Grizzly Creek Guard Station

My friend and I stayed here 9/28/24-9/30/24. The views are great and the nearby hiking is wonderful. The outhouse area was clean. The heat seemed to work and the stove was in working order. Getting the code for the combo lock after booking was difficult. The phone number listed was not in service. Another number I called for the Walden Forest Service said the office closed on 8/29/24. I had to call another Forest Service number, get transferred, leave a message and then wait for a call back. The call back gave me yet another contact, who finally gave me the combo lock code.
The inside of the cabin has not been maintained or cleaned. The mice kept us up most of the night. There are fly strips in the windows, but there were hundreds of flies. There are mouse droppings everywhere. The fire extinguisher was last inspected in 2022. Other campers left years of food and supplies behind. Some of it expired as long ago as 2014. My friend and I cleaned as best as we could with the supplies there and took trash out. This trash included expired food, toilet paper and paper towels, some of which was covered in mouse droppings and partially chewed up by rodents. I love the location but would not stay again. I understand that each patron is supposed to clean after their stay, but this is clearly inconsistent at best. It would be helpful if the Forest Service did something to help with upkeep. The flies and mice are a serious health and safety issue.

Well restored historic cabin in a very scenic location. Comfortable and well kept. Some good hikes in the area, and we saw a moose stroll by. Great night skies.

When we arrived, it smelled pretty strongly of gas: the stove and heater were both flowing but the pilots out. So be sure to check / relight those.

It's immediately along the road that goes up Buffalo Pass. It seems like OHV can be active in the area but I didn't see many.

First and most importantly the heater did not work at all. It was very cold. After trying to get heater going for like 3 hours we lite the oven and propped it open on 400 degrees to heat the place up. That warmed the cabin up nicely. Warm enough to awaken 100 fat flies that clunge to the window like a horror movie, In the middle of the night a mouse fell into the 5 gallon bucket under the sink and drowned. I understand this is a rustic cabin that's 100 years old but maybe the forest service could repair the heater and the vacuum up all the flies and install a bunch of fly paper. Pretty gross and uncomfortable overall.

I've stayed at the guard station in the past and have enjoyed. It's always a bit rough and never spotless.

Unfortunately during my most recent stay the first week of November the furnace did not work. It would lite then immediately go out. So, word to the wise, bring two sleeping bags for each person JIC!

The cabin and facilities were nice, but it is 50' from the road. There's a lot of traffic and you get dust from the dirt road.
Nice cabin, very poor location!