. A "snow depth" map is available at
……..HEAT: The woodstove is efficient and heats the cabin well. We have been there when outside temperature was 20 degrees and been fine.
……..Water: There is plenty of water – both from the river and a well that’s a few hundred yards from the cabin. If the water is purified, it is potable. There are a few ways to do that. You may prefer to bring some drinking water. We have at the cabin a “Steripen,” which is an ultraviolet water purifier that will purify a liter in 90 seconds. As a backup to the UV purifier, there are “Aquatabs” -- tablets that purify a liter in a half an hour. Bringing water to a boil will also kill any bacteria.
……..Porta-potty:. There is a porta potty in a nearby shed
…….CELL PHONE SERVICE: We sometimes get service on our cell phones there – IT DEPENDS ON YOUR PROVIDER. We have ATT and Cricket. Coverage is weak, so often we have to walk up the hill to the parking area to get service.
……In addition to the queen bed in the bedroom, there is a queen size air bed. There is a foot operated air pump - If you use the airbed, before you go, please fully deflate it and return to the same place. Do not over-inflate the mattress, just slightly firm to the touch. To deflate, you may need to insert a small rod such as a pencil into the air opening to bypass the automatic air seal. In our experience, airbeds often begin to leak after a few months of use, so we have a spare there in case that happens. If one does leak, please let us know so we can replace with a new spare.
……..If you note that any essentials are getting low, please let us know so we can re-stock them. We can’t guarantee all are in stock, so bring essentials.
……. We have installed a timer on the lighting circuit at the cabin. This is to prevent the problem some guests have caused by leaving the lights on when they leave and draining the battery. So you will now see a timer mounted next to the solar control panel and storage battery. By turning the knob clockwise, it turns the lights on for up to an hour. [This is separate from the timer for the water pump]. A small inconvenience, perhaps, but better than having a guest come and find no electric.
…….After you book the cabin, we will email maps, instructions, a primer on starting campfires, key iinfo left out due to VBRO limit
…….To reiterate: If you wish to stay in this cabin, please be prepared to leave it clean and take away your trash. We cannot travel there between every guest's visit. We can only re-stock and clean it periodically, if you are not prepared to do housekeeping at the end of your stay, please don't book it. Since once or twice a year, a guest doesn’t clean up or take their trash with them, if that should happen, we ask that you deal with the issue and send us a bill, we will reimburse you for your time. If the possibility of coming to a cabin that the last guest has not cleaned properly, or, of finding evidence of mice would bother you, please don’t book this.
……..Thank you. Andrew Peck and Chloe Dresser
……. Texting AND emailing to BOTH of us is the best way to reach one of us if you have a question. We live in a remote cabin where phone reception is only occasional, but texts and emails reach us.
……... 2019 Update: A neighbor posted a “bear warning” sign along the road in. We think that is an adolescent attempt at humor. In any case, we have not seen bears at the cabin in the many years we have stayed there, plus, bears are generally shy of humans and are not a serious threat in the Catskills.
…….Mice are a fact of life in a country cabin. Periodically, we set traps and get rid of them, but soon enough, more get in. If seeing a mouse or evidence of them would bother you, the cabin is not for you. '
A town law enacted in 2017 requires us to post the following here, on this website:
1.The maximum number of guests permitted overnight is 4, the maximum number of daytime occupants is 8. Max on cars is one car per 2 occupants.
2.Occupants and their guests are must comply with the Town Code.
3.We must include the following statement here” The Town of Athens is a residential community and any unreasonable noise, disturbances, disorderly conduct, or violations of the Town Code will not be tolerated and may result is fines, citation, and/or eviction from the rental unit.
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……..The property is owned by Dresser Properties LLC. Your hosts are Chloe Dresser and Andrew Peck