I spent a night aboard a ship.  

I dreamed of sailing to the North Pole to see a polar bear, passing ice caps and wine-dark water along the way. I rescued a capsized boat while sailing through a storm with waves larger than the tallest mountains I’ve seen. 

But I woke up to the sound of birds, not waves, the early morning light sifting through the trees through the open windows. Turns out I was not on the water, but in the middle of the forest.  

I was in a boat in the trees.  

The Beverly is the newest treehouse design open to guests at the Montana Treehouse Retreat, located just 2 miles outside Whitefish. It is one of three treehouses on the property, a journey of labor and love for Darin Robison and Kati O’Toole, who bought the property in 2011.  

Arriving at The Beverly on a warm afternoon with two books and a set of color pencils, the boathouse became the perfect retreat from day-to-day life.  

The Beverly is a unique work of art and function. Named after Robison’s mother, who died during the build, the boat features a poem written by family friend Pat Johnson. 

“Now settled in the Great Big Sky, her new look would begin. Sanded, stained and varnished and done by next-of-kin,” she wrote. “... She’s stately in appearance and unique for all to see. So, welcome to our treehouse, we’ve proudly named The Beverly.” 

Owned by Robison’s uncle, the 1966 Trojan C Voyager was previously docked at the Brownsville Marina in Port Orchard, Washington. The idea to turn it into a treehouse sparked when Robison received a text from his uncle. 

“This would make a cool treehouse,” he wrote. Why not become the Swiss Family Robison, O’Toole laughed, retelling the story, referring to the novel and movie featuring the Robinson family living in an impressive treehouse on a deserted island.  

After towing the boat to a bigger marina and using a crane to get it out of the water, the Voyager was sent to Montana on a semi-truck. It’s been the family’s project, elevated in their front yard, since October 2022.  

Robison and O’Toole completely gutted the boat, raised the ceiling but kept the original shape. Much of the decor is recycled from the boat itself. Small, original windows light up the entryway. The old diving deck from the back of the boat is the headboard and the helm sits next to the bed; the wheel still turns. 

The front cabin is now a reading nook, adorned with panels of wood, small windows and cushions on top of the original cabinetry and woodwork. It boasts a midcentury interior, with features of mahogany and pops of color. Sandblasting the outside of the boat, some of it has been painted and some left with the original wood.  

“It took way longer than building these,” O'Toole said, pointing toward the other two treehouses behind her. “But you have to be willing to take a risk and we’re willing to take a risk for a creative idea.” 

Perched off Montana 40, the secret treehouse forest feels remote enough; one reason building the retreat made sense for the family. 

The catalyst for a treehouse oasis started over a decade ago when the couple saw an advertisement in the paper for The Treehouse Guys on the DIY Network, a reality television show where builders traveled across the country to build treehouses.  

With so many trees on their property, Robison and O’Toole sent in an audition tape, the Treehouse Guys flew out to Whitefish to check out the integrity of the trees and within a few months, the first treehouse was built: The Meadowlark, a classic treehouse with trees serving as the foundation. 

The team framed the tree house in six weeks, staged it and then headed out. It took Robison and O’Toole around two years to complete it.  

"Once we did, it was an incredible success,” O’Toole said. 

Robison, who owned Ace Landscaping at the time, and O’Toole, who worked as a music producer, started a second treehouse that was completed during the pandemic called The Raven’s Nest, an A-frame building built on a steel frame with live trees growing through the building. Both The Meadowlark and The Raven’s Nest can sleep up to four people. 

The Beverly is the third and final treehouse that the couple plans to build, sleeping two. O’Toole and Robison, along with their sons Ry and Rowan, look forward to watching their latest project finally, after three years, come to fruition. Each treehouse has its own yard of sorts as well, with fire pits and grills.  

Spending the afternoon sitting on the porch, listening to a random mix of Bob Dylan, Chris Stapleton and Olivia Dean, I sketched some of the trees that surrounded me.  

Sitting around the fire pit as the sun began to set, as the night got darker, the boat lights seemed to shine brighter.  

Later, with every window open, I slept above the ground, one with the forest I was in.  

I may have only sailed in my daydreams, but it was a great adventure, nevertheless.  

To learn more, visit montanatreehouseresort.com.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].