Horsethief Cabin

The cabin was in great condition. A bit sparse on plates, silverware and bowls. Adequate pots and pans. Great fishing!!

We read years worth of reviews about mice, we did as instructed and set all six traps with peanut butter, but we did not see one mouse the whole time we were there. That being said, we did keep the kitchen light on when we slept that night just as a further deterrent. My favorite part was reading the book. Someone had generously gifted to the cabin, ranch trails and short tales by Claire Cordes. Pretty cool read, especially since you are in the heart of the storytelling. The bed was covered with dirt, but we did bring our own sleeping bag, but perhaps a little more housekeeping prior to guests would be nice. Beautiful area though, the cabin is extremely rustic, but things were manageable. We were happy we stayed. Additionally, there were no other bugs or unwanted critters anywhere to be found as previously posted by other guests. You do have to fill pots to fill the toilet tank to get it to flush, but again they had pots available so it was manageable. Caught two largemouth bass in about five minutes down at the lake.

If I could give this experience zero stars, I would. We ended up sleeping in our car and never actually got to stay in the cabin. Here's what happened:

The confirmation letter you receive upon booking states: "A four-digit code included in the confirmation letter will gain access at the entrance gate, and the cabin." There is no other instructions whatsoever about how to gain entry to this cabin.

We arrived just before 7pm as it was starting to get dark. We followed the instructions in the confirmation letter and used the code to open the gate and drive up to the cabin. The instructions seem to indicate access is one thing, not multiple things. The one sentence seems to indicate either the gate code is the only lock thing or perhaps there might be another lock code on the door. Well, we got to the door and it was an old fashioned key lock, and it was locked. There were tons of signs around the door. No shooting signs, ranger phone numbers, but no cell service, but nothing explained where or how we might unlock this door. We looked around and couldn't figure it out. No cell service, getting dark, rough roads, we just decided to sleep in the car. The next day when it was light again we found a lock box on the side of the cabin hidden behind a gutter. In it was the keys to get in the cabin. This should have been made clear in the instructions in the confirmation letter as well as on signage around the front of the cabin. How are we supposed to know we are looking for this thing, and where, without ANY indication whatsoever. Better instructions on the confirmation letter are very much needed!

We loved the isolation of this cabin.

The Cabin was Perfect

My daughter and I took my wife for her birthday on 7-22-24, We were looking forward for a nice relaxing weekend at the Horsethief cabin to celebrate my wife's birthday, but what a disappointment that was.

First time writing a review, but I feel it is necessary to tell the condition of the cabin and maybe create an awareness, so everyone can contribute to take care of it for future tenants.

USFS mentioned in their web site that they don't provide maid service and the tenants are to clean after themselves before to leave the property, but I think that doesn't mean the rangers should not stop by now and then to check on the condition of the property before someone else's arrival.

Horse cabin will take you out of your comfort zone as it is if we don't take care of it. The mouse infestation is not a joke, we arrived at the cabin and first thing we see are rodents climbing all over the countertop, silver ware let on the sink, appliances, etc. The smell of the house was hideous, food left in the garbage can from who knows how long ago, microwave popcorn inside it, cobwebs everywhere and a mop that had created mold, box spring eaten on the side and rats nesting inside. We cleaned the house with Clorox, bleach, Lysol, etc, some of the products where at the cabin.

Getting dark, so we turned on the lights on and left the door open to refresh the house and prepare something to eat, 100s of mosquitoes had gotten inside and was almost impossible to eat. We covered the mattress with 2 covers and a sleeping bag because of the smell and covered our heads because mosquitos were everywhere. Every time we returned to the cabin, we could see mice droppings all over, so we cleaned some more to be able to use the place.

Always complain about how many things my wife brings in for camping, this time, totally worth it. She was not happy and I sure I'll be hearing this for a long, long time.

Hopefully you'll have a better story to tell and a much happier wife.
PS: Gorgeous Scenery

It seemed this cabin had not been used in awhile. There were cob webs everywhere. There was no way to keep windows up we had to use serving utensils. There is a definite mouse problem. They came out at night. Keep all food and garbage secure. Scared the grandkids on the futon. They did not want to sleep there again. The main bedroom also showed signs of them eating away at box springs for nesting though we never saw them in the bedroom. Empty traps are left for you to set up which we did. Never caught one. Caught a very nice ranger who said they are aware and set trap under house as well. He said he would try to take care of webs etc. the kids overall had a great time exploring the lake and around camp

Great location. A bit hard to get to, yet worth it. Could do without all the ORV's driving by as well.
Accommodations were nice for our family of six. Cabin could use more utensils-make sure you bring some. Next time, we'll bring extras to leave for the next visitors.

Another wonderful stay!! My fiancé and two daughters and I fit comfortably and the location is IDEAL. I can’t recommend it enough.

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