Portal Bunkhouse

Such a beautiful location and right at the entrance to the national park. 2nd year in a row and more to come. Highly recommend the bunkhouse, all you need to bring is bedding and foodstuffs. So quaint and cozy.

This place was so gorgeous and cozy. Best view I have seen in a long time too.

Perfect location cute cabin going to visit again soon

A quick walk around the bunkhouse clearly shows holes in the walls, rotten infrastructure, and a building that has not been maintained, to say the least! So it was no surprise that the night I stayed in the Bunkhouse, it rained, the roof leaked, the electricity went out, and the mice played ALL night -- LOUDLY.

There were many places that I could have stayed for $100/night - WITH maid service, but I wanted to both be in the forest and support the forest service. When I saw that none of the money was dedicated to upkeep of the historic building, I was deeply disappointed. I will not be staying at the Bunkhouse again.

Definitely ignore Google Maps if you're coming from the west. Take the extra miles through Road Forks to avoid 10 miles of washboard dirt roads.
The cabin itself is lovely and has more amenities than were expected. It is EXCELLENT for stargazing, hiking, and getting away from the world. The bird and wildlife watching was particularly notable. There is internet through the wifi at the next door Visitor Center from ~9:30a-3p, but otherwise you'll have no connectivity. It's the middle of nowhere and that's not a bad thing.

Awesome place we to come here and unplug, and relax and enjoy the nature.

Stunning location in cozy old fashion bunkhouse with everything you need for enjoyable stay.

There is no one to contact regarding issues like burned out light bulbs and no cleaning supplies. The coffee pot needs to be physically turned off and unplugged. Electric outlets are misplaced leading to difficulty finding an appropriate place to plug in the toaster and coffee pot. Mouse traps are needed. Otherwise, a nice, tidy , and comfortable bunk house. It stayed cool in the cabin while temperatures were in the 90's outside. A very beautiful setting indeed!

The location is superb. Great views from the front porch. Kitchenware well supplied. Having said that, the way this historic cabin has been maintained is very sad. We could not open the screen door leading to the lockbox because it was latched from inside. The other (non locked front door) has no latch. Why put the latch on the door that is the main entrance? Illogical. Every window screen had a paper napkin poked through a hole. We later read in the visitor notebook that many guests have been locked out and had to break in through the screens. Which we did. The cabin looked like it had been recently pained inside….paint spills all over the floor and over the wood ceiling beams. Sad. The windows were cobwebbed and full of debris. The shower was full of hair and while we understand that prior guests should have cleaned up there should be an inspection of some sort. The front yard was completely unkempt in stark contrast to the adjacent visitors center for the Friends of Cave Creek. This historic cabin deserves more respect. where is the rental fee going to?

Loved the mountains and the creek and trails. would not stay in this cabin again.

A very pleasant place to stay in a gorgeous area. A few tips:
-If you're coming from Tucson (or elsewhere in in AZ), ignore Google Maps if it says to take exit 382 at San Simon... unless you enjoy driving on 20+ miles of washboard dirt roads. Follow the directions given by USFS and continue on I-10 to Road Forks, NM (exit 5) to take NM state road 80 (former US 80) south to Portal Rd
-A little confusion about the key lock box--when facing the house it's on the right-hand door (not the left as stated in the description)
-There's an outside chance that the outdoor grill might be temporarily unavailable if the tank is being refilled, so be flexible in your dinner plans (the kitchen has a full stove and oven as well as a microwave). The tank was lacking the evening I arrived, but was returned pretty early the next day
-Go slowly entering and especially leaving the driveway, it's rather rough
-While the baseboard heaters work pretty well, there are space heaters in the bedroom closet if more heat is needed
-The kitchen closet is where you'll find most of the pots and pans, plus cleaning supplies
-Bring headlamps or a lantern. Handy in emergencies, going outside at night, and for supplementing the lights in the cabin for reading and such. There are ceiling lights in each room (the kitchen light isn't the brightest); there's also a small plug-in lamp that was set up as a reading light in the kitchen while I was there, but could also serve as a bedside light
-There are four chairs at the kitchen table, plus a lounge chair and a wooden desk-style chair in the cabin. Folding chairs can be handy for enjoying the porch and front yard (and can also be used inside)
-The Bunkhouse is next to the Visitor Information Center, so don't expect remote. The path from the Visitor Center to the Silver Peak Trail/Nature Trail also goes directly behind the cabin, so there's a modest amount of foot traffic. Even so, it was very peaceful and quiet.
-Most of all- Enjoy!