A New Hideaway

It’s been a long, at times, frustrating process, but Riverwood Hideaway is finally ready for guests! Brien’s persistence throughout renovation has been inspiring. Little by little we removed what was deteriorated and replaced it with new wood, stone, glass and tile. We installed a full kitchen, propane refrigerator and gas stove/furnace for heat throughout the year.

While we worked, interesting creatures passed through the property or hung out near the cabin. Fascinating caterpillars and moths, a mama deer and her fawn, and even a young moose who walked the river for miles. Our area of the Knife River has the most concentrated number of spawning beds for steelhead and rainbow trout. As I step into the cool water, tiny fish dart around my legs.

Lots of late summer wildflowers are blooming along the river and trails. Asters, Daisy Fleabane and Maximilion Sunflowers to name a few. There are still some raspberries to eat along the way and we were thrilled to find blueberry plants in one of the areas that had been cleared of deadwood.

During heavy winds a few weeks ago, we were saddened by the loss of an ancient White Pine that had towered over the property. We planted fifty white pine saplings and as we clear out dead trees from the spruce budworm infestation, we will continue to plant many more native hardwoods and conifers.

It is our hope that we can protect this haven filled with native plants and creatures - as a special place where guests can experience all of the wonders of living in the forest beside the Knife RIver.

Announcing Riverwood Hideaway

We are so excited to be announcing the addition of a second “Hideaway” - this one nestled along the Knife River. We have a lot of work to do before opening. In addition to gutting and rebuilding the entire four hundred square foot interior of this adorable cabin, we are required to install a brand new vault privy. We will also be working for some time with Lake County on tree removal and reforestation. A parasitic insect called spruce budworm wiped out most of the balsam and spruce trees throughout the region and invasive buckthorn trees are multiplying along the river. We will be planting young conifers and hardwoods in their place.

For those of you who love Cedarwood Hideaway’s trails through the pristine forest, there will be sixteen acres of footpaths and thirteen hundred feet of riverfront to enjoy. Fly fishing (catch and release) agate picking and wading in the cool rapids in the summer, as well as snow shoeing on the river in the winter are just some of the fun activities in store for you when you stay at Riverwood Hideaway. We hope to open before summer of 2021.

Like Cedarwood Hideaway, Riverwood is only five miles from town, and boasts a myriad of wild animals and birds. Coyotes, wolves and bobcats are evident, especially in the winter months. We have raccoons, porcupines, fox, bears and many other mammals that come out of hibernation in the spring to forage for their first meals.

We will keep you updated on the progress of Riverwood Hideaway, but meanwhile, book your North Shore outing at Cedarwood Hideaway - your stay on the wild side of town!

Winter Solstice 2020→

With the arrival of Winter Solstice, so too a beautiful snowfall which leaves the landscape bright, the trees draped in softness. We should be able to snowshoe now without getting caught up on stumps and roots. We recently worked to clear (and re-mark) the longer blue trail. As usual, there are snowshoe hare tracks everywhere, but this time, Devin was lucky enough to catch movement and signaled me to look. In a flash, the not-so-little critter was invisible again, having darted into the brush or blended into its white environment.

There are miniature trails that cross our path leading from one golf-ball sized hole to another, and an occasional large canine track likely left by a local coyote. Though wolf tracks are a rarity, and unmistakable since they are as large as human boot tracks, it is possible to see them as well.

As we arrive back at Cedarwood Hideaway, the sun is setting and the full moon rises into the treetops. The landscape glows with the brilliance on the horizon and we look forward to our next adventure in the woods.

The Turning

The trees at Cedarwood Hideaway are turning with a stunning display of color. Though the days are shortening, and I always miss the seemingly infinite sunshine of mid-summer, autumn is truly becoming my favorite season. There is a sweet smell of earth unlike that in any other season as plants and trees wind down. Bugs (especially mosquitoes) are nowhere to be found, and it’s easy to navigate as ground cover thins. Yesterday, I braved the Blue Trail to see what conditions were like, and it was still pretty wet in the middle, but once through the soggy parts, the forest was dappled with a brilliant glow from the yellow aspens and reddening maples. And everywhere, the ochre fingers reach out for me. I climb over tree roots that crawl across the forest floor as they reproduce and communicate through a network of amazing twining shoots. Emerging from the trail, I return to the sugar maple in the yard which appears to be ablaze. Now is the time to catch the season before both leaves and temperatures drop. But don’t worry if you have to book a little later, winter is also magical in the forest surrounding Cedarwood Hideaway.