Cabin Location

tbear

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Just wondering other people's thoughts on this one. If you could build a cabin anywhere in PA for the purpose of visiting to have access to trout streams where would you locate it. I'm from se PA and have only really fished in my area of the state. I have no idea what type of fishing is up in the northern part of the state, or central and so on.
 
We have one up in Poe Valley- 5 minutes to penns, and a half hour to spring and fishing creek
 
It is a relative to where you live. It would have to be close enough to get to really enjoy it. I could have a cabin in Potter County but how often could i get there considering a 4 hr drive to get there.

I would draw a circle on a map that defines a 1.5 - 2hr drive from my home to determine the location.
 
I would say somewhere in the Pine Creek/Grand Canyon PA area. It's a little more remote, and almost any flowing water you find will have trout in it. I think I could spend a lifetime exploring that area without covering it all. Throw in deer, bear, and turkey hunting and it seals the deal for me.

If I didn't need a job to pay for it all, I'd be happy to live up there full time.
 
thats what i did, moved here .............
 
I love to fish the north central area - kettle and pine creeks - in the spring time. gorgeous scenery and great hatches.
But both of those streams usually get too warm for trout by June and thru the summer.
For year round fishing, I would build my cabin near a limestone or tailwater stream.
It's pretty hard to beat the state college area for the number of great streams there. The Pocono area would be great also, and even the Delaware river, - which is the best trout stream in the state IMO
 
I agree with Bruno about the accessibility thing. But I would guess that budget would have a lot to do with it. I mean, the Delaware is a great stream and all, but I'm told that part of the state is pricey because of the number of people moving there from NY and NJ (Not that they aren't welcome!).

Maybe you should try camping at a few of our State Parks? I stayed at a few and enjoyed them. They're cheap and well run. Very family friendly! And good fishing is usually nearby or even in the park itself!

After you have checked out all these great ideas, you'll know where you want your cabin.
 
Pad,
That is a really good idea about testing areas by staying at stae parks.
 
Pad's idea is excellent.

There are also cabins for rent to try various areas. Several places in the Kettle Creek area rent cabins,and they are not terribly expensive.

Lots of people's cabins get used about 5 times a year. You could rent a place 5 times a year far cheaper than building a cabin.

And that way you wouldn't be contributing to the over-development of "Big Woods" country. I think a lot of formerly woodsy places are losing their rural character by over-building of "cabins" or houses or whatever you choose to call them.


Ed Gertler's book Keystone Canoeing talks about "cabin slums" along the streams. He is one of the few with the courage to tell it like it is.

I like to fish streams that are in the WOODS. Not running through a housing (or, uhh cabin) development.
 
Family has a cabin in NW PA. Good fishing, but too long a drive. I don't think I'd build another cabin, it makes you grow roots, and I like to explore different areas.

That said, the Upper Kettle/Upper Pine/Upper Allegheny area would be awfully tempting, and great hunting to boot. Central PA with reasonable access to Spring, Little J, Penns, and Fishing Creeks is closer and certainly excellent fishing.
 
I have been looking for a hunting/fishing cabin on and off for several years.

The distance issue is big.

Also- do you care about well and septic? Can you drink the water if there was a well? What if there is no well and septic now but the township decides 5 years from now everyone needs to have it? It has happened and now your coughing up thousands of dollars or so for tap in fees.

I could never understand why people would have a cabin way out in the middle of nowhere only to be 5 feet from a road. Could understand if it has been in the family for years or the road was built after. ~ spoken from the guy with no cabin~

Well if it was close to the road you could get to it in winter easier.

My idea of a cabin is somthing pretty small since your probably not spending much time actually inside. Just a place to sleep and eat. Let's not forget get cards and drinking. Camprfire ring, of course. I could do without running water if a spring were close by. Gotta have electricity though.

Thought about one of the those small barn type buildings from HD or Lowe's even once you got the dirt. Can always add on, right?

Not sure what the answers are but I got lotsa questions.
 
Acristic,

You forgot a horseshoe pit. Otherwise, your pretty spot on to what I'd like to have.
 
The idea of renting a cabin is always a good option. Some buddies and I talked for years about going in on a cabin together but we never zeroed in on a definite place. After seriously looking into the numbers we decided to just do some research and find a few cabins for rent in different areas.

Ultimately I liked that approach, especially since personally I like to move around a lot. Also, by renting cabins you can have a couple that are for fishing and one or two to use for hunting. That way you don't need to try so hard to find that perfect spot that has everything out the door.

Having said all that, there is something nice about having your own place.
 
I'm about halfway done building a cabin with two hunting buddies. This took 4 weekends of half-construction/half hunting/drinking. Defintely doable in less than a week and under 2K. Its up on blocks/skids so its technically not a permanent structure which in this area avoided a lot of zoning/coding issues.

 
I've been looking for land or a cabin for about a year now. Just looked at one in the Pine Creek Valley. The price has gotten out of hand in that area. I'll keep looking untill I find what I want. Might take some time,but thats OK. Not going to jump into a deal just to have a cabin.
 
I've been looking for land or a cabin for about a year now. Just looked at one in the Pine Creek Valley. The price has gotten out of hand in that area.

Sounds like a lot of us have the same idea. Just wondering. What do you consider out of hand price wise? There are 5 acre lots on the no kill on the Delaware. Formerly corn field, not a tree on the lot though. 89k for 5 acres on the delaware. Not bad by jersey standards.
 
Dear tbear,

If I were you I'd look for a cabin on the Neshaminy Creek! :-D

Seriously, another option besides renting is buying a nice used travel trailer. You can generally put one in a campground year-round for a modest fee and you have the option to move it at your leisure if you decide to try another area.

Don't overlook buying a home in some town close to fishing and using it as a "cabin." You can buy a house in Renovo for less than you pay for a good used car and you are within an hour of Pine Creek, Kettle Creek, Centre County, Young Woman's Creek and ton of little jump across creeks. Just a thought.

Regards,
Tim Murphy 🙂
 
1/2 acre lot on the pine creek in the old Pine Creek Valley Campgroundis listed for $185,000. 3 acres on the Pine in Blackwell is going for $300,000. It is way out of hand. The bad thing about it is, someone will buy it. Tim is right about land out in Clinton County. I really like the area arround Cross Forks. I worked up that way for 2 years so I fished the Kettle quite a bit.
 
I don't think I'm actually going to buy a cabin! I was just curious to see where people would be interested in having one. I might be interested in visiting an area someone suggests. I was just looking for remote areas that have access to numerous streams. AS I said I don't have too much experience outside of sePA. I guess if I were going to acquire a cabin I'd look for an area that had as many options as possible. I would hate to invest all that money on a cabin and fish only 1 or 2 creeks everytime I went.
 
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