Small on size but big on style, this tiny house resort offers all the comforts of home.
Through travels from Austria to Africa and Chiang Mai to the Czech Republic, our family has learned that bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to hotels and resorts. Some of our most memorable stays have come in tiny packages, like the hip cabins at Fireside Resort in Jackson (also known as Jackson Hole), Wyoming. Fireside is a refreshing reprieve from cookie-cutter hotel designs. What the tiny, modern modulars lack in square footage, they more than make up for in charm.
Cabins at Fireside Resort
Tucked off Highway 390 and ten minutes away from the famous Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, your family will find a collection of 25 ultra sleek, sustainably-built, and LEED-certified cabins surrounded by a wooded campground. To fit the Fireside name, each cozy getaway has its own private fire pit, perfect for roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories.
You’ll be smitten with your tiny cabin’s rustic cedar siding, stained to look like an old barn. The siding is actually made from old Wyoming snow fences! Almost all of the exterior materials are reclaimed and locally-sourced. The mini modulars are designed and built by a Jackson-based company called Wheelhaus. The owner opened Fireside Resort to showcase his work in a fantastic, real-experience way.
Inside your rustic micro-lodge, you’ll find luxurious finishes. Gas fireplaces help to warm you up after a frigid day on the slopes and offer the perfect backdrop as you sip a glass of wine. Tall ceilings, windows on every wall, and a wide hallway give a feeling of openness and make you forget that you’re sharing a mere 400 square feet. Best of all is what you’re not sharing: a wall with a neighbor, because your cabin stands alone.
Each tiny house has a mini kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a much-needed coffee maker, kitchenware for easy post-hiking or skiing meals, and a dishwasher for convenient cleanup. The living area has a flat-screen TV (for when the toddler wakes up early, and mom and dad need a few more minutes of sleep) and a queen-sized pullout sleeping sofa, perfect for one or two kids. A few steps beyond the kitchen, you’ll find a spa-like bathroom with a stand-up, glass shower.
A sliding barn door separates a bedroom large enough to fit a king-sized bed. Let this exhausted mom tell you that the Tempur-Pedic mattress with soft, goose down pillows and a cozy duvet is enough to tempt you to nap. The room is private but still close enough for parents to keep an ear on what the kiddos are up to in the next room.
Fireside offers three cabin options. The Caboose Cabin can sleep up to six people and includes a fort-like, kid-enticing loft area with two single beds. The Wedge Cabin is the one that we stayed in and is just big enough for a family of three or four. The Kamp Cabin target couples with its more streamlined design. Free wifi is available around the resort, so you can share photos of your stay with friends. And Fireside allows dogs for an extra $35/night.
Winter prices start at $444 for two nights. During the peak summer season, you can expect to pay a premium. In June, rates start at $778 for two nights. In July, the minimum stay is three nights, and the price goes up to $1,361 or more. Yes, this is pricey Jackson Hole.
KidTripster Tip: It’s hard to envision, but Fireside Resort was once the site of an old KOA campground. If your family likes to travel with your own RV or trailer, you don’t have to miss out. Tucked past the cabins, Fireside Resort also runs the Jackson Hole Campground. The large sites are surrounded by shade trees and green grass. Each has full hook-ups with easy access to the bath and shower house, laundry facilities, and a small store. The smaller sites start at $89/night and increase to $109 and $135/night, depending on amenities.
KidTripster Tip: If the cabins are booked, and you don’t have your own trailer, rent one! Fireside Resort now offers RV rentals for those families that want to camp in style, or glamp (glamour + camping), as I like to call it.
Recreation at Fireside Resort
With a family of three, we didn’t need much space when it came to an overnight stay, but we still wanted super-sized amenities. After a brutal day of skiing the epic Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the hot tub was a much-welcomed sight.
All of the cabins include a private deck, perfect for morning coffee or evening BBQs, as there’s a small propane grill and a picnic table. During the winter months, make sure to linger on the deck around sunrise and sunset; you may spot moose that frequent the resort.
KidTripster Tip: Keep your camera handy to prove that you saw the moose, or you’ll end up like this mom and toddler who only captured the tail end of one as it moved from cabin to cabin. But that brief encounter was enough to make an impression on my two-year-old son, who still talks about the meeting.
One surprise that we hope to utilize on our next trip is the on-site Jeep rentals. When you book your stay, you can reserve a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a deluxe off-road package. What a memorable way to tour Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks! Jump on this early, because the Jeep rentals are in high demand. Cost: starts at $75/day for cabin guests.
Dining at Fireside Resort
Just a ten-minute walk away, you’ll find Calico Bar and Restaurant, and Italian eatery where kids play on the grass during the summer, while their grown-ups sip wine and actually have an uninterrupted conversation. Kids’ menu selections are just $3.50.
Another option is the Q Roadhouse for craft brews, pub fare, and a lively atmosphere that can help mask whines coming from a tired toddler.
Getting to Fireside Resort
Families can travel to Jackson via non-stop airline service from 12 cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. If you choose to drive, Jackson is five hours northeast of Salt Lake City and about six hours east of Boise.
Anita Kissee is a former television journalist based in Boise, Idaho. After two decades of city living, she and her husband decided their 2-year-old son should grow up hiking hills, fishing rivers, and riding bikes in a more laid-back, family-focused community. This self-professed bad-dancer and shower-singer has traveled everywhere from Swaziland to Cambodia. She’s excited to now experience the world through the eyes of her toddler and is looking forward to once again, someday, enjoying a full eight hours of sleep.
This writer received a complimentary stay for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed are solely her own.
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