In an ever-connected world, it can be hard to plan a fully unplugged getaway.
Yet properties that are remote enough to get their guests off of the grid can be found all over – if you know where to look. From not having steady wi-fi to being far from major roads, here are cabins and lodges across the USA that let you unplug, reconnect with nature and do some self-recharging.
Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, Alaska
Reaching this coastal lodge on Fox Island, Alaska, requires a 12-mile boat ride from Seward. The eight-guest cabin property and its main lodge are nestled in the woods between a pristine pebble beach and a quiet lagoon.
Relying on renewable energy as a power source (but backed up by propane generators), the cabins go without electrical outlets, TVs, radios or phones. (Don’t worry: emergency communication access is available in case of a serious issue.) Guests can also hike or kayak or learn more about the area’s marine life from on-staff naturalists.
Osprey Cabin, Lake Metigoshe State Park, North Dakota
This backcountry cabin within a state park in northern North Dakota is accessible by one of two ways: a two-mile hike or a 1.5-mile canoe ride and short portage. Once you get there, you can expect throwback rural simplicity. The property sleeps up to six with two full beds and two twin beds and includes a wood-burning stove, with supplied wood to fuel it, and a lantern with propane cylinders.
Now here comes the hard part: along with no electricity or cell service, a vault toilet is available onsite, but water has to be packed in. Head down more than eight miles of trails open to hikers and mountain bikers and go swimming or boating within small lakes.
Glamping Getaway Goblin Valley Yurts, Utah
Within southern Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park, two heated and cooled yurts blend in with the park’s rock formations, which look like the arrived from outer space. Available to reserve year-round, the tan-colored yurts contain just a porch, living area, a single bed bunked on a double bed and a futon.
Guests should pack a flashlight and candles, as the yurts lack electricity. Yet this certified Dark Sky park will keep visitors busy with wandering among its Valley of Goblins or canyoneering down into Goblin’s Lair.
Taos Goji Eco-Lodge, New Mexico
Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains miles outside of Taos, New Mexico, this eco-lodge will inspire you with its forest views and roster of prior also guests. These turn-of-the-century-built cabins hosted writers DH Lawrence and Aldous Huxley; the latter wordsmith built an outhouse at the property that’s still intact.
Heat comes from wood-fired stoves; wi-fi can be spotty and cellular service can be little to none. Nonetheless, the property also introduces a bit of farm living by growing organic goji berries, fruits and vegetables and raising free-range chickens, goats and alpacas.
Timberlock, New York
This camp-style retreat in New York State’s Adirondacks region provides a nostalgic experience for those who fondly remember spending their summers away from home and time in the woods with their loved ones.
The family-owned property features rustic cabins ranging in size from small to extra large, all with views of Indian Lake’s shoreline. Note that none of the cabins have electricity: propane both provides light and warms up the hot water heaters, and a wood stove helps out with chilly nights.
Complaints about no wi-fi or TV are few to none, as visitors keep busy through kayaking, canoeing and other waterside activities along with options for biking or playing tennis covered.
Pioneer Cabins, Kumbrabow State Forest, West Virginia
Situated on top of Rich Mountain, along the edge of the Allegheny Highlands, this West Virginia state park provides the opportunity to stay in one of six West Virginian pioneer cabins. These rustic gems will transport guests far back from our digital age – as in no electricity and running water – yet all feature modern-day comforts, with gas lights and gas refrigerators, a kitchen, linens, a wood fireplace and a grill. Showers take place at a central bathhouse, and the need for a restroom is fulfilled by outside toilets.
Appalachian Mountain Club Maine Wilderness Lodges, Maine
This property in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness is a collection of lodges along with a trail system that truly provides an off-the-beaten-path feeling. Originally a private camp in the mid-19th century, the pond-side Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins have four deluxe cabins with private bathrooms and eight shoreline cabins with woodstoves and gas lamps plus a bunkhouse.
The Little Lyford Lodge & Cabins’ nine private cabins offer a combo of doubles and bunk beds plus a porch, a woodstove and gas lamps; for an additional fee, dogs can camp out here, too. Medawisla Lodge & Cabins (“medawisla” means “loon” in Abenaki) has five private hilltop cabins and four waterfront cabins with electric LED lighting and a wood stove.
Len Foote Hike Inn, Georgia
You reach this backcountry inn in Georgia via a hike to Amicalola Falls State Park. Before you go, know cellphones, radios and just about any electronic device aren’t allowed (the park’s visitor center can become an emergency contact). Its four main buildings hold 20 bedrooms with fans or heaters, bunkbeds, furnished linens and ample lighting.
Within the dining hall, guests are served family-style breakfasts and dinners. After hiking, go for a soak in the bathhouse or hang out and chat with others in the Sunrise Room. The inn is also a gateway to the Appalachian Trail, or the moderate 9.8-mile loop Len Foote Hike Inn Trail.
