Rhododendron Retreat— Dog-Friendly, Sauna, Mountain Views, Appalachian Trail

Wake up at 4,000 feet on Roan Mountain, with views you'll linger over with your coffee and a sauna waiting for you after some time in nature.

Rhododendron Retreat is a 3,000 sq ft mountain house with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, sleeping 6 comfortably — with room for 2 more on the provided air mattress or the oversized couches. Inside there are 2 living rooms, a large kitchen, a sunroom, and a walkout basement. Outside, a full acre of land bordered on the north side by 20-foot rhododendrons that screen the house year-round and bloom by the thousands in May.

Dogs welcome — up to 2, $40 per dog, per stay. House-trained only, off beds and furniture, crated if left alone (blankets, bowls, and crate provided), leashed outdoors. No dogs in the sauna. Full details in House Rules.

WiFi is fast and reliable, and 2 bedrooms have computer desk setups for remote work!

Right outside the door:
Cherokee National Forest starts a few hundred yards away. Cross the street to the Hackline Trail and hike three miles through dense forest to meet the Appalachian Trail at Carvers Gap — or drive the same three miles up to Carvers Gap and the Rhododendron Gardens, spectacular when the Catawba rhododendron peaks in mid-June. Two festivals throughout the summer.

Nearby
• 5 min — Roan Mountain State Park: hiking, river, fly fishing, tennis, camping
• 5 min — Jarrett's Apple Orchard
• 10 min — Grocery store and several restaurants
• 20 min — Elk River Falls
• 25 min — Watauga Lake: swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing, wineries
• 35 min — Banner Elk, Boone, and Blowing Rock: skiing, mountain biking, mountain coaster and high ropes, restaurants, shopping
• 40 min — Laurel Fork and Twisting Falls
• 45 min — Johnson City
• 50 min — Bristol Motor Speedway

Getting here
We're just off State Hwy 143 — a well-maintained, easy drive with no gravel or steep switchbacks.

Hike the Roan Highlands in summer, chase waterfalls in fall, ski in winter — then come home to a comfortable, private house, a hot sauna, and a long view of the mountains.

Note- The house has three exterior security cameras, all covering entry points: the front door and sunroom walkway, the main entrance porch, and the back porch off the living room. All three face outward toward the doors. There are no cameras inside the house, none covering the sauna or yard, and no audio recording on any of them.

I hope you come visit,
Carlay