A-Frame Cabins

Wolfpen ATV Campground Starts with A-Frame Cabins

When Jeff Cunningham had a vision to build the first ATV campground in the small town of Board Camp, AR just east of Mena, why did he decide to go with an A-Frame Cabin to start?  Easy:  it was the most cost effective.  Sure, he could put up 1 decked-out cottage with a bathroom, full kitchen, queen size bed, a satellite TV, then rented it for $100 a night…..OR he could build 7 A-Frame Cabins for the same price and rent them each for $50 a night!  Genius.  Another reason he went with an A-Frame:  it was it’s easy to build.  Make the floor “square” and rest just falls into place.  The plans were drawn in Jeff’s head, scratched on paper, a great deal of trial and error in the first stages,  but by the 3rd cabin, 4 guys could have a cabin up in a weekend!  Give us a 3 day weekend and we’ll have it ready to rent!

The first 6 cabins were as simple as the design:  two beds, a loft, a table, electricity and a/c, and an alarm clock.  The idea was to make it “semi-rustic”  No bathrooms, no in-room amenities, but the air conditioner made it very comfortable in the July/August Arkansas heat.  Campers were told to bring everything.  From bed sheets to towels, to toothpaste and water…this isn’t a hotel…just a fancy tent.   Cabins 7 and 8, brought a new vision into Jeff’s mind.  “Let’s make these with a kitchen,” and the Wolfpen ATV Campground Kitchenettes were born.  Same basic design as the other cabins, but bigger.  We added a sink, a dorm fridge, a gas stove for cooking, and a microwave.   Still no bathrooms; there is a public bathhouse for that.

Next came the “Buddy Cabins,” the smallest of all the A-Frame’s on the grounds.  These were just big enough for a couple, or “buddies.”  Two twin-sized beds, a table, and a/c…that’s it.  Perfect for a weekend get-away with only two people.  These cabins were the final phase of the Wolfpen ATV Campground A-Frame cabins.  Originally, each cabin was painted its own unique color to distinguish from the rest, now have all been covered with log siding to look like A-Frame Log Cabins.  As construction moved forward on the A-Frames, you could look off in the distance and see a man in a cap sitting on a Tonka toy, carving out more of his vision of what is now Wolfpen ATV Campground.  RV campsites with full hook-ups, tent sites, cottages with all the amenities of home, a laundry mat, and a little campground store with t-shirts…but that my friends, is in another post.

From a little north of L.A.,

Nick