2 Dog Hollow Rd

Welcome home to 2 Dog Hollow. Your own secluded retreat in the middle of the Cherokee National Forest, just steps from the Hiwassee River, listed at $150,000 on 1.75 acres. For anyone who has spent years talking about getting away from it all, this is what that sentence actually looks like on the ground: a solar-powered log cabin at the end of a gravel road, behind a locked gate, with nothing but forest in every direction.

Getting there

The drive in is part of the experience. From the main roads around Reliance, the route narrows to a gravel lane that climbs and winds through hardwoods for the better part of a mile before it reaches the property’s locked gate. There’s no drive-by visibility here, no neighbors close enough to see through the trees, and no cell signal to speak of once you’re past the first bend. That is, by design, the entire point of the place.

At 1,062 feet of elevation, the property sits high enough to catch a breeze most of the year and clear, unpolluted views of the night sky — the kind that are genuinely hard to find within a few hours of any city in Tennessee. Aerial photography of the lot shows just how completely the forest canopy swallows the cabin; from above, the green metal roof is barely visible against the hardwoods and pines that surround it on every side.

Living off the grid

This is a completely off-the-grid experience that checks every box: solar power with a backup generator, well water, a large propane tank, acreage, seclusion, and the sound of complete silence. There is no public power line running to this cabin, no municipal water, and no sewer hookup — every system here is self-contained, which is exactly what makes a property like this both appealing and worth understanding in detail before you commit to it.

Solar panels handle day-to-day electrical needs, with a backup generator standing by for stretches of low sun or higher demand. A private well supplies water, and a septic system handles wastewater on site. Propane fuels both the heater and the kitchen range, with a large tank on the property reducing how often it needs to be refilled. None of this is unusual for a cabin this far into the woods, but it does mean a buyer should go in with eyes open about maintaining solar equipment, monitoring well output, and scheduling septic service — the tradeoffs that come with true self-sufficiency.

For hunters, this is also Cherokee National Forest adjacent — public land for miles in every direction, which is part of why a cabin at the end of a gated gravel road like this one tends to attract interest from people looking for a dedicated hunting camp as much as those looking for a full-time off-grid home.

Inside the cabin

Built in 1982, the 884-square-foot log cabin has one bedroom and one full bathroom, plus a large living area with a propane heater, gas stove, and an open-concept kitchen, all finished in knotty pine that runs from the walls up into the ceiling. The effect is warm and enclosed in exactly the way a cabin should feel — nothing about the interior reads as an afterthought or a weekend project.

The kitchen is compact but fully functional, with dark cabinetry, open shelving, and enough counter space to actually cook a meal rather than just reheat one. A gas range and a full-size refrigerator anchor the space, and a small dining nook gives the room a place to sit down rather than eat standing up.

The main living area opens directly off the kitchen, with a window looking out into the trees and enough floor space for a seating area built around the propane heater — the cabin’s primary heat source and, from the look of the photos, the natural gathering point on a cold night.

The bedroom carries the same pine-walled treatment as the rest of the cabin, with a dresser, a bed frame, and a window positioned to catch the morning light through the surrounding trees.

The bathroom includes a vanity, toilet, and shower, finished simply but in keeping with the rest of the cabin’s character, and a short hallway with closet doors connects the main living space to the bedroom and bath.

A dedicated utility room houses the propane heater equipment, the water heater, and additional storage — the unglamorous but essential infrastructure that keeps an off-grid cabin running smoothly day to day.

Outdoor living

A screened porch off the back of the cabin extends the living space outdoors without the tradeoff of bugs, giving the next owner a second sitting area that looks straight into the woods. It’s easy to picture a daybed or a couple of chairs out there, coffee in hand, with nothing to listen to but birds and wind in the trees.

A second storage building sits near the cabin among the trees and conveys with the property — useful for tools, firewood, or equipment, and one more piece of the self-sufficient setup that makes this property function as a genuine retreat rather than just a cabin with a nice view.

What to know before you call

This is a genuinely off-grid property — no public utilities, with solar, well water, and propane doing the work instead. That’s the entire appeal for the right buyer, but it also means due diligence matters more here than it would on a conventional in-town listing. Before making the trip out, confirm backup generator condition and run hours, well output and water quality testing, septic system age and last service date, and propane tank ownership versus lease status directly with the listing agent.

Because the property sits behind a locked gate at the end of a gravel road with no address visible from the main road, showings should be scheduled in advance rather than attempted as a drive-by.

This is our first property in the Reliance, Tennessee market. Anyone comparing it against other properties can see everything currently listed.

The facts

Daniel McKee at Keller Williams Realty is the listing agent and handles showings, at 423-718-7371. More like this lands in the Monday email.