Cloud Top Lodge

Wake up above the world at Cloud Top Lodge — a handcrafted round-log mountain retreat perched high in the southern Appalachians, just 12 miles from downtown Murphy, NC, and bordering the Chattahoochee National Forest. Step onto any of our stacked wraparound decks in the early morning and watch the valleys below fill with clouds while you stand in clear, golden sunlight — a cloud-inversion view that most people only see from an airplane window.

There’s a moment every morning at Cloud Top Lodge that most people never get to see: you step onto the deck with your coffee, and the valleys below have simply vanished — swallowed by a slow, silver sea of clouds, while you stand above it all in perfect sunlight. This is a view usually reserved for airplane windows, and up here, it’s just your backyard.

Cloud Top Lodge is a handcrafted round-log mountain home, built in the old Scandinavian tradition — massive whole logs, hand-notched at every corner, stacked the way northern European craftsmen have built for a thousand years, made to hold heat, hold weight, and hold up against time. Soaring timber-frame trusses rise over a wall of glass in the great room, so the mountains are never out of view, even from the couch.
Spread across 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.. Stacked wraparound decks wrap the home on multiple levels, so there’s always a quiet corner to watch the light change over the ridgeline.
When the sun goes down, the mountain doesn’t stop giving. Sink into the private hot tub under a sky with almost no light pollution. Build a fire at the fire pit and watch the stars come out over the tree line. Gather everyone in the game room for a competitive night in. Or just build a fire inside, pour something warm, and let the log walls glow amber around you — the kind of cozy that has a word for it in Norwegian, but you’ll understand it the moment you feel it here.

The lodge's massive round-log walls and soaring timber-frame trusses echo centuries-old Scandinavian log-building craftsmanship, where entire trees are hand-fitted into walls built to last generations. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the great room with light and frame an uninterrupted wall of Blue Ridge Mountains

Highlights
• Cloud-inversion mountain views — wake up looking down on the clouds
• Handcrafted round-log construction, Scandinavian-inspired building tradition
• 3 bedrooms · 3 bathrooms
• Private hot tub
• Game room
• Fire pit on the entertainment deck with long-range mountain views
• 12 miles to downtown Murphy, NC

Location
Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cloud Top Lodge is a quick 12-mile drive from downtown Murphy, NC, for restaurants, shops, and supplies, while the surrounding national forest offers hiking, waterfalls, and scenic drives right outside your door.

The Architecture - Unlike any other in the area
This home's design is a nod to the Scandinavian log-building tradition — full round logs, hand-notched corners, and exposed timber-frame joinery, a style that originated in northern Europe over a thousand years ago and remains prized today for its warmth, durability, and craftsmanship.

Downtown Murphy, NC is just 12 miles away for groceries, restaurants, and small-town charm, and the surrounding Chattahoochee National Forest puts hiking trails, waterfalls, and scenic overlooks within easy driving distance.

Because of the mountaintop elevation, weather (fog, wind, or winter conditions) can differ noticeably from the valley below — pack accordingly.