The Getaway Cabins
We’ve stayed at the Lisbon, Ohio, location of Getaway cabins a few times (the Getaway Escape from Cleveland + Pittsburgh location), but this time we decided to go to their location in Grand Junction, Michigan. The cabins are located 2 hours away from Chicago, so this location is referred to as Getaway: Escape from Chicago.
In case you are unfamiliar with Getaway cabins, they are adorable tiny cabins (more specifically, they are small trailers) with a comfy queen-size bed, small bathroom (with shower!), and a small kitchen. Each cabin has electricity with several outlets, dimmable lights, heating, and air conditioning. The running water is typically well water, which varies in flavor from location to location. Immediately outside of the cabin is a fire pit that can be used for cooking and warmth along with some chairs and a picnic table. Each Getaway location offers plenty of privacy; you’ll easily forget other people are around. For more info, you can click this referral link. You may have noticed that it’s a referral link that includes a promo code, which means if you book a stay, you’ll save $25 (and I’ll save $25 on my next trip).
The best way to spend your time at the cabins is to go hiking nearby. This time, we hoped to go hiking and see the lovely fall colors, but the colors changed a bit late this year. As a result, we only saw the beginning of the color change. The weather was wonderful for hiking, though.
Swan Creek Trail
The first place we went hiking was the Swan Creek Trail in Fennville, Michigan. I believe the trail is about 6 miles long, but we only hiked a short distance of it then turned around since it was getting dark. And we had dinner to cook. Parking for this trail can be found at the South Swan Creek parking lot and the North Swan Creek parking lot.
Black River Preserve
The next day, after eating breakfast, we went to the Black Creek Preserve in South Haven, Michigan. This location has several hiking trails (each shorter than a mile) that connect together. If you want a short walk, you can take the smallest loop. If you want a longer walk, you can branch off onto any of the other connecting trails. It’s basically a choose your own adventure of hiking trails. I think my favorite portion was the maple grove. There is a small parking lot located near the entrance.
Van Buren State Park
After lunch back at the cabin, we ventured out to see Lake Michigan. We first stopped at Deerlick Creek Park, which is a fairly tiny beach with a small parking lot. We then went to Van Buren State Park (in South Haven, Michigan), which is considerably larger and offered plenty of parking. The sand dunes were impressive and the lake looked very much like the ocean. We walked the length of the beach from the entrance down to the Palisades Power Plant and back. There were very few people, so it was a peaceful and tiring walk.
South Haven Lighthouse
The final place we went before heading back to the cabin to cook over the fire was the South Haven Lighthouse. This lighthouse was donated to the Historical Association of South Haven in 2012. It’s worth the short walk from the parking lot if you enjoy looking at lighthouses.
Dinner Over the Fire
In case you wondered what we cooked over the fire, we had chicken kabobs with baked beans the first evening and “campfire” chicken the second evening. Campfire chicken is potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, and chicken tossed in seasoning and olive oil, then wrapped in foil. We got the idea from Cracker Barrel several years ago.
