Welcome to Timberlandia! Just south of the Metro, at the border of Madison & Warren counties in the Middle River Valley, the cabin is on 2 acres of shaded lawns with plenty of exploring options on 18 acres of wooded paths & walking trails. Timberlandia is a secluded tranquil getaway, but only 15 minutes from the Airport, 20 minutes from West Des Moines Jordan Creek, and 25 minutes from downtown. Our cabin is great for romantic getaways, family gatherings, festivals, retreats & wedding stays. The space The lodge at Timberlandia is newly remodeled and our labor of love. The lodge is intentionally designed to provide a peaceful stay and energizing stay. We are avid AirBnB travelers and built this for what we'd want when we travel the country - whether we want a remote work-from-home extended experience or an overnight stay that is unique and energizing. You'll get to meet our bronze deer professor (Winston) as well as his collegiate friends, Bear & Mouse (as much fun for the adults as for the kids). On rainy nights you’ll love sitting by the fire while choosing to read a book or throwing some vinyl on the record player. Our 10-acres are surrounded by an additional 40+ acres of timber in all directions. Directly to our East is Zo-El Annett Woods - a Warren County Preserve with a small .75 mile circle trail that sports a few bridges, including a pretty amazing suspended bridge over a pretty deep ravine. This trail is a nice hike to get the heartbeat going (or pretty technical if it's just rained and muddy) - and it's the perfect size for little ones. Just a short 300 feet beyond the neighboring park mentioned above is our smaller, raw 4-acre “Antler Hill” property that provides a small hiking trail and our best place to catch a summer sunset. We haven’t gotten signs up yet so if you’re interested please reach out and we’ll get you there! We realize that recharging and peace start with a great place to sleep. The master bedroom has a queen bed with comfy linens and and an even more comfy comforter, with extra blankets in the closet for those chilly nights. We are also pretty proud of our comfy pillows. The second bedroom upstairs has a unique set up with a three-level bunkbed system - twin top, full main and twin trundle that rolls out on the floor. The full main is entirely comfy for a couple of adults. But at the same time, the kids love the top bunk and the rollout trundle bed. Extra guests can also sleep on the super comfy living room couch upstairs, the fold out futon downstairs, or pull out a pretty comfy double-high air mattress. Linens are provided for all options. Our two living areas have different personalities. The upstairs is warmer and invites conversation, contemplation and relaxation. It has a 40" SMART TV, but the real focal points are a reading nook, massive wood burning fireplace, and Polk Audio/Onkyo stereo with an iPhone jack and vinyl turntable. In the cabin under the stereo we store part of our eclectic vinyl collection and we hope you'll explore it. The downstairs living area has a vibe that is a little more in line with a Rocky Mountain ski vibe. Vintage skis, sled and snow shoes are hung on the wall. The furniture consists of a fold-out full size bed futon, a vintage fully operational massage chair that you'll swear NASA manufactured (with a working cassette stereo) and a leather recliner. This is a great part of the lodge to watch the game or movie on the 70" SMART TV Big Screen TV. With the futon and blow up air mattress, the basement easily converts into a crash pad bedroom that can sleep 2-4 adults or kids. Timberlandia lodge has a full bathroom upstairs with tub/shower. You'll have access to a blow dryer, steamer, iron and ironing board during your stay. If you cook while on vacation, you’ll love our kitchen and the equipment in it. We've stocked a few spices, and have more than enough utensils. We have a cabinet dedicated to glassware for your wine, whiskey, beer, scotch and champagne. Or orange juice, Coke, milk and water. We have a Keurig single coffee maker and toaster. The beautiful solid Acacia-wood dining table easily seats 6, but can easily pull up another couple of chairs for 8 people. Outside at Timberlandia is a woodland-lover’s paradise. The property is neighbored by 40 additional acres of timber, so it feels like you’ve arrived somewhere other than what Iowa is known for - corn and bean fields. Directly next door is a 10-acre county preserve with nearly a mile of trails, bridges and a fairly famous suspended bridge attraction. We are also building out the trail system at Timberlandia and you’ll be able to roam the woods either on or off trail. A dry creek system runs through the property’s timber and after a rain it will be a bustling little creek, but most other times it will be a dry creek bed you can walk over, which you’ll need to do if you want to explore the back 7 acres of the property or if you want to head 500 feet down the road to Antler Hill, our 4-acre timber/wetland property for some off trail hiking and amazing summer sunsets. We have a covered patio that has a hammock and Weber Genesis grill. In the same area we have a large campfire pit that you can lounge around and gaze up at the stars. With a grate you can lower over the campfire pit, you can bypass the gas-grill and easily cook over an open flame. We always have a healthy stack of hardwood ready for the fire pit and fake logs ready for the indoor fireplace. If you need more there is wood at all the local gas stations in Martensdale, Norwalk and Indianola. Of course you can bring your own wood/fake wood in also. So bring the supplies for s'mores or hot dogs - you’ll want them. If you’re staying here during a wedding or other event, you’ll find most things you’ll need to look your dapper self, including iron, ironing board and steamer. Conveniently situated within 15 miles of over twenty popular venues, you’ll find Timberlandia a perfect home base for your event. If you’re couped up during a typical Iowa rain or snow, you’ll want to grab some snacks and brew up some tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Relax on the classic craft-built leather furniture or pull our board games and puzzles out and sit around the designer acacia table. Internet is good at the cabin so, worse case scenario, you’ll be able to fire up the tv(s) and put a movie on. But just a note, as with many dry creeks, they come to life win weather. So out those gollashes on and go on a little adventure. Things to web search (can't put website links on AirBnB) Recreation Paved Trails - Biking, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Shoeing, Hiking - Great Western Trail / Bill Riley Bike Trail Water Trail (Kayak, Canoe, Tube, Hike) - Middle River Water Trail Scenic Drive - Covered Bridges Scenic Byway Walnut Woods State Park - West Des Moines Zo El Annett Woods - Prole (our neighbor property) Brown's Woods Forest Preserve - West Des Moines Drinkeries Iowa Distilling Company - Cumming Summerset Winery - Indianola La Vida Loca Winery - Indianola Madison County Winery - St Charles Foundry Distilling - West Des Moines Cool Field Trips Howell's Greenhouse & Pumpkin Patch - Cumming Smash Park - West Des Moines Paws & Pints - West Des Moines Festivals Hinterland Music Festival Indianola Balloon Festival Norwalk Music Festival Des Moines Art Festival Des Moines Wine Festival Other things to note HINTERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL - 4 Night Minimum. 7-minute drive (or 20 minutes if you prefer gravel travel). Price includes shuttle at beginning and end of festival (save on parking fees). Reservation includes all of Timberlandia - lodge sleeping (4 beds), lodge sleeping (blow up mattresses/futon/couch), tents for as many people as you want 2 bathrooms to support :) Friendly Neighbor Dogs. We occasionally have neighbor dogs visit. Our best buddy is Curtis - he comes around once or twice a month. You probably won’t get to meet this fetch-happy cattle dog, but if you do, our experience is he is totally good with other dogs (he only wants to fetch and nothing else really matters). Because they tend to call this part of the Iowa countryside their home, we've come to accept them when they are around. Cabin Climate & Water Systems. Air - controlled room to room by remote control. Heat - controlled by the thermostat that is in the kitchen hallway between the two bedrooms. Dishwasher - wired to a traditional switch above and to the left of the sink - must be switched on to work. Gravel Travel. Yep one of the most common questions we get is if we are on gravel, and if so how much. You can get within 3 miles of Timberland by pavement from all four directions, and are only 6 miles from the nearest exit off Interstate 35. However, no matter which direction you come from, you will need to plan on traveling about 3 miles on gravel. You should plan on no issues other than dust or mud during most seasons. And even after a fresh snow, we've found that the county plows our roads to the pavement very quickly - during the winter of 22-23 we had over a dozen snows of 3+ inches and each time our roads were plowed within a few hours. If you want the romance of crossing an old steal and wood rickety bridge over the Middle River, I'd recommend hitting the graveled 55th Ave from the South off Highway 92. And if you want to skip that whole rickety bridge thing, the next best option is hitting the graveled Idaho Street from the West off of R45. For us, it's just the right amount of gravel travel to feel like we've gotten away from it all. Animals. The timber, woodlands, Middle River, along with corn and bean fields in the distance invite a very robust ecoystem of animals that call this part of their world their home. We are constantly reminded that our Timberlandia property is their home, and not the other way around. Deer visit our property and the Lodge every evening. We also have many other fun experiences, including raccoons, owls, groundhogs, butterflies, song birds, squirrels, rabbit, fox, tree frogs, coyotes and toads. And occasionally the not-so-fun wasps, bees, bats, mosquitos, spiders, snakes and ticks. All the critters we have in the city too - we just happen to run into them a bit more when we're in they're home. You'll likely hear coyotes laughing, or performing roll call about 30 minutes after sunset, far off in the distance - but we haven't seen any close to Timberlandia. And though we have never experienced the following critters, we realize that our part of this world likely homes bobcats, mountain lions, brown recluse spiders and timber rattlesnakes. Generally animals want nothing to do with humans. Our woods are inviting and comforting. At the same time, staying aware is simply good practice, and Common sense will provide you the most rewarding experience when it comes to Iowa's woodland ecosystem.