Blue Ridge: Enjoy the serenity of nature

Home and Garden

The Saunders family ended up with a great deal on their Blue Ridge cabin, and enjoy its proximity to both the lake and mountains.

Brent and April Saunders' log cabin in Blue Ridge has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and about 1,600 square feet, plus about 500 more square feet on the porch. The couple, who have two daughters, 9-year-old Audra and 6-year-old Olivia, purchased it two years ago. "The best thing about it is just to get away from everything and just not have your normal day-to-day stuff that's facing you," April said. "You can just enjoy the serenity of nature."

"We spent all last summer boating," April said. "A couple of weeks ago, we spent the entire weekend hiking and exploring the trails we haven't been on." She's also gone whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River with girlfriends.

The Saunders', who live in Johns Creek, typically visit their cabin once a month and also rent it out through Escape to Blue Ridge. They decided to rent it out for a financial cushion, and last year, they rented it about 185 nights. "I always said if we got a second home that we would never rent it. It's not as bad as I thought it would be," April said. "People, really, for the most part, take care of it and treat it like a home."

While every season has its beauty, the fall foliage in Blue Ridge is always magnificent. Luckily for the Saunders', their log cabin provides them a wooded view of their own from the wraparound porch with rockers, swings and a rock fireplace.

The Saunders enjoy being able to walk to Lake Blue Ridge from their log cabin, appropriately named LakeWalk. The new cabin fell into their lap, April said, when friends of theirs connected them with the builder. "I was like, 'This is perfect because it was so close to the lake,' and we knew we couldn't afford a big place close to the lake. He had bought it back from a guy he sold it to who had got in some trouble, and he was not looking to make a fortune on it."

The Saunders' vacation home is located in the Aska Adventure Area, just a few minutes from downtown Blue Ridge, in Fannin County. Lake Blue Ridge covers about 3,290 acres and offers recreational opportunities, as well as hiking in the Aska Trails Area, a 17-mile trail system in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Cabins listed for sale in the area range from the low $100,000s to $2.4 million, depending on size, location and views.

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Brent and April Saunders' log cabin in Blue Ridge has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and about 1,600 square feet, plus about 500 more square feet on the porch. The couple, who have two daughters, 9-year-old Audra and 6-year-old Olivia, purchased it two years ago. "The best thing about it is just to get away from everything and just not have your normal day-to-day stuff that's facing you," April said. "You can just enjoy the serenity of nature."

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