Cypress Valley Is an Elevated Treehouse Escape Outside of Austin, TX

According to the Biomimicry Institute, biomimicry is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges. It’s also the tool that treehouse design studio Artistree used to create each of the five eco-friendly treehouses that make up Cypress Valley’s unique canopy of elevated glampsites. Tucked away in the scenic Hill Country of Spicewood, Texas (fun fact: Spicewood is also home to the legendary Willie Nelson), each treehouse is built around an old-growth cypress tree and connected by a series of suspension bridges to ensure a light footprint on the property...literally.

Perched over a creek, each lofty aerie varies in shape and size, except for two leaf-shaped treehouses called Juniper and Willow. Both are single-room abodes that sleep up to two people with a shared bathhouse and use solar energy for power. The two larger treehouses, named Yoki and Nest, are spacious and luxurious, with Yoki sleeping two to three guests and enough room in Nest for four to six visitors.

The rough-hewn, wood-clad treehouses feature secluded wraparound decks with curved staircases, large soaking tubs in a private bathhouse, and separate sleeping areas. Nest, the largest of the five, takes treehouse living to the next level with a separate upper room perched above the main dwelling that’s ideal for larger parties.

Cypress Valley’s love for circular architecture and a back-to-nature aesthetic has evolved to include an aerial yurt among the rest of its sky-high stays. The yurt, dubbed Lofthaven, has a cozy 350-square-foot interior with a 700-square-foot kitchenette and bathhouse all linked together by suspension bridges. Lofthaven’s waterfall tub crafted from locally-sourced wood and rocks is a showstopper, designed to bring visitors closer to nature and total relaxation.

For guests who’d rather have two feet on the ground, the rustic Ranch House is another option, but it's also a circular structure clad in stone. Wooden features on the interior resemble tree trunks and branches to create that same feeling of being up in the trees, and there are wide-open views of the creek and ravine to boot. It's the largest of Cypress Valley's lodging options with enough space to accommodate parties of up to 15 and features a sprawling stone patio and private pool.

There are more than treehouses though; adventurous guests can take a canopy tour of the property gliding through the trees on steel zip lines and walking across their signature sky bridges that pass over the treehouses. Due to COVID-19, these tours are currently on hold. However, popular outdoor recreational areas like Lake Travis, Krause Springs, and Muleshoe Bend Park are minutes away.