OutReserve

Malad Summit Guard Station

Access road to Malad Summit Cabin.
Winter Parking past the cattleguard
Malad Summit Guard Station
Living Room
Malad Guard Station

About Malad Summit Guard Station

Malad Summit Guard Station is located 14 miles north of Malad, Idaho on Malad Pass just off I-15. The rustic one-room cabin is in a forested setting in narrow Mill Creek Drainage, and offers a secluded retreat on fenced acreage surrounded by scenic high country views. The original guard station was established in 1908, but was replaced by the existing cabin in 1934. The cabin is accessible by car when there is no snow. Guests should be prepared in snowy conditions to ski, snowshoe or snowmobile half a mile from the plowed road to reach the cabin. The guard station offers many amenities for a comfortable stay, but fewer conveniences are available in winter.

Number of accommodations: 1

Nearby Activities & Attractions

Hiking

Skiing

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Open year round

This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.

365 Days

01, Loop: MSGS

Price not available
🏠 Cabin Unavailable

Site Details

Up to 15 guests
Shade
Surface: Gravel
Campfire
Pet Friendly
View Site Details

Reviews (20)

What Guests Are Saying

The Malad Summit Guard Station offers a wonderful cabin experience. Guests should prepare to gather or bring their own firewood and toilet paper. Overall, it's a cozy place for a stay.

Review Summary

4.2
20 reviews
5
60.0%
12
4
20.0%
4
3
0.0%
0
2
15.0%
3
1
5.0%
1

Forrest R

Verified

April 26, 2026 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

Wonderful cabin to stay at. Prepare to gather or bring your own wood if you plan to have a fire. Might want to bring some TP too.

Paul F

Verified

February 19, 2024 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

Fun place to spend a cold winter night.

Robert P

Verified

May 17, 2023 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

The good:
2 room cabin with electricity. Bunk beds in both the living room and bedroom. Couch. Old fridge, 4 burner electric range with oven. Sink that drains was nice. Outlets all over the place.

Wood stove.

There is a wall mounted space heater in each room. The one by the wood stove works but you must play with the dial some to get it to come on.

Seasonal water with shower and water heater.

Dresser in bedroom. Curtains over some windows but on 2 the very cheap lightweight curtain rods have broken. Can somebody bring 6 foot or so heavy duty rods or dowels with brackets?

We have Verizon for cell service and were able to get 2 bar 4G LTE at the parking area and up to the gate but it did come and go.

Dishes, pots, pans, glasses supplied.

Small dining table with bench seats.

Large porch but no chairs. One nasty cushioned chair was in the living room.

Fire pit with picnic tables and also elevated charcoal grill.

Can somebody bring a journal for future guests? There were none there but there were a a few blank journal pages in the binder.

Concrete ADA vault toilet.

The bad:
Gate was missing or under the snow for winter so no way to block entry but we had no visitors.

Snowplow stops at cattle guard about 1/4 mile from cabin. You have to park on the north side of road or south property owner gets all fussy.

There was no ax or splitter. Wood supplied appears to be from previous visitors that was cut too large to fit in wood stove. We did not see a wood shed so maybe wood is not supplied?

Cabin was a mess when we arrived with grime and mouse droppings but it had not been rented for a while.

Lock should be installed on front porch instead of the side due to heavy snow accumulation blocking door.

Anna C

Verified

March 19, 2023 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

2

The cabin entry door was covered with 3 ft of snow that we had to shovel out of the water. Inside, they removed several amenities that have been available at the location for years. The table was now very small, chairs were removed, cookware/dinnerware was removed, dressers were missing as well. The did add some curtains (which was nice). The wall mount heater in the living room did not warm up while the one in the bedroom/bathroom area did warm up.

Nathan F

Verified

September 18, 2022 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

Great time. Plenty of outlets. Plenty of heat. Fridge worked great. Outhouse super clean.

Dan T

Verified

July 29, 2022 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

We were very impressed with the location. The toilet had just been mopped when we arrived and the entire bathroom had a very clean scent and feeling to it.

The cabin itself is older and while there want anything specifically dirty about it, it just showed its age. Do not think you are "glamping" here as it is not a resort experience, but the facility was well maintained and we thought it was well worth the price.

We appreciate those who are working to keep the property up because it was clearly being maintained.

We brought four-wheelers and had a blast riding the many trails nearby.

Annette B

Verified

May 30, 2022 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

2

there's mice under front bed in the wall, caught 1 then trap broke, lots of dust made me have issues in mornings, no handrails on porches makes it hard to get in if you have mobility issues like me , walk to our house is scary at night . lots of black widows, behind shower stall. cleaned some of it. polished table and cleaned rust off coffee pot, frigs works great just don't put dial up past 3 or it freezes stuff . , no dishes so bring your our or go to the thrift store in town, there's several in Pocatello ,google maps i found lots . habitat store has shower heads w hoses you can buy cheap to use to clean and fill mop bucket .igo store has cleaning stuff too cheap. Found lots of stuff there to use there.

Jason F

Verified

April 28, 2022 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

My favorite place to go.

Tiffany B

Verified

December 14, 2021 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

We had a fantastic stay at the Malad Summit Guard Station. Even before we got there, everyone we spoke with was super helpful.
We did what another reviewer suggested to lock the gate during our stay and we had no issues with others invading the space.
The stove, fridge, and space heater all worked. The beds were comfortable. We didn't know that the outlets would work but they did so that was a nice bonus.
We had spotty service on our phones but we were camping so that wasn't an issue for us.
We'd absolutely stay there again and recommend it to others!

Joe B

Verified

December 4, 2021 Stayed at: 01, Loop: MSGS

5

An almost winter visit for us and we were surprised to see electrical hooked up to this cabin. No running water so we couldn't take a warm shower and there's no toilet inside (for summer visits). There are two wall heater units, a radiant heat stove, and even a fume hood. The mattresses are acceptable to sleep on and shouldn't require additional padding.

Location Malad Summit Guard Station

Address:
4350 Cliffs Drive
Pocatello, ID, 83204
United States

Highway access

Malad Summit Guard Station is located approximately 11 miles north of Malad, ID, accessible via I-15 at Exit 22, followed by N. Old Highway 191.

Latitude & Longitude: 42.3511 / -112.264

Elevation: 1829 feet

Policies & Rules

General

  • Malad Summit Guard Station is managed by Pinnacle Parks Llc under a special use permit with the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. For questions please contact 208-757-3999 between the hours of 8am and 9pm.
  • An access code for the gate and door is sent in the reservation confirmation email. 
  • Induction stove heating element will only activate if cookware is placed on the stovetop. Cookware must be made of a magnetic material. 
  • Shower facility, oven and refridgerator are no longer available. Guests should plan on bringing their own coolers for cold food storage. 
  • No water is available at the cabin during winter months beginning late September through May. Winter guests should bring their own water.
  • Forest road 041 is not maintained/plowed in the winter months. When snow accumulation doesn't allow for vehicles to access the cabin via Forest Road 041, cabin renters can park at the overnight winter parking area past the cattleguard at the USFS boundary. Cabin renters should not park on private property before the cattleguard. The overnight parking area is signed and can accommodate up to 4 vehicles. Renters can hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, or snowmobile to Malad Summit Guard Station.
  • Please leave the cabin clean for the next occupant.
  • This is a pack-it-in/pack-it-out facility.
  • Smoking is prohibited.
  • Pets are allowed, but guests must ensure no damage to furnishings and no harassment of wildlife; guests must clean up after their animals.
  • Please make sure fires in the outside campfire ring are extinguished completely before leaving the cabin. Abandoning campfires during any point in your stay at the cabin can result in a violation. Since water is not available during the off season at the cabin, please bring extra water to help extinguish a campfire.
  • Off-road vehicle stickers are required for ATVs, motorcycles, and snowmobiles using the area
  • Guests should be aware that there is a risk of exposure to hantavirus when visiting remote cabins; click here to learn more
  • Click here for more information about Caribou-Targhee National Forest
  • Don't Move Firewood: Help prevent the spread of tree-killing pests in our national forests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: June 4, 2026

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Managed by USDA Forest Service