Decompress and reignite in nature! Bring the whole family or your special someone to this spacious lake cabin. Enjoy trail systems around the lake and throughout Keomah State Park. Build a fire on the patio, fish in all four seasons, kayak or pedal our pedal pontoon boat . Bring your own or borrow ours. You will be just a few steps from a dock to enter lake.
Fall beauty and the anticipation of the exciting winter is before us! Farmer's Almanac predicts a frigid winter with lots of snow for 2023/24! All you winter fun chasers: reserve the cabin, go ice fishing, rent cross country skies, build a snowman and look for mysteries to solve in the forest! Our forest is filled with song birds, woodpeckers, scurrying creatures, deer, raccoons, and a bunch of wood chuck families! We also have shovels if you'd like to clear some snow and ice skate or play ice hockey on the ice!
Wedding, anniversary and other event venues are housed in the state park adjoining this village or host your event right here on our acre plus yard!
The Space
This is an original fishing cabin that has been added on to and had some renovations over the years. You will love the cabin feel with original wood floors, ceilings and walls in most of home. The game and family room is vaulted with exposed beams with a large window receiving light and warmth from sunrise over the adjoining farm field until about noon. Each bedroom on the south side of the home gets their turn of the mid day and afternoon restful warmth of the sun. For the sunset, hang out on the patio, dock, kayaks or in the king sized bedroom with windows on most of two walls. Varied colors and textures daily as the sun sets behind the tree lined hills over the lake.
If you are gathering with a bustling crowd, you can easily spread out for varied pastimes in two large indoor living areas inside, a screened in brick patio with hot tub and sitting area that walks out to either the one acre plus yard or adjoining outdoor patio, all with great views of the lake.
Traveling solo or with a small group? Soak in the warm sunshine on the bed of your choice, take several walks through the forest and marsh areas at various times of the day to enjoy the animals and plants who are especially active early in the morning, throughout the day and both at dusk and after the sun has set. Many travel here simply to come into close contact with one of our rare albino deer. We have seen the albino buck and doe on several occasions, especially at dusk. We've been pretty excited to see them foraging on the yard of the cabin several times, not together and primarily the female.
Birds are a plenty here during all seasons from the gold finch, blue bird, several woodpeckers, and a great variety of song birds to at least two bald eagles and the great blue heron. The children will be in frog heaven when they catch a bullfrog or any of the small species of frogs hopping here and there will provide a sporting chase!
Back to the inside: if you love to cook and bake, have fun doing this together or at least with others nearby with the open concept floor plan, great island and incredible built ins for serving buffet style! We love entertaining here, both inside and out!
While we're talking food, be sure to picnic outside, if its your thing and there are options close by or pack and take it to one of the many picnic areas or benches along the trails. Its also fun to sit on the dock for coffee in the morning with a good book, especially if you bring a camp chair with you. There are incredible natural benches around the lake for this same purpose!!! Delightful!!!!
You like to fish? So do others here - all year round! Once it freezes, there are tents on the lake immediately. Perhaps, if you have not yet done this (We have not.), you might walk on over to one of the tents and see what its all about. If your shy, just take a picture from afar, but either way, take a walk on the ice, bring ice skates, sleds for the lodge hill or either cross country skis or snow shoes for a bit of winter adventure.
You will love any time of year out here! Winter berries and a variety of seeds provide nourishment for all kinds of feathered friends and furry mammals, including deer, chipmunks, raccoons, wood chucks, and be sure to listen for the coyotes and owls once the sun goes down as you gather around the fire.
Lest I forget, the summer brings some fun boats with lights on the lake... kind of fun to watch from the dock or you might try it yourself.
The Town Nearby:
Oskaloosa is the closest town with some delicious eateries with great atmospheres, three golf courses, several frisbee golf courses, fun boutiques, great vintage, antique and thrift options and both an award winning square, restaurant, and greenhouse filled with both activities for planting together and fun for the whole family, especially during their autumn acres.
During the summer months, stay out at the lake the entire time, or come into Oskaloosa on Thursday nights for their band on the square, performing since the 1800's! Bring a chair, blanket or sit on a park bench and join all the families at dusk as the band plays and often sings for you, with games for the children, dancing for anyone who might like to, shout outs to all the birthdays, anniversaries or any other celebratory event a guest enters on the clipboard for the evening. There's food trucks (I think), a fun coffee shop with great shakes and bucket ice cream right there, and the night closes with Lawrence Welk's "Goodnight" song as all the children are given bubbles to run around and blow! It is literally idealic!!!! Many walk on over to Taso's or MiRanchito after the fun or home to enjoy a fire with their friends or loved ones to keep on enjoying time together. The lake is so delightful, we do not go this event every week, but if you're just here for a week in the summer, I'd recommend stopping at the square on a Thursday night.
With an active and talented chamber, historical society, arts and conservation board, Mahaska County is a gem for natural learning and adventure.
… and the following repeated events take place at a variety of times throughout the year:
-Thursday night band concerts at the square, 8:00pm, June to mid August, since 1864!
-Laura Days at Nelson Pioneer Farm, Tuesdays - Fridays in July. Sign up through: https://nelsonpioneer.org/np_events/lauras-days/
- George Daily Auditorium offers high quality performing arts from community schools to scheduled professionals.
- Muse Music Monday night open mic or local performer from 6-8 at Smokey Row.
- Outer Space at Oskaloosa Art Center - live music, comedy, and open mics, for scheduled events, check faceofmahaska.com
-Nelson Pioneer Farm will give you guided tours by appointment or take a self guided tour from May through September. They also and have scheduled weekly events on their calendar. https://nelsonpioneer.org/
-Autumn Acres at Stam’s greenhouse Fridays from 12-6 and Saturdays during the day, starting the 2nd week in September through the end of August. Fun for the whole family!
Bike Trails and Bike Rentals:
We have a wonderful 14 mile bike trail that goes all around Oskaloosa through restored prairies, woods, and farm fields and has a good variety of entry and exit points for most of us who may not have time for the whole route. Travel easy and rent a bike from Nostalgic Rides in Oskaloosa at 207 A Avenue East, right next to the well loved dutch bakery - Jaarsmas. At Nostalgic Rides, there are a few high demand experiences such as the Schwinn bicycle built for two and the adult Tricycle, so if those two would be a must for you, let us know and if they are available, we'll be sure to reserve them for you!
Outdoor Explorers and Nature Enthusiasts:
There are over 1300 acres of forests, wetlands, prairies and parks to explore in Mahaska County and 20 separate parks, river accesses and wildlife areas with over six miles of maintained trails cared for by our local conservation board, in addition to both Keomah State Park where there is at least 5 miles of hiking and Oskaloosa's 14 mile bike trail. Check out Mahaska County Conservation Board website or stop in at their beautiful education center, which houses all kinds of nature displays and live animals and not only offers weekly activities, but has a wonderful entry point for Oskaloosa's bike trail This center is conveniently located between the cabin and Oskaloosa (2342 Hwy 92, Oskaloosa), not far from our wonderful Stam's Greenhouse, mentioned somewhere in these details.
Link to Keomah State Park: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Iowa-State-Parks/Lake-Keomah-State-Par
