The Outpost by Valley Farm

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About The Outpost

For those looking for a cabin in the mountain-type getaway, I highly recommend The Outpost by Valley Farm. This amazing property is located in Mount Laguna and recently changed ownership. Many great renovations have been in the works since then!

The Outpost is located right in the heart of the Cleveland National Forest. Not only do they have lodging options but also have an historic restaurant, event venue, mobile sauna and cold plunge!

They are located near a ton of great hiking trails, including a few of my favorites such as Laguna Meadows and Monument Peak. I suggest renting a bike at their rental shop and then taking it to the trails!

History of the Property

This historic 3.4 acres retreat originally opened in 1926 as the Blue Jay Lodge. The Blue Jay Lodge was started by a man named Arthur Clay who worked with the Forest Service.  He was originally sent to a remote tent cabin in Mount Laguna to build a water system.

Clay and his wife ended up calling Mount Laguna home for the next 50 years and were some of the area’s earliest pioneers.

Clay owned the Laguna Mountain Lodge store, the Blue Jay Lodge, the Pine House Café and the Post Office building. Both Clay and his wife Ruth were also the postmasters for the Mount Laguna Post Office at certain points in their lives.

Cabin Features

Staying in one of Mt. Laguna’s historic cabins is such a treat and will be beautiful throughout the year.  We stayed in their Fisherman’s Landing cabin which sleeps 6 people.  It was spacious and rustic yet has WIFI which brings you up to the 21st century.

There are four cabin rental options with various accommodations so make sure to check them all out to see which one suits you best.  They all have kitchenettes, WIFI, private parking, smart TV’s and fireplaces though!

About Their Restaurant

The restaurant is also one of the property’s historical features which you will quickly see upon entering.

It is filled with taxidermied animals ranging from black bears to wolves, deer and more.  I can only hope that the animals died of natural causes! The interior was built from local pine and even has hand-carved tables.

They offer fresh salads, pizzas, wings, rice bowls and their famous Carne Asada Fries. On the weekends they have a full line up of their slow smoked BBQ. They also have a full bar, craft beer on tap and live music on Fridays from 5-8pm.

We did not make it back from our hike in time to try their food so I borrowed some photos from their website. From what I have read though, the food sounds DELICIOUS and I cannot wait to try it myself next time we are up here! 

About Valley Farm

I had never heard of Valley Farm before visiting here and it looks to be quite an impressive company! Valley Farm originally opened in the 1950’s and has been kept in the family ever since.

It is currently run by grandchild Derek Marso, who also happens to be an ex NFL player and now owns the Outpost. Derek has added some great additions to Valley Farm. He’s now including specialty products on top of the traditional products in the store with a focus on meat and BBQ.

They are known for their BBQ plates of brisket, pulled pork, tri-tip and BBQ sides by the pound. In fact, in 2018 they were voted “San Diego’s Best BBQ” by iHeart Radio!

Here are some shots from our stay! 

I loved how spacious the cabin was and the overall aesthetic.  I really hope I can stay up here sometime when it’s snowing!  Can you imagine how dreamy that would be?!

This was baby’s first cabin trip!  She loved it!

Here are some more shots of the restaurant.  We stopped in before our hike and as I wrote above, got back too late when it was already closed for the evening.  Darn! 

At night you’re under a million stars.  The patios are spacious and have propane fire pits to add to the evening: