Winter Staycation: A winter cabin escape at Nancy Lake Recreation Area

The signs for the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area on the George Parks Highway are so unassuming, that a casual passerby may not even notice them.

But what they signal is a Matanuska-Susitna Borough region playground of huge proportions, sheltering more than 100 lakes, extensive wetlands, about 40-miles of maintained winter trails for motorized and skier use -- and 14 state park cabins.

In the summer the cabins are lightly used and largely accessible only by a canoe trail or float plane. But they are hugely popular in the winter, said Stuart Leidner, the Mat-Su Valley state parks superintendent, because they offer the ideal basecamp for a Valley-based snow escape.

The dry cabins aren’t fancy, but thanks to wood stoves they can be toasty warm on a frosty day. Equipped with sleeping platforms, counter space and table, they are reached by ski, fat bike, dog sled, snowshoe or snow machine as soon as enough snow comes in for trails to be set. Many are also ski plane accessible. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) maintains outhouses near each.

For visitors who have never before used a state park cabin, Leidner recommends booking one of the more-accessible locations, such as Nancy Lake Cabin 1, or the Bald Lake or Rhein Lake cabins. Those looking for a longer adventure can head out to the cabins at Red Shirt and Lynx Lakes, he said.

Beyond anything else, users should remember to pack to be prepared for a dry cabin winter experience. Bring plenty of wood, he said, warm winter clothes and food.

“That’s the biggest thing we see, people not prepared for the conditions,” he said. “These aren't drive-up, you’ve got to put some effort in to get out to the cabins.”

By downloading or updating the Outerspacial app before leaving home, visitors can access via GPS complete trail information for getting to and from each cabin and recreating around the area.

Cabins must be booked in advance, through the Reserve America’s website. Prices per night vary, depending on the cabin, with the cheapest spots at Red Shirt Lake sitting at $60 per night, to the most expensive at Rhein Lake running $100 per night. Reserve America also charges an $8.05 reservation processing fee.

Those costs are set based on each cabin’s accessibility and popularity. The Red Shirt Lakes cabins, for example, are older and only accessible after the snowmachine season opens via an about 8-mile winter trail. The Rhein Lake cabin, on the other hand, is the newest cabin in the area system, and only three miles from the road, according to the cabin’s information website. It’s also one of the most popular destinations for skiers, since it’s in a non-motorized section of park.

It’s the cabins’ overall winter popularity, Leidner said, that makes the key to using those in the Nancy Lake Recreation Area booking early and staying flexible on dates.

“When I start to take a look at our reservations for those cabins coming up, as soon as it freezes up where ice travel and winter travel is safe, you gotta be flexible on the dates that you’re going to want to get out there,” he said. “They’re very busy in the winter.”