Blacksmith Fork Guard Station

For the price per night, we weren't that impressed with this site. I realize that it was a holiday weekend and there were plenty of other people up the canyon. The road is *not* improved, and it took us quite a while to travel the three miles up. The shared bathroom is probably fine on the off season, but every other minute there was someone using it and it was uncomfortable having so much traffic right outside our cabin. There was no where to store our trash (usually there are bear-proof containers or cans to use). Apparently mice got into our trash bag and in our car on our way home. The cabin wasn't left in great shape and we had to stock the bathroom with toilet paper due to all the visitors.

I've stayed in multiple ranger stations and this was our least favorite unfortunately. The river and firepit out back made it worthwhile, though. Lots of privacy there. I think this should be 30/night max.

The road in to the cabin is very, very rough. Expect to drive at 5-10 mph while legitimately worrying about flattening one or more tires unless you're ripping by in an ATV.

When we arrived at the cabin the glass on the front door was smashed and from the guestbook we learned the place had been robbed the day before.

The cabin has a lot of potential but between the road, the glass and the risk of crime we did not sleep soundly.

Great cabin, horrible campers in the area. Wasn’t private, and the campers (local or not) made it so I or my family will never camp in the area again. People broke into our cabin, lurked around the area constantly and just overall made us feel completely unsafe staying here. Would not recommended to anyone

On the positive side, the road into the cabin did not have any trees blocking it. Everything else about the 2 miles leading up to the cabin was awful. Traveling at a pace that made the final 2 miles take 40 minutes, we were bounced and tossed about in our SUV mercilessly. At times we had doubts as to whether we would be able to make it there. Once we arrived, we found the cabin to be a challenge. There were instructions on the counter for operating the appliances and the lights. We used the stove, but never went to the trouble of figuring out the refrigerator or the lights. There were many roaches in the cabin, having a gathering in the sink. There is no running water, and no indication of where water is to be obtained, other than from the river running nearby. There was no firewood. The location is beautiful, the cabin picturesque, but this is no place to stop for a single night.

This was a really good find. The canyon is beautiful. Very unique rock formations and, with all the rain, everything was lush and green. The stream in the back of the property has fish and there was a small family of ducks. Yay ducklings! The cabin is large enough to sleep six plus a pack-n-play for a baby. There is gas available. Please familiarize yourself on how to use it properly. The folks who stayed ahead of us left the gas on and fortunately there was a smell so we could air the place out before lighting anything. The shared bathroom was better than bringing our own or using the camper. The driveway area was large enough for our 24' camper, truck, and three vehicles. Nice to have them behind a gate. There is a single large picnic table and decent fire ring are in the back. There is also an old clothes line which came in handy.

As always the guard station was magnificent. This was our third time staying there and first time for our good friends.
Plenty of firewood

Cute place! And Beautiful location! House needs serious attention. Beautiful scenic drive in. Road in to camp is horrible! Arriving we were greeted by a couple million box elder bug in between the windows and the screens on a 102 degree day. Second day we found in the kitchen were mice or rats had chewed their way through the wall to enter the house. Lighting, stove and refrigerator are propane and a wood burning stove in the cabin with no working smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector.

This cabin is a great value for your dollar. The fire ring area is perfectly placed away from the road and near the river. The parking and convenient bathroom location are excellent. We loved that despite there not being electricity that we still had use of a fridge, stove, and overhead bedroom lights. Some people don't leave it as clean as others, but it never felt germy or gross. We brought our dog with us and he had a wonderful time. Although he could slip through the surrounding fence if he wanted to it was enough of a barrier that he never chased after the frequent ATVs that rode by or that stopped to use the shared bathroom. There was plenty of firewood but I would suggest bringing your own just in case it had been used up by the time your reservation rolled around. We brought our own water cooler and then would fill it up at the spring that was about a mile up the road or back at the Hyrum City Park that was in the canyon. The futon mattress needed extra padding so we put more blankets on that and had our light weight kids sleep on that mattress, the other pads were just fine for a few nights. This is our second time staying here and we've already booked it again for the end of summer. It's perfect for that "glamping" experience, especially if you go in with realistic expectations.

Smooth process to rent and an incredible place. Loved the charm of the guard station. So glad we got it the first weekend the road opened. It was such a nice step out of busy life and back to a simpler time. We just need more places like this!

Great location and a wonderful cabin. We've stayed at many USFS cabins and really like the way this one is laid out. Very comfortable and a great spot to base some nordic and snowshoe adventures. Definitely looking to stay there again!