River Forest Lookout

The River Forest Lookout, also known as the Tower Top Tiny House, is a stunning example of creative shipping container design. The owners took what sounds like a simple premise (elevating a small shipping container home on top of a tower crane structure) and executed on it. The results are unparalleled treetop views.

People have always desired to be high amongst the trees, living with a bird’s eye view of the world. Children across the world have built tree houses and tree forts for generations. But those youthful creations can harm the trees with their screws and nails, and they never seem to last more than a few years.

The River Forest Lookout is similarly inspired but altogether different. It’s living at the same elevation but with modern conveniences plus the strength of metal shipping containers. But this isn’t some backyard tree house. You have to go miles into the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest to find it.

Blue Ridge, Georgia, a town of a little over 1000 people, is about 15 miles away. On the drive from town to the container tower, you’ll gain almost 700 feet of elevation as you navigate into the forest near the Jacks River just outside of the Cohutta Wilderness.

Upon arrival to the 14-acre parcel, you’re about 2400 feet above sea level, and that’s before you climb the tower! And since you lose a little over 3°F for every thousand feet of elevation gain, you’ll notice it’s a bit cooler here than in lower regions closer to the coast.

Oh, and did we mention the hike? You don’t drive right to the base of the container tower. Rather, you park at a ‘base camp’ and hike in about 1.5 miles. Thankfully, the owners will deliver your bags for you, so you don’t have to carry all your gear on the hike.

The construction of the container is dominated by the tower structure itself. Rather than engineer it from scratch, the owners used tower crane sections from the huge cranes you see at large commercial construction sites.

With so much weight high above the ground, a substantial foundation was needed. In this case, a massive concrete footing is used to anchor the tower structure overhead. Added to the tower is a staircase, as a tower crane operator would normally use a ladder that’s impractical for house guests!

At the top of the tower, 60 feet above the forest floor, are the two 20-foot containers. The containers are set about 10 feet apart from each other, with the space between an open-air breezeway with metal grate flooring. The edge of the breezeway railing holds an electric hoist basket so you can lift gear up to the containers instead of carrying them up the stairs.

The first container holds the full, spacious bathroom. In addition to a sink, toilet, and shower, it also has plenty of room to maneuver and several shelves and storage cabinets. That leaves space for your bathroom necessities and plenty of room for changing.

Across the breezeway is the main living container. Here is where you’ll find the double bed, kitchenette, and small dining area. This container has been modified with floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides, providing 270-degree views of the forest. The long side of the container has a glass door opening onto a cantilevered balcony with a BBQ grill and a small dining area.

If that wasn’t enough scenery and height, you can go one level higher via a spiral staircase in the breezeway to a rooftop patio above the living container. Here you have an uninterrupted view of the stars plus a 360-degree view of the forest.

You may be wondering how you’ll be getting electricity and heat. Well, given the remote location, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that this is an off-grid container home. The huge solar panels on top of the home likely give it away, and the propane bottles used for cooking and hot water are also dead giveaways. Water comes from a well on site and is pumped up to the containers from the ground.

This probably isn’t a place you want to live, as going up and down that staircase several times a day would be quite the commute. But as far as places to visit, it’s hard to do much better. You’ve got the pristine views and immediate access to tens of thousands of acres of wilderness and hiking.

You’ve got the solitude of a national forest but with most of the conveniences of home. And of course, the views!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this impressive container creation, especially from those who have visited. What do you think about a container home in the sky? Let us know in the comments below.