Does anyone here have a cabin on a lake or lease a seasonal lot to camp on? This kind of venture seems quite romantic to an avid angler. I’m contemplating taking the jump but before I do I’m curious what I’d be getting myself into.
If anyone has any experience, advice or things they’d do different. I’d greatly appreciate it.
I plan to go to the Minneapolis Lake Home and Cabin Show in February.
I am wondering the same thing, do u go there and enjoy or is it just more work when ur there to keep it up? is it better to just rent something?
Before you commit know the lake. Don’t get on a fishing lake that doesn’t have your prefered species just because the campground is nice. Do your homework some only allow campers of a certain age. Some rates include electric, dockage, launch fee’s others don’t. Also ask what time the water is turned on in the spring and turned off in the fall.
It’s great if you like fishing the same body of water. The nice thing is you can leave home anytime and head to the lake. It’s nice having your stuff in the trailer and you aren’t fooling around setting up in the rain ect.
Another thing is these things cost anywhere from $1,800 to $3,500 a season or more. You at times feel obligated to go to the lake even if you don’t feel like it. If you have kids in summer sports it can get tough to make it often enough to justify the cost.
Like the ‘honey do’?
Try honey do x2–thats what my buddy with a cabin gets.
Add up the mortgage for the year for a cabin you’d buy. Then see how far that would go towards leasing. I’d bet its pretty close. But a lot more responsibility and up keep with a cabin.
I have a cabin but it is not lake front. It is 2 minutes from 2 boat landings and several more are within 30 minutes. Lake frontage is mucho expensive (to buy and taxes) and very restrictive on what you can do. I prefer to have my boat in a garage–safe and secure and trailer it where I want to fish.
My wife and I own it with her sister and her husband. It works for us because my BIL and I do 95% of our fishing together. It also helps splitting expenses and upkeep. This arrangement isn’t for everyone.
We started with a permanent campsite lease and as the lease cost went up we decided to buy a place. Taxes were much less than the lease.
Also we didn’t start with anything real fancy and spent some time fixing it up. It will be 20 years since we have had a place in the area we are at. 8 years leasing and 12 years owning this year.
My wife and I average 3 weekends a month from April till Thanksgiving and love going there.
One thing to consider is make it close enough to home so you can get there easily. Our place is only a little over 2 hours away. I would like a place farther north but it would be much more difficult to get the use out of it.
My parents lease a cabin up in Alexandria from a few weekends before fishing opener until end of September. It works for them as it’s only an hour and a half from home so you can make it a day trip if you really want to. My dad has his boat on a lift and covers it when they are gone. The owners are always onsite at the resort so that helps keeps the worries to a minimum. They don’t have to pay or do anything other than clean the cabin. Granted it’s nothing special for a cabin but when you spend most of you time enjoying the lake fishing or catching some sun how important is a super nice cabin.
I find its best to marry into your cabin
I have a condo, I like to call it a Villa on Mille Lacs lake. When I bought 4 years ago the price was not much more than a new loaded Suburban. Right on the lakefront with spectacular view. Amongst many other amenities, the reasonably low association dues cover swimming pool maintenance and upkeep, lawn mowing, snow removal and building/grounds maintenance. So…very little chores and when I show up, just put the boat in and go. And relax!
Furthermore, when I retire it will be close to being paid off and I’ll have my retirement home already at a spectacular location.
I have a condo, I like to call it a Villa on Mille Lacs lake. When I bought 4 years ago the price was not much more than a new loaded Suburban. Right on the lakefront with spectacular view. Amongst many other amenities, the reasonably low association dues cover swimming pool maintenance and upkeep, lawn mowing, snow removal and building/grounds maintenance. So…very little chores and when I show up, just put the boat in and go. And relax!
Furthermore, when I retire it will be close to being paid off and I’ll have my retirement home already at a spectacular location.
that sounds like a pretty good plan Andy!
I find its best to marry into your cabin
X2, but siblings muddy the waters, so find an only child. ????
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappie55369 wrote:</div>
I find its best to marry into your cabinX2, but siblings muddy the waters, so find an only child. ????
Yeah, or make sure your BIL is a complete dimwit who couldn’t tell his backside from his front and you’re in like Flynn 
I can check 1 box off
My parents and lots of relatives have gone with seasonal lots and almost none have stuck with it past a couple of seasons.
The common complaint from the fishermen is that the fish are always biting. On some other lake!
Very few lakes fish well all season and the lakes that do tend to have other disadvantages. A lot of small to mid size lakes just don’t fish well beyond a few weeks usually in the spring and fall. But of course all the non anglers want to be up at the cabin in the high summer.
Grouse
Yeah, or make sure your BIL is a complete dimwit who couldn’t tell his backside from his front and you’re in like Flynn
I can check 1 box off
LOL, as long as he brings his checkbook, right? 
My wife is one of 6…and there are some cousins technically involved, too. 
The common complaint from the fishermen is that the fish are always biting. On some other lake!
I agree with this. You really need to decide if you’ll enjoy other aspects aside from fishing. Personally, I have fun traipsing in the woods, hiking, swimming, pontooning, water skiing, wake surfing, etc. I just enjoy being at the lake, and when the fishing is good, that’s a bonus. Lots of you are way more hard core about your fishing than I am.
I find its best to marry into your cabin
Wait a second, have you been talking to my wife? I sometimes tell her that’s what she did! Our family cabin in actually south, east of Mankato. It’s an easy hour and 15 minutes from my front door and offers some amazing Crappie and Pike fishing. There are also multiple lakes within a few miles away that offer good Walleye fishing.
Sounds like I’m on the right track. I thought about what I wanted in a lake and that was Walleye, Northern and Muskie. That narrowed the search dramatically. I then took my family to Leech Lake 2 years ago and fished it. We loved it but the drive was an issue. We live south of the cities. So last year my best friend and I went to Lake Vermilion. Again we loved it but the drive was a long one. I plan/hope to hit Mille Lacs this year. That’s a 2.5 hour drive over the 4 to 4.5 hours to the other lakes. Next was my budget. Can’t get into most cabins for under $200,000. Nope… Can’t swing that. But then discovered this seasonal leasing thing. That doesn’t sound too bad. They take care of the property, I park my camper, rent a slip and my summer is planned. So I’ve been looking into the leasing thing a little closer.
Just understand if you go to Mille Lacs and you want to be on the water they will shoe horn you in. If fishing is secondary to the expierence look at a place like Sherwood Forest or there is a campground just outside of Isle on Hwy 47. They are 2 miles from the Isle launch but provide some room. I don’t care who you are you won’t fish as much as you think you will. Be sure you understand what sort of campground you are getting into.
Some campgrounds are loaded with kids, some are partiers, some are older folks who like it quiet. Lots of guys on this board know Mille Lacs. Post what you are looking for in a seasonal site and you will get help.
I think you are wise to consider the length of the drive. That will have a major impact in how much you use/enjoy the property.
When I bought our hunting property, I first looked at bigger properties that were much farther away. It only took a little consideration to see that for me, the extra 1 or more hours spent commuting each way would have a major impact in how much we used and enjoyed the property.
I ended up buying a property that’s 90 minutes away from my house and all but 10 miles of the drive is by interstate that goes at 70+ MPH all the time. As a result, I can easily pop up to check the property or do some work and be back that same evening. A major advanage IMO.
Grouse
I’ll agree with location. For me I don’t have kids to lug around, a wife that has no interest in going anywhere. My thing was I wanted a location with lots of water but mostly I wanted no water ski’ers, tubers, jet ski’ers or Tuna boats. I ended up on Kabetogama. I have thousands of acres of water, can access Rainy from the water and it’s in a national park which eliminates a bunch of the other things I hate. Thats the upside. The downside is it’s a 4 hour plus ride each way.Being self employed allows me to work my schedule to get many long weekends in the summer so for me it’s all worth the drive.
Everybody needs to decide what they can or can’t do. I suggest taking several weekends and going to the lake you are thinking about. Stay in a motel and check the area out. Travel during the hours you would travel if you had a seasonal. Things become very clear with a bit of research.
Good luck!!
My wife and I have had a lake cabin for 10 years. Best decision we ever made. We enjoy it so much but it does tend to keep us from exploring other locations like we used to do. We still wouldnt have it any other way. We live for the outdoors and there are so many things to do there we go nearly every weekend all year long. When it comes time to sell I’m sure we will make little profit but that is not the reason we bought it. Its getting very difficult for the avg person to afford property let alone lake front. We got lucky and took the leap and so far it has worked out.
ps-2 hour drive which was a major factor.
I have a hunting property in the iron range that I love to be at. its a 3.5 hour drive all interstate going 70 mph if you don’t make any stops. Trust me on this, regardless of what you tell yourself and what you initially may think you can handle, how far away it is makes a difference! I would love to be at the hunting shack 1-2 weekends a month. I go there for rifle season obviously but otherwise im lucky if I make it there once or twice throughout the rest of the year.
Just understand if you go to Mille Lacs and you want to be on the water they will shoe horn you in.
Shoe horn me in on a 128,224 acre lake? Is it really that busy?
Lots of guys on this board know Mille Lacs. Post what you are looking for in a seasonal site and you will get help.
With that said what does anyone know about Shady Creek Resort on Lake Mille Lacs?
Really fantastic advice so far.
Leasing give you the option of try before you buy. There’s a lot to be said for not making a long term commitment before you know.
I lucked in to our lake place 6 years ago. Mom and dad wanted something in retirement and got a townhome on a lake.
Bonus points = Association dues so we aren’t slaves to chores. 2 hour drive for an easy weekend. Chain of lakes fits our variable needs as we are not totally fishing centric and has nearby shopping.
Not so bonus – I really miss seeing other parts of Mn and camping. Love our place but this one is getting tougher as the years go by. I’m more of a wanderer than a settler.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Just understand if you go to Mille Lacs and you want to be on the water they will shoe horn you in.Shoe horn me in on a 128,224 acre lake? Is it really that busy?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Lots of guys on this board know Mille Lacs. Post what you are looking for in a seasonal site and you will get help.With that said what does anyone know about Shady Creek Resort on Lake Mille Lacs?
I was refering to your trailer. Some resorts stack them in like cord wood.
I was refering to your trailer. Some resorts stack them in like cord wood.
Oh gotcha. Shady Creek Resort offers lots that are like 40 by 100 so you can store your trailer on your lot. Plus you’re allowed a shed and a deck.
I’m not familar with them. Where are they located?
I’m not familar with them. Where are they located?
Right west of 169 across from Terry’s boat harbor. Looks like they just put in some campers on a lot across from the lake.
Yep i know where that is. To the op be very carefull if you have small kids. You don’t want them chasing dad across 169.
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