Big Rock Cabins

Been to Beaver, Ohio, and seen the views from Big Rock, Turkey Rock or Prophet Peak? We didn’t think so. But if you want to feel like you’re the only two people left on earth, this is a good place to start.

“When we first opened, we cast a broad net,” says Erin Hoskins, who, with partner Val Wolf, owns Big Rock Cabins in Jackson County. “But we quickly figured out that we like couples and couples like us.”

Scenery and privacy clearly had something to do with that. There are just two cabins on the property’s 60 private, wooded acres, named for Big Rock, a 200-foot outcropping that juts above the tree line. Guests are free to explore the site’s one-and-a-half miles of marked hiking trails, which lead to the breathtaking views from Big Rock, as well as the property’s other rock formations — Turkey Rock and Prophet Peak.

“From your cabin, you’re just a 10-to-15-minute hike away from any of the three,” says Hoskins. “We have people say they’re going to visit the Hocking Hills for the day, but once they get here they rarely go anywhere.”

The scenic views don’t begin or end at the trailhead. “We really wanted to create the feeling of being in the woods inside the cabins,” says Hoskins. For that reason, both retreats have floor-to-ceiling glass and raised decks that practically extend into the surrounding trees. Decks are furnished with tables, gas grills and private hot tubs — where the only visitors likely to walk by are squirrels and deer.

Inside, the cabins are modern and fun, constructed from recycled materials gleaned from an old train depot near Cincinnati and decorated with antique photos, tools and other household items, many of which once belonged to Hoskins’ ancestors. Keeping with the loose country theme, both cabins feature whiskey barrel lavatories with sprinkling cans that operate as showerheads.

If you’re planning a surprise, Hoskins and Fox are happy to accommodate special requests. “We’ve had people send us a special CD that they’d like to have playing when they arrive,” says Hoskins. “And once we put an ice bucket and flutes up on Big Rock for a couple getting engaged,” he says. “She sent us a picture that said, ‘I got a big rock on Big Rock,’ ” he laughs.