Back in January, Wend and I packed our bags and headed north for a weekend in the woods to embark upon a little adventure.
After competing in a triathlon at Devil’s Lake the year before, I fell in love with the area. I wanted to go back at some point to hike through the state park and figured a sleepy, snowy, long weekend in January was the perfect time to do it. So, I booked a tiny house through AirBnB, packed our bags, and hit the road.
I wanted a space that was fully remote but the owner actually has multiple tiny houses + cabins on the property. This is the tiny house we stayed in. There’s also a similar house that’s a little bigger, a quirky cabin, and a pirate ship! Each home is far enough away from one another to have a decent amount of privacy but close enough to faintly hear bonfires and share the “public” bathrooms that are mandated in the winter. For a winter weekend stay, this felt fine since there was only one other house occupied while we were there but in the summer when these places are at full occupancy, I’d want a little more privacy. If you’re in the market for a tiny house getaway on this property, I’d wait until winter.
While the tiny house comes equipped with a sink and a bathroom, everything plumbing related in the homes is off limits until the warmer months. The public bathrooms on the property exceeded expectations but you do have to bring your own water in the winter months since there’s no running water. Our house was also equipped with small space heaters that fully changed the game.
We stocked up on water and snacks for the weekend at the local market (which I was pleasantly surprised by) and spent our days hiking through the park, getting lost a time or four, and hunting down the best breweries in the area.
This was by no means glamping and not for the faint of heart but if you’re in the market for a rustic escape that’s not too far from the city, I highly recommend spending a weekend at Devil’s Lake and opting for a tiny house rental versus a hotel!
Drop your tiny house recs or weekend escapes from Chicago in the comments!
