The American dream, historically, has included homeownership as a primary importance to most people's goals. However, a home away from home has become a major pursuit for many Americans. Often, this shows itself in the purchase of a beach-town home, a ranch or ag property, hunting retreats, and, for many, a condo in a metropolitan area. However, one option for a home away from home is a cabin located within the United States National Forest.
The United States Forest Service is a federal agency under the United States Department of Agriculture. They manage around 193 million acres of land. The land is in 44 states and offers unparalleled access to outdoor recreation for the average American. One program the United States Forest Service offers to individuals is the Recreational Residence Program. This is a cabin located on Forest Service land and made available for personal and recreational use. Congress established the program in 1915 as the “cabin program” with the main desire of providing families with opportunities for outdoor recreational use. The name of the program has changed through the years, but the idea remains the same: to get people outside and involved in the outdoors. The cabins available on USFS land may be the perfect opportunity for some people.
There are 14,000 cabins spread around the many different National Forests of the United States. Each cabin is the personal property of the owner. The owner then pays an annual use fee for the land the cabin sits on. A personal property cabin can be renewed in an agreement with the USFS for 20 years at a time and is restricted to the rules of the USFS. For more information, check out the Recreation Residence Program Overview .
