Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin

My family of four had a great time here! Enough snow on the ground to have fun, but since the nearby visitor center was closed the cabin felt more secluded than it actually is (I imagine it feels very "in the thick of it" in summer when the nearby Boy Scouts of America camp is active). Lots of nearby hikes and beautiful scenery, lots of room for kids to play outdoors near the cabin. A few minor issues: 1) the shower drained very poorly. It looks like it should double as a bath, but there's no bath faucet; 2) The wood stove was out of service (I see that a few of the previous reviews mentioned this) but the central heating worked great and we didn't even need the space heaters provided; 3) There's a busted window, and we were worried when we arrived, but the cardboard and plastic temporary fix that someone has done is more effective than we thought: as I said before, the central heat was enough, and we were quite warm at night. I really appreciated that all the switches were labeled, even the ones that don't seem to do anything. The presence of a "Mud Room" was very effective at helping us (and the kids) confine our muddy/ snowy footprints to that room, which made clean up a lot easier than it could have been. It would be nice to have coat hooks in the mud room, though. All in all, a great visit. I even caught a glimpse of a fox when it set off the motion activated flood lights outside on our second night.

My family of four had a great time here! Enough snow on the ground to have fun, but since the nearby visitor center was closed the cabin felt more secluded than it actually is (I imagine it feels very "in the thick of it" in summer when the nearby Boy Scouts of America camp is active). Lots of nearby hikes and beautiful scenery, lots of room for kids to play outdoors near the cabin. A few minor issues: 1) the shower drained very poorly. It looks like it should double as a bath, but there's no bath faucet; 2) The wood stove was out of service (I see that a few of the previous reviews mentioned this) but the central heating worked great and we didn't even need the space heaters provided; 3) There's a busted window, and we were worried when we arrived, but the cardboard and plastic temporary fix that someone has done is more effective than we thought: as I said before, the central heat was enough, and we were quite warm at night. I really appreciated that all the switches were labeled, even the ones that don't seem to do anything. The presence of a "Mud Room" was very effective at helping us (and the kids) confine our muddy/ snowy footprints to that room, which made clean up a lot easier than it could have been. It would be nice to have coat hooks in the mud room, though. All in all, a great visit. I even caught a glimpse of a fox when it set off the motion activated flood lights outside on our second night.

My family of four had a great time here! Enough snow on the ground to have fun, but since the nearby visitor center was closed the cabin felt more secluded than it actually is (I imagine it feels very "in the thick of it" in summer when the nearby Boy Scouts of America camp is active). Lots of nearby hikes and beautiful scenery, lots of room for kids to play outdoors near the cabin. A few minor issues: 1) the shower drained very poorly. It looks like it should double as a bath, but there's no bath faucet; 2) The wood stove was out of service (I see that a few of the previous reviews mentioned this) but the central heating worked great and we didn't even need the space heaters provided; 3) There's a busted window, and we were worried when we arrived, but the cardboard and plastic temporary fix that someone has done is more effective than we thought: as I said before, the central heat was enough, and we were quite warm at night. I really appreciated that all the switches were labeled, even the ones that don't seem to do anything. The presence of a "Mud Room" was very effective at helping us (and the kids) confine our muddy/ snowy footprints to that room, which made clean up a lot easier than it could have been. It would be nice to have coat hooks in the mud room, though. All in all, a great visit. I even caught a glimpse of a fox when it set off the motion activated flood lights outside on our second night.

It is a nice location. But the house needs a lot of work. And people need to take responsibility for cleaning up their mess. Too many dirty utensils.

It is a nice location. But the house needs a lot of work. And people need to take responsibility for cleaning up their mess. Too many dirty utensils.

It is a nice location. But the house needs a lot of work. And people need to take responsibility for cleaning up their mess. Too many dirty utensils.

Such a lovely place to stay. The fenced yard was perfect for the dogs, lots of space indoors, and all the amenities necessary. The fireplace wasn’t working quite right so we had to air out the cabin and stop using it. But there is central heat and it wasn’t an issue. Warning for winter visitors - there is no snow shovel, so make sure you bring one if snow is in the forecast.

Such a lovely place to stay. The fenced yard was perfect for the dogs, lots of space indoors, and all the amenities necessary. The fireplace wasn’t working quite right so we had to air out the cabin and stop using it. But there is central heat and it wasn’t an issue. Warning for winter visitors - there is no snow shovel, so make sure you bring one if snow is in the forecast.

Such a lovely place to stay. The fenced yard was perfect for the dogs, lots of space indoors, and all the amenities necessary. The fireplace wasn’t working quite right so we had to air out the cabin and stop using it. But there is central heat and it wasn’t an issue. Warning for winter visitors - there is no snow shovel, so make sure you bring one if snow is in the forecast.

This cabin is in need of repair. When I was there the wood stove pipe was broken near the top where it went into the wall. It was leaking smoke into the living space making the whole cabin smokey. One of the electric heaters was broken. The rear steps appear to have migrated down hill from my cement foundation. There was no wood in the wood shed good thing we brought our own but could not have a fire due to stove pipe. A window was broken in the living room. When we arrived there was smoldering news paper and pine needles in the wood stove. Positive items include the propane heating system working awesome. The restroom was awesome nice to have a shower and running water. The area is nice. Nice trees.