West Virginia Cabins Made for Stargazing

Tucked in a northerly crook of West Virginia, just south of the Pennsylvania state line, Coopers Rock State Forest is one of the country’s most underrated naturalist destinations. The park spans nearly 13,000 acres of impressive sandstone cliffs, sweeping Cheat River Canyon views and dense hardwood forests. Perhaps most notably, the park is home to some of the darkest skies on the East Coast of the U.S. Here, thousands of twinkling stars blanket a near-pitch-black night, with what feels like an iridescent galactic core shimmering through the vastness of space.

 Recently, I fell asleep beneath this cosmic canopy, humming that John Denver WV anthem: Almost heaven, indeed. Meanwhile, I was in total comfort, bunked up in one of Coopers Rock’s new A-frame cabins, award-winners that give a front-row seat to star-studded skies. Opened for booking last fall, these sharp modernist triangles in the woodlands epitomize the two broader national and global movements: the quest for darker, starrier skies, and lodging places designed to bring travelers closer to nature.

Adam Krason, architect and principal of ZMM Architects & Engineers, told me one of the things he thought about when designing these spaces was connecting guests to expansive views of the universe without demanding that they leave the climate-controlled environment. The cabins feature retractable skylights and come equipped with a working telescope for a closer look at dazzling constellations. There’s even a tempered glass ceiling above the main sleeping area, so you can lie in bed underneath the stars. On the back deck, there are reclining lounge chairs and for those with their own telescope, a mount for personal stargazing.

The 12 cabins are positioned near the park’s more secluded eastern section to minimize light pollution and expand visibility of the night sky. On the back end of the cabin where I stayed, a glass wall extended from floor to the A-frame’s peak. I didn’t see the other cabins, because they were built to follow a curved ridge line. All I could see were great expansive views of nature.  Although the cabins are small in scale—800 square feet—these forest abodes somehow invoked the sublime, and I marveled at the vastness of the landscape and the skies all at once.

 Krason’s clients, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, didn’t want traditional cabins. “Ruby wanted something unique. I think she actually used the phrase, ‘Instagram-worthy,’” the architect recalls. “And for us, Instagram-worthy meant playing with scale.” And A-frames offer an iconic shape with dramatic, interior volume under steep pitched roofs, he says. “Standing inside, you feel like the architecture just makes you want to look up.”

The cabins also reconnect guests with the stars through sustainability efforts. “We used LED lights to give a dramatic view of the cabins at night but tucked them under the A-frame’s eve line, so none of that light travels upward,” says Krason. “We were trying to protect those night skies and the stargazing opportunities there.” The cabins also incorporate solar panels and a rainwater collection system to support its landscaping.

Coopers Rock State Forest is known for its miles of trails, ranging from straightforward treks to challenging backcountry routes, says Krason. “But adding the stargazing feature [the cabins] seemed like a great additional amenity,” he says. Prior to these cabins, there was no housing option available. He hopes more people will come out and linger longer in the park.

“So far, the people who have visited them, have loved them so much that they’ve asked us for the blueprints—though they’re not for sale,” he laughs. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to us…that someone loved a cabin so much they wanted to build one themselves.”