Spend The Night in a Wheelchair-Accessible Round Lake Treehouse

Crafted by Nelson Treehouse (nelsontreehouse.com), two cozy treehouses now grace the grounds of Round Lake State Park (getoutside.idaho.gov/round-lake/cabins). And these aren’t your grandkids playtime treehouses. These treehouses are full size luxury overnight accommodations in an off-the-beaten-path Northern Idaho state park. And although both treehouses are equally attractive, one stands head-and-shoulders above the crowd for accessibility – the Chattertail Treehouse.

Named by park staff for the “chattering squirrels with wiggly tails” that live nearby, the Chattertail Treehouse not only offers universal access, but it literally envelopes guests in the forest. With windows lining the front façade, tall trees within an arms reach, and a deck with a lake view, it’s a relaxing and refreshing retreat. And it’s the first – and right now the only – state park treehouse where slow walkers and wheelchair-users can spend the night.

The Treehouse Project

The brainchild of Park Manager Mary McGraw, the treehouse project sprang from her childhood memories. Days of tree climbing as a kid served as her inspiration, and when ARPA grant money became available, those memories morphed into the treehouse project. And the powers that be were 100 percent invested in the project, since no other state park system had treehouses where visitors could overnight.

With funding in hand, the folks at Round Lake State Park turned to the experts – in this case Nelson Treehouse. This family run operation also began with founder Pete Nelson’s childhood love of treehouses, and morphed into a treehouse construction company that was featured on the Treehouse Masters series on Animal Planet. Today Nelson’s whole family is active in the company that “seeks to make everyone feel at home in the trees”. And they succeeded in that endeavor masterfully at Round Lake State Park.

Of course as with any construction project there were a few challenges with the Round Lake treehouses. At the top of the list was the fact that none of the native trees at Round Lake were strong enough to support the massive treehouse structures. The solution was to build the “treehouses” on stilts. The results are two study structures incorporated into the forest that look and feel like standard treehouses.

Spend the Night

Spending the night in the wheelchair-accessible Round Lake treehouse is a real treat. There’s accessible parking in front, and ramp access up to the Chattertail Treehouse. There’s a breezeway between the two sections of the treehouse – one section has the bathroom and the other houses the living area.

The bathroom is pretty utilitarian, with a roll-under sink and a toilet with grab bars on the back and right walls (as seated). There’s no shower, but there’s a nice showerhouse across the street that has a 36-inch transfer type shower with a fold-down shower bench and grab bars.

There’s a wide door and level access to the main living area in the Chattertail Treehouse. It features a compact kitchen, a dining table, some comfy seating and a sleeping area. The kitchen is equipped with a lowered microwave, a mini refrigerator, a roll-under sink and a cooktop. And of course it comes stocked with dishes, pots, pans and utensils. The dining table features bench seating on two sides, and room for a wheelchair on the other two sides. There’s also a comfy bench seating area in an alcove next to the kitchen.

The sleeping area features two 24-inch high twin beds, and a queen bunk bed that’s 24-inches high on the bottom (bring your own bedding).There’s also a French door that leads out to the spacious deck, which is furnished with a few Adirondack chairs and a table. And there’s also two folding chairs available for additional seating.

As far as materials go, the wood floor was constructed with salvaged lumber from a San Francisco bridge, and much of the treehouse framing is from salvaged forest wood. All in all, it’s a beautiful – and comfortable — place to spend the night, tucked into your bunk and surrounded by the forest.

Extend Your Stay

Round Lake makes a great destination by itself, or a short detour from the International Selkirk Loop (emerginghorizons.com/the-international-selkirk-loop-for-wheelchair-users-and-slow-walkers/). And while you’re in the area you might want to extend your stay and explore Farragut State Park, and spend the night in their accessible cabin (emerginghorizons.com/farragut-state-park-haunted-or-haunting). Both options make a great add-on to a wheelchair-accessible Round Lake treehouse adventure.