First visit? We’ve got you covered.
While most hostels have shared sleeping rooms, all of our rooms are private. We are called a hostel because of the overall social dynamic of the place. The kitchen, swimming hole, fire ring, library, outdoor showerhouse, rooftop bathtub, trails, labyrinth, art porch, dining room, and instruments are available for all to use. You are likely to meet some fascinating people from all over the world during your stay. On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know!
**** Our lagoon dock is currently being rebuilt and there will not be a high-quality access point into the water for a couple of weeks
Directions
Arrival
Your room
Activities
Checkout
Cancellation
Map
Directions:
If coming from the north, south, or east - make sure your GPS takes you through the town of Paoli or your GPS is likely to send you on some sketchy country roads that will not save you any time (and are occasionally closed if flooded). Google maps link can be found here.
Arrival:
Upon arrival, come up the sketchy gravel driveway to the communal farmhouse. You should find someone there who is able to give you a tour and show you to your room. If you don’t, call us and we’ll come find you! Check in is from 3:00-10:00. You may come as early as you like, but we don’t promise that your room will be ready if you do. You can come after 10:00 if you arrange it with the manager, but we will add a $40 late check in fee.
Your room:
For all rooms/spaces other than The River Bed, you’ll be walking about 100-200 yards up a wooded path from the parking lot. We find that most people tend not to spend much time in their rooms, and the beauty of the place is in the rest of the 29 acres, farmhouse, and university on the campus. The outdoor showerhouse and compost toilets are centrally located in the forest with traditional restroom facilities and communal kitchen available at the farmhouse. You will not have a traditional restroom or kitchen attached to your living quarters. The River Bed suite is attached to The University and is in a separate location on the campus with a separate indoor bathroom/shower. It is next to our library, which is available to all of our guests from 10am-10pm - and then becomes the private domain of the River Bed guests from 10pm-10am. The Pop Top treehouse is an adventure sleeping experience in the crown of a 5-trunked poplar tree. The stairs are steep, the supporting cables will sway in the breeze, and we do not recommend this room for those with a fear of heights. If you arrive and it’s too challenging, we will happily provide other accommodations subject to availability. The Roost and The Bungalow are the top and bottom floors of our guesthouse (respectively), and have bonus art and living spaces inside. The Nests are screened in 4-poster beds in the middle of the forest. They are magical places to sleep or nap, but do not have extra living space inside of them.
Activities:
There are a million things going on at and around Lost River. There is rarely a set schedule for things happening AT the hostel (art, music jam sessions, games, kayaking, exploring, etc), but these things happen all the time and guests will often join in. In addition to all of the amenities and wonders on campus, there are a ton of nearby things to see and do. You can find a full list here: https://www.lostriverhostel.com/adventures
Checkout:
Checkout is by 12:00 each day. You are always welcome to stay longer and enjoy the property, we just ask that you have your STUFF out of the room so we can clean it for the next guests.
Cancellation:
We offer cancellation with full refund if requested 24 hours or more before your scheduled check-in through whatever website you’ve booked through (airbnb, booking.com, etc). After that cutoff, we will charge full price for the first night of your stay. If you are staying for a retreat, there is cancellation with full refund if you cancel 7 days or more prior to the event.
More info:
Want to do a deeper dive? You can see our frequenetly asked questions page here
