Staying at a Cedar Cabin in Alum Creek State Park

Last Sunday through Wednesday, my family and I stayed at one of the Cedar Cabins in Alum Creek State Park, cabin E12 to be exact. We've stayed at the Salt Fork Lodge before and I was surprised at how different the cabins were, both good and bad. I knew it would be different, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind if you decide to do this.

It's Small

I was not ready for how small these things are. To give an idea, the main "living" room area is about as long as a sofa and contains said sofa and a pair of bunk beds. Then there is a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. The kitchen has enough room for sink, refrigerator, and small stove and one person. Then there is a back room with room for a double bed and not much else. That description makes it sound like there's a lot in here, but it's very squeezed in and no room for luggage or anything extra. There's barely any surface area to prepare meals at and most eating is done on the sofa. It's sort of perfect for an artist's retreat and what I've always though of as a perfect one room cabin, but with a 2 year old, it's a little cramped.

Hot Water

We had no hot water. Now there is supposed to be hot water, but we didn't have any when we got here. We resorted to heating water in the microwave and using that for baths. Not surprisingly, it took time to get a bath ready. (It ended up that there was a switch by the wall with a red light below it that turned the water heater on. Make sure it's on when you get there since it might be off and it takes a while to heat up.)

Air Conditioning / Heating

For being such a small cabin, it sure was comfortable as far as AC went. The thermostat was easy to use and blew the air up through the floor. It was a very nice setup and we never felt too hot or too cold.

Mattresses

Mattress is kind of a strong word for what we had. The bunk beds had a two inch foam pad and the double pad had what felt like a bag full of springs. While they weren't the worst I've ever slept on, they were close. If you're somehow able to plan ahead for this with an inflatable mattress, you'd be wise to do so.

All in all, it was fun. We got to stay in the park and walk down to the lake a couple of times and see a few deer walking around in the park. It was great to detach ourselves from everything and spend some time together. I think it was money well spent, and it was much better than staying in a Red Roof Inn or something similar.