It’s winter and it’s cold.
Which makes it the perfect time to plan a local staycation. Thankfully, Saskatchewan is home to some of the coziest and snowiest getaways to keep you warm and happy.
If you’ve followed along with my adventures for a while, you’ll know I have a love for finding cute, cozy, off-the-beaten-path places to stay. (*Tip: carry twinkle lights with you to make a place cozier!) While I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many of these places, there are still I few I need to visit!
READ MORE: How to Dress and Layer for Winter Weather
Best Cabin Rentals in Saskatchewan
Here is my official list of some of the best cabin rentals in Saskatchewan to get away to a cozy up and enjoy a hot tub, sauna or fireplace. (Locations listed in no particular order).
1. Ness Creek, near Big River
During the winter season, festival site Ness Creek turns into a magical winter wonderland. It’s bliss cozying up with a hot chocolate or mulled wine in front of the wood-burning fireplace in Cabin No. 3 – just one of nearly a dozen cabins available to rent. It’s also the perfect location to strap on snowshoes, cross-country skis or skates and take a spin on the rink or explore the groomed trails that wind through the Boreal forest. There are 22 kilometres and several gems to discover along the trail system. (I’ll leave that up to you to find). After the sun goes down, head to the sauna house for a bit of relaxation.
There is a public shower house available for use as well as free WiFi. Prices range from $89 – $129 per night with a minimum 2-night rental required on weekends. Book here.
READ MORE: What Ness Creek’s forestART is all About
Quick Guide to Ness Cabins:
– The Eugene is pet friendly. Pet fee is $20 per night
– The Beverly Craigshire has running water and a private half bath facility.
– Cabin No. 3 is the only one with a wood-burning stove.
– The Cedar Suite is my personal favourite because it’s so cute!
*Please note: due to Covid, Nessquarters (the common kitchen area) is closed to the public. All rental cabins are equipped with basic cooking facilities.
2. Lost Creek Resort, Waskesiu, Prince Albert National Park
Photo Credit: Waskesiu Lake & Golden Media Co
With one, two and three-bedroom cottages available to rent, Lost Creek Resort is an ideal spot to book in for a secluded winter weekend away at Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park.
The cabins have a modern country charm and are fully equipped with access to two outdoor hot tubs. The best part is the resort is next to several of the national park’s cross-country ski trails. You can leave straight from your cabin to explore.
The park is one of the best locations to indulge in all the winter festivities including snowshoeing, fat biking, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, skating, and wildlife watching. It’s the best time of year to spot wolves, catch river otters playing on the ice and of course, see the park’s resident elk.
Room rates range from $195 – $365 per night.
*Note: Due to Covid 19, the hot tubs at Lost Creek are currently closed.
3. The Resort at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
The dreamy landscape of Cypress Hills is surreal when covered in snow. With an elevation of 1, 466 metres, the area is home to a uniquely subarctic climate yet it’s not uncommon for Chinooks to tip the temperatures from the negatives into the positives. This makes it a very unique place to adventure in the winter.
While the cabins at The Resort have the “in-the-forest-cozy exterior,” the townhouses have fireplaces to curl up in front of. When my parents and I visited, we brought along twinkle lights, made a charcuterie hot chocolate board and spent our evenings in front of the fireplace or outside around a fire under the stars. There are several locations to have an outdoor fire so you don’t always have to cook inside. You can also stop by Ivan’s Restaurant in the resort for a hot and delicious meal.
There’s no better way to enjoy the snow than sliding, gliding and snowshoeing through it. While the park offers the regular selection of activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and skating, they also offer several unique activities. This year they’ve implemented guided tours, stargazing parties (the park is an official Dark Sky Preserve) and there is a downhill luge track next to the sliding hill. There are warm-up shelters at the sliding hill and along the trail system. The park also offers a “Trim Your Tree” experience in December in connection with their fire safety management program.
Rates for the cabins and townhouses range from $119 to $285 per night.
If you plan to visit, read this complete guide to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.
4. Churchill River Canoe Outfitters, Missinipe
If you really want to get away from it all, consider booking a cabin with Churchill River Canoe Outfitters. While they’re primarily known for their northern Canada canoe trips and mid-summer White Water Festival, they have seven cabins on-site in Missinipe for daily, weekly and monthly rental.
I’ve stayed in the Paddler’s Hostel before heading out on a fly-in canoe trip. We had access to the Timberframe Lodge and Kitchen which made a great space to prep and organize beforehand.
The Hideaway, Ravens Loft and Fox Den are perfect for a romantic or family getaway. Loons Landing, Otter Lake Lodge and Log Cabin are best suited for an extended family or larger group.
But most unique is Forest House. It offers a true getaway in the wilderness on the shore of an unnamed lake in the north. It’s ideal for ecologically-minded guests with a sense of adventure. In the winter, the lodge is accessible by snowmobile or on skis. The lodge was carefully constructed to minimize its impact on the surrounding ecosystem and is a true escape for serenity and solitude.
Prices for the cabins range from $100 to $360 per night.
5. Madge Lake Developments, Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Photo Credit: Annika Mang, Born to Be Adventurous 
Duck Mountain Provincial Park is one of my favourite locations to escape from the city in any season. There’s so much to do in the park that several days are required. This makes Madge Lake Developments the perfect place to book in. There are 10 cabins that sleep four people (Cabin #5 sleeps two people) and all have gas fireplaces. Each cabin offers slightly different amenities. Most have kitchen facilities so it’s easy to prep and cook on your own. Pets are also welcome with a fee of $20.00 per night per animal.
The cabin’s access to winter activities around the park is the true highlight. I’ve raved about the excellent cross-country skiing trails and warm-up shelters in the past as well as hitting the slopes at Duck Mountain Ski Area. They’re one of the few ski hills in the province boasting all-natural, knee-deep powder with elevated views of the boreal forest. There’s also a tobogganing hill, ice fishing on the lake and new this year is a snow maze.
Rates start at $99.00 to $205.00 depending on the time of year.
6. Shell’s Fitness and Soul Centre, near Carrot River
Tiny cabin getaway anyone?!
Shell’s Fitness and Soul Center might be one of the coziest staycation locations in the province. Shelley’s hidden gem of a spot is the answer to what I think a lot of us are looking for this winter: somewhere adorable to get away, access to a gorgeous studio for private yoga or meditation lessons for a destressing mental health break, and nature therapy with access to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, downhill tobogganing, fat biking and skating.
The cabin sits in a small thicket of trees on their acreage located a few minutes south of Carrot River and a few minutes north of Pasquia Regional Park. While there’s an outhouse nearby, there’s a full bathroom and shower in the studio.
Shelley & Norm built the yoga and meditation studio for all her classes, private lessons and retreats. Connected to the studio is a shop that has a winter kitchen. Yes – that means there’s an outdoor summer kitchen too!
Outside in their yard, you’ll find a fire pit and in the warmer months a zen garden and a second cabin available to rent. There’s also a fitness obstacle course and gym where Shelley offers personal training classes.
Rates start at $105 per night.
7. Fir River Ranch, Hudson Bay
Fir River Ranch is not only a cowboy-themed B&B on an acreage outside Hudson Bay, but Audrey also has two cabins on-site, two hot tubs and a sauna. The cabins are perfect for larger groups of six to 16 – whether that’s family getaways, hunting parties or snowmobilers. Both cabins have a coffee and tea station with Audrey’s famous salsa and chips, WiFI, a BBQ and access to a shared bathroom which is also where the sauna is located.
Audrey is a journeyman chef and it’s likely you’ll be greeted at the door on your arrival with a big smile and a tray of freshly made donuts made from scratch. She’ll also convince you to sample her chocolate cream puffs for breakfast (which is included with your stay). Audrey is so kind and sweet. The only way to describe her is “10 lbs of sugar in a 5lb bag.”
READ MORE: Top 10 Campgrounds, Cabins and B&B’s to Stay at Near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan
But the REAL experience comes when Audrey opens the side door in her living room in the morning, hands you a CRATE of carrots and her eight horses come running straight to the house for their morning snack.
Yes. That’s right.
You can actually feed the horses carrots from the living room of the house in the morning! (It’s like feeding giraffes at Giraffe Manor in Kenya, but horses here in Saskatchewan!)
She also lets the horses out into the yard, so you might just wake up with one peering in your window.
Oh – and her place is pet-friendly!
Rates start at $98 per person.
8. Alive Sky Lodge, Rosetown
Alive Sky Lodge’s “Bincredible” accommodation takes the definition of a cabin to a whole other luxurious level. April and Darryl Anderson converted a 2, 800-bushel grain bin into a luxury getaway in the yard of their active grain farm. It’s just one of several accommodations they offer as they have a three-room lodge, a converted “Schoolee in the Coulee” in the summer months and plans for more unique places like the Boho Bunkie and Cowboy Bunkhouse.
The circular bin has been split in two – the front section houses a cozy all-in-one open concept bedroom, living room and kitchenette, the back half is the full-bath, including a second fireplace.
READ MORE: One of Saskatchewan’s Best Getaways: A Luxury Grain Bin
But it’s the attention to detail that really makes this gem stand out. Italian Carrara marble countertops play in contrast to the 1,500 individually hand-cut pieces of whitewashed Canadian pine converging at the peaked roof and onyx chandelier centrepiece. The Anderson’s upcycled and restored several items in the overall design including the mantle over the fireplace, the claw-foot tub and a wooden antique cabinet and mirror.
Outside the bin is a front patio with paired Adirondack chairs and around the “corner” is a two-person hot tub and outdoor firepit. Twinkle lights make this private space extra cozy on a winter’s night.
Bincredible starts at $180 while lodge rooms and other accommodation start at $105.
9. Redwillow Outfitting, near Carrot River
Redwillow Outfitting is off the beaten path. So far off, in fact, that roads don’t reach this far into the bush. The only way to access these cabins are on ATV or snowmobile.
The Schmitt family built the five log cabins in the early 1990s, hauling in all the supplies they needed with four children in tow. Each cabin faces one another in a wide circle around the main firepit. Antlers decorate the beams of the main A-frame. There is no indoor plumbing, limited (if any) cell service and a generator for electricity. But there are wood-burning stoves, a shower house and sauna and home-cooked meals. It’s cozy, it’s rustic and it’s perfect for the truly adventurous.
While this spot is primarily used by hunters in-season, the Schmitt family does take bookings for those interested in a getaway.
10. Historic Reesor Ranch, near Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Spend a warm, wintry weekend cuddled up in one of Reesor Ranch’s cedar and spruce cabins after a fun day with activities that include tobogganing, snowshoeing (available on-site), wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling (for those who bring their own) and guided ATV tours.
Preserving the legacy of ranching in Western Canada for more than 113 years and 6 generations, the ranch is the first to be listed as a provincially designated heritage ranch. They have a B&B and five rental cabins on-site that can accommodate two to six guests. There is a shower house in the yard and cabins have access to outhouses.
The Ranch Hall Grill offers a menu and a variety of options for meals *Please note meals are limited during Covid.
Rates start at $129 per night.
11. The Outerbanks, near Gronlid
While I haven’t had the pleasure of staying at The Outerbanks, I wanted to include this spot because of how cool their photos and virtual tour looks and how lovely the description of their cabins sound: riverside cabins and hilltop chalets. Book me in! I’ve also heard positive comments from others who have stayed here.
These luxury rentals are set on the banks of the Saskatchewan River as it flows through the Fort a la Corne forest reserve. There are six riverside cabins that comfortably fit four people but can be booked together. Hot tubs for these cabins can be rented out of Melfort. There are three hilltop cabins that are great for larger gatherings of 10 or more people with wood fireplaces and outdoor hot tubs.
Around the cabins, there’s plenty of opportunity to snowshoe, ice fish and downhill toboggan. There are more than 30 kilometres of cross-country skiing trails in the forest reserve and near Wapiti. While not operational this season due to Covid, Wapiti Valley Ski Park has 10 runs and a quad chair lift for downhill enthusiasts. There are also literally 1000 miles of trails to explore in the area on snowmobile and I share the best way to plan your trip around the sledding trails here.
READ MORE: Snowmobiling 1000 Miles of Snow in Saskatchewan’s Northeast
Reach out directly to The Outerbanks for current rates.
Know of other cabins that are a great getaway in the province? Message me directly and let me know or drop a comment below!
12. Living Skies Lodge, Carlyle
I recently spent a night at Living Skies Lodge near Carlyle and it was so lovely to get away to.
While there’s an airstrip outback and a highway out front, the towering evergreens buffer the noise and it feels like you’re far away on a mountain escape. This authentic log cabin has two rooms (each with its own full bath) and a private suite with a full bath and kitchenette for rent. Living spaces are shared with the family and other guests but there’s ample space to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book or layout some work on the spacious wooden dining table.
Moose Mountain Provincial Park is only a twenty-minute drive away and perfect for cross-country skiing, downhill tobogganing, and ice fishing. In town, a stop at Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery for their famous cinnamon buns and coffee is the perfect way to warm-up after a day in the park.
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