The Treehouse Mansion of Your Dreams Is in Montana
The Montana Treehouse Retreat has not one but two spiral staircases that lift you up into the treetops
The Montana Treehouse Retreat,听near Whitefish,听Montana, isn鈥檛 your childhood backyard treehouse. Its creators, Kati O鈥橳oole and Darin Robison, didn鈥檛 want their guests to trade creature comforts听for time spent in nature. Their cabin is 鈥渢he best of both worlds,鈥澨齇鈥橳oole听says. Sleeping four, with two spiral staircases,听two full bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and a full kitchen,听it鈥檚听the home base you鈥檒l need after a long day of exploring the Montana wilderness.
Nestled within 7.5 acres of secluded forest, the retreat offers city amenities like bars, restaurants, and shopping听within reach鈥攊t鈥檚 a five-minute trip听to Columbia Falls or Whitefish, Montana. If you bring your mountain bike or trail running shoes, the Flathead Valley provides more than听42 miles of singletrack. In summer, the Whitefish Ski Resort metamorphoses into a downhill bike park. It鈥檚 also just听30 minutes away听from hiking trails in Glacier National Park听via听the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a can鈥檛-miss scenic drive听with views of glaciers and waterfalls.
The largest trunk in the house鈥檚 architecture, incorporated into the spiral staircase at the entrance, isn鈥檛 native to the forest. It鈥檚 a lightning-struck Douglas fir from the front yard of Robison鈥檚 late grandmother鈥檚 house in Echo Lake, Montana. When his grandma passed, excavating and repurposing the dying tree was how Robison chose to honor her. In addition to the trunk, the cabin wraps around four living trees.
鈥淗e wanted the entrance to the treehouse to be something really magical,鈥澨齇鈥橳oole听says. John Colliander, a听friend of Robison鈥檚听and one of the craftsmen behind TreeWorks Log and Timber Construction, a cabin contracting company based in the area,听bolted each tread of the spiral staircase.
Both artists鈥擮鈥橳oole writes songs and Robison is a painter, illustrator, and sculptor鈥攑ut other custom touches on the treehouse. O鈥橳oole handcrafted all the shelving and bedside tables from milled remnants of the听cabin鈥檚 initial build. 鈥淓verything has a story and was made by a craftsman,鈥澨齇鈥橳oole听says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real work of art.鈥
Even hardcore adventurers need a soft place to land. For a place to rest after a day well spent exploring the trails, mountains, and waterways of western Montana, for $505 per night.