In this Minnesota Regional Park, Cabins are the Main Attraction

Elevated up to 16 ft above the ground on concrete piers, each Pine Forest Cabin is accessed by footbridges located off a public hiking and ski trail. At 227 sq ft, the tiny cabins are cozy—to put it nicely—yet sleep up to 6 people on two built-in bunk beds and additional sleeper sofas. The remaining interior space is furnished with a dining area and storage for outdoor equipment. Floor-to-ceiling windows lead outside to an 80 ft sq deck overlooking pine forest.

Outside, there's a fire ring for cooking and restrooms are in a shared facility nearby-it is a campground, after all.

A glulam chassis supports a cedar and pine frame, with red cedar cladding inside, and dark cedar shingles covering the exterior. Plenty of windows let in fresh air and forest light. The cabins run on electricity and are heated, though air conditioning coms by way of natural ventilation and Wi-Fi is spotty at best.

The original Pine Forest Cabins have been joined by two Prairie Cabins completed by Aune Fernandez Landscape Architects in late 2020, structures that play on the horizontal lines and overhangs popularized in midwest design. All cabins in Dakota County Whitetail Woods Regional Park rent for $90/night, if you can manage to snag a reservation.