They are utilitarian, usually designed by the builders, constructed of local or near-by materials. Most have massive stone or brick exterior chimneys. Their roofs are mostly gable-ended and covered with shakes or metal. The interiors contain two or three rooms including a living and sleeping area, often a sleeping loft or attic, a kitchen and a convenient indoor bathroom. Porches are a common addition.
Simple amenities are important.
The positioning of the cabin often is determined more by view or stream placement than by alignment to a road. Any yard work is basic with most cabin owners simply nurturing and propagating the native plants that lie on their properties. Exterior fire pits, patios, steps, retaining walls and paths are constructed of native stone. And so the Mineral King cabin community as we know it today has evolved. Now numbering 66 cabins situated on federal land, it comprises a district stretching from Cabin Cove to the end of the road.