Lewis Mountain Cabins — Hotel in Elkton

This is the perfect place for those who enjoy being in nature and "roughing it" with the comforts of soft beds, solid roofs, and indoor plumbing. A morning spent relaxing on the front porch with a good book and a gentle breeze is a perfect way to spend the day. |The interesting part of this cabin complex is that it is similar to camping in that you bring your food, ice chest, and cook and eat on the picnic table under the covered patio. There is a bear box for storing food and cooking gear. While no bears or wildlife appeared while we were there, using the bear boxes for food storage is a required preventive measure. The adventurous can build a campfire for cooking and roasting marshmallows. Others can bring their Coleman stove or an induction single-burner cooktop for meal prep, and the camp store sells ice and basic foodstuffs. While the cabins are part of the concessionaire's hotel system, please note that there is no dorm-size refrigerator or microwave; you will need to bring your ice chest. |What's special: when the rest of Virginia is baking in the summer heat and humidity, the 3,500' elevation offers cooler temperatures and the joy of experiencing early morning mountain mist/fog. This is a place to relax and unwind. One bar of cell service allows checking e-mail but not much else. Big Meadow and Skyland are a short drive and offer excellent dining, large great rooms for internet and games, and porches with rocking chairs and grand vistas. If semi-roughing it seems too rustic, consider the cottages and motel lodges in these two areas; they are more upscale. These Skyline Drive lodge amenities are excellent places to relax or hike and spend several days in the Shenandoah...

We booked two nights in cabin 7, but only ended up staying the night for one the last week the area was open. The cabin (half a duplex) was small, with a tiny shower/bathroom and bedroom with smallish bed. It was pretty rustic, there was heat, but not very good until you pull the electric heater out of the closet and plug that in as well. During the one night we stayed there, we noticed mice in the room. The next morning, there was no water for the sink or toilet, which seemed to be a common issue and maintenance people were there to fix it. Even with the water going, water temperature in the shower was hit or miss and there was only a trickle of water coming out of the sink. The cabin had a little patio area with picnic table and chairs with a fire pit, but it was not a very private space across from the store and the neighboring cabin. They sold firewood for $7.50 a cord in the store and we managed to burn two, though the cold wind blowing through the site made it pretty tough to get the fire going. At night, the noise of the wind blowing through the cabin and shaking the door and the mice made it somewhat difficult to sleep.||||The cabins are arrayed around a camp store, which is well stocked with essential camping supplies, food, drinks, and small souvenirs. Front desk staff was there for check-ins and check outs, but had a sign up saying to ring the doorbell of a nearby cabin in case of late check-in. ||||If you are going to stay here, think of it as a slightly more comfortable alternative to tent camping, rather than...

Charming cabins or ripoff? Both. These are historic cabins (built in 1940) in a beautiful, natural mountain setting. Most visitors give them five-star reviews. They are responding to the historic value, charm, and rusticity, and apparently don't mind paying extra for the National Park brandname. This review is for the next to the last of the cabins, the last being the hiker's cabin, and for late fall. The setting is incomparable; however, walk inside and find two all-wooded vintage rooms that show the signs of the passing of time. The wood in walls and floors is frayed, the single-pane windows don't keep the wind and cold away, and the corners of floors show the grime of time. The cealing fan must be welcome in summer, but the wall heater makes such a racket that it is better to keep it off. Quieter space heaters are provided. There is one or two vintage wood chairs, a dresser, and one night stand with lamp in each room. A table provides the only amenity: a coffee machine. The bathroom is clean, the water hot. The beds are fine, but the lighting is poor. Overall the feeling is of an old cabin in the woods that should have been remodeled long ago, for example, by re-varnishing the wood and fixing the cracks in window and door frames. They are worth the charm and relaxation after a day of hiking, but at two-hundred plus dollars a night they are...