About Mackinaw Timbers Cabins
Mackinaw Timbers is located on a (mostly) quiet, rural country road with park and ride ORV trail access. We're also a short bike-ride to the White Pine Trail. Conveninently located just 5 miles from Lake Mitchell & Lake Cadillac as well as several other local attractions and events in downtown Cadillac, Michigan. Our 10 cabins and 2-bed, 2-bath house, are each thoughtfully decorated with their own unique theme, all with a simple, nostalgic, vintage vibe.
Vintage + A Dash Modern
As a small, family run camp we're miles away from being a "proper hotel". We're just carrying on a timeless tradition of connecting people to simple pelasures from simpler times. We're set up best for online bookings and have tried to make that process as simple and as straight forward as possible for you! Sorry, no unplanned walk-ins (we don’t have a front desk) and pretty please, carefully read the details of our listings before booking.
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Each of our private cabins has modern amenities including comfy new mattresses, air conditioning and heat, a smart(ish) TV, Wi-Fi (sometimes spotty), mini kitchen, private bathroom, designated outdoor picnic table and charcoal grill, ensuring a simple, comfy stay without the extra logistics that come with tent or rustic cabin camping. You can also enjoy our community fire pit, horseshoe pit and vintage yard games during your stay.
For site rentals or if you run into any snags booking online you can call or text us between 8am - 8pm. Chances are you’ll either reach the owner, Kim, or her voicemail. She'll call or text back and is always happy to help.
A Unique Stay
We've worked hard to capture the vintage charm and simplicity of the era in each of our cabins. We hope you'll enjoy relaxing in the simple comfort.
Rates and Availability
Our rates vary depending on the season, with discounts available for longer stays. Check our availability calendar for up-to-date information on rates and cabin availability for your desired stay.
On-Site Amenities
We offer a variety of on-site amenities to make your stay with us as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. From outdoor fire pits to free (although sometimes spotty) Wi-Fi, we have everything you need for a simnple, relaxing getaway.
Explore the Area
There are plenty of local attractions and events in downtown Cadillac, Michigan, just minutes away from our cabins. Visit our "Explore" page to learn more about the area and plan your vacation itinerary.
Our Story
Mackinaw Timbers Cabins isn't just a spot on the map; it's the unexpected chapter in our family's story, one that started brewing way before we caught wind of it. Picture this: a journey stitched together with dreams, a pinch of destiny, and a dollop of serendipity. So, why not grab a fresh cup of coffee let me, Kim, tell you a little bit about our adventure to get here.
Rewind to my youth (that’s me, more recently, in the picture, Kirk, my oldest son surprised me and, you can see by my face I'm not always a fan of surprises). But anyway, here we go...our vacations were a merry-go-round of rustic retreats. My dad was all about those cozy, intimate cabins and cottages. You know, the kind with the charm of a private nook, a doorstep parking spot, and a kitchenette that whispered sweet nothings about saving bucks on food. Me? Not a fan. To me, they were musty, dusty, and sometimes hosted critters that didn't bother RSVPing. I yearned for the sanitized bliss of a Holiday Inn. Fast forward through my hotel critic phase, and here we are, embracing the very essence of those cabins I once side-eyed.
Fast track to adulthood, after years in different areas of real estate, fate threw us a curveball with the chance to snag Mackinaw Timbers Cabins. Talk about a plot twist! Holding onto a childhood drawing by our oldest two kids, Maygan and Kirk, envisioning their dream hotel, it's ironic how life loops. While Kirk's out chasing adventures with his hammock and Kollen(our youngest son) is a journalist living abroad, Maygan, miles from her Air Force base, decided she was all in on this cabin venture.
Spring 2018 marked the start of our cabin transformation labor of love, clearing out the property's seasoned collection of tires and whatnot, paving the way for our version of rustic charm, screen doors, vintage chairs, flower boxes, you name it. It took a bit but little, by little, we started see that we might just have something special here.
Cabin #10 was our guinea pig, and while we love it, we thought it was a bit cramped. Kirk's suggestion to shuffle the mini kitchen into, what were the closets, set the blueprint for the rest. Each cabin blossomed into its own character, like "Snow Day" with its cozy, wintry vibe, and "The Hemingway," a sanctuary for the literary-minded, decked out with a vintage typewriter and a collection of reads.
Each cabin's completion was like crowning a new favorite child, with Maygan and me playing the stern judges, ensuring everything was up to snuff. These cabins, they're more than just structures; they're capsules of time, evoking that unburdened, back-in-the-day feeling where a screen door's slam is like stepping through a portal. We're still rustic and we do sometimes have critters that stop by and say hi (between the little field mice and the literal birds and bees we're home to lots of nature and we love that) but even with all its rough edges and imperfections, I love this little up-north sanctuary that is Mackinaw Timbers and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it too!
Our mission? To kindle the magic of traditional log cabins, offering an escape to a simpler, unhurried pace of life.
We're truly excited for you to experience Mackinaw Timbers Cabins, to step into a slice of history, to maybe, just maybe, get why my dad was onto something with his love for these rustic escapes. Somewhere up there, I bet he's having a good chuckle, watching us keep the dream alive. It took a minute, but we finally see the beauty he saw all along."