River Forest Lookout: A Shipping Container Home 60 Feet in the Air

Most homes in the North Georgia mountains are content to sit on the ground. Not this one. River Forest Lookout in Epworth, Georgia, is a solar-powered, off-grid shipping container home set atop a custom-built steel watchtower, rising 60 feet above the forest floor and overlooking the Cohutta Mountains and Chattahoochee National Forest. It's on the market for $1,200,000, and yes, it comes with a lot of stairs.

A Treehouse for Grown-Ups (With a Full Bathroom)

Up top, the one-bedroom, one-bath residence features walls of glass, comfortable living quarters, a kitchenette, and solar power, all sold fully furnished and turnkey. The real showstopper is the rooftop terrace, complete with a fire pit and panoramic wilderness views in every direction. Down below, the property spans nearly 14 acres with roughly 3,000 feet of private Jacks River frontage, including cascading waterfalls, deep swimming holes, trout waters, and a canopy of native hemlocks. It's also built to be stable, fire-resistant, and insulated for year-round living, though anyone with a fear of heights may want to admire it from the riverbank.

Getting Home Is a Workout

There's a basket hoist to haul groceries and gear up to the living space, but people have to take the stairs (around 80 of them). The nearest town with a Walmart is Blue Ridge, about 30 minutes away, so forgetting something in the car is a real commitment. Still, the setup seems to be working: the listing says the tower has become one of the area's most sought-after Airbnb stays, with five-star reviews and $92,000 in gross rental revenue during just nine months of 2026. An additional installed and permitted septic system also leaves room for a second cabin or retreat on the land. The property has been featured in Dwell Magazine and plenty of YouTube channels, and records show it last sold for $100,000 in January 2022, likely before the tower went up.

The Internet Has Thoughts

Naturally, this listing caught the attention of Reddit's r/zillowgonewild community. See what people are saying about it here.

Ready to trade your front porch for a view above the treetops? Lace up your sneakers first. View the full listing here.