Blacksmith Fork Guard Station

This cabin is in a beautiful valley and is luxurious by rural standards. It is pest-free, warm, well-lit, and well-stocked with dishes and firewood (early in the winter). The surrounding area is wonderful and the river has fish in it, though I have yet to catch one. The hike in is relatively flat and short (2ish miles). I've been here twice and plan to return for many more nights in the woods!

The Cabin was tons of fun for our small family! As noted there is no power. Everything is run by propane, including the lights and fridge/freezer. Two complaints we ended up having were that every mantle was broken on the gas lights, needing replacement before we could use them. We did end up having the mantles with us. Even with below 30 nights, there were several wasps we woke up to every morning inside the cabin. We saw maybe two other people our whole stay there! We were surprised with how well furnished the kitchen was, and how warm the wood stove kept the cabin. Looking forward to our next stay!

Endless stream of traffic and this cabin is right on the road, so there is little privacy in the yard. The restroom has a gate to the road that invites passersby to have a stop. The cabin itself is quite nice and appears well maintained though the beds require you bring your own mattresses.

This was an experience of a life time.

Been on my bucket list for years and can’t wait to come back

We got rained out due to some wonderful Thunderstorms that brought a lot of needed rain for the farmers and the forrest! We will book again. The Rangers were great about getting our reservations cancelled. We appreciate Kristen and all of her help. Thanks!!!

Enjoyed the cabin, location and easy access to the river. Only concern would be the public toilet on the property. Many visitors used up all the toliet paper placed by US Forest Ranger but used the supply I had placed in it to replace empties. Toilet was full due to visitor use and needed pumping. Talked with Ranger concerning this. Other then that it was a lot of fun for a reasonable price. I have rented cabins from USFS for last nine years throughout Utah and Wyoming. Plan on more in future.

It was a beautiful and relaxing cabin. We had a great time and definitely plan on a return trip.

Neat little cabin. We were there when all the adjacent campsites were being refurbished and thus closed. I can see this a very VERY busy area when open. Also because the area was closed to the public the fishing was fantastic!
The only down side was the horrific infestation of flies. Because the area was closed the cow herds in this allotment were feasting in the riparian areas and all around the cabin and there was cow shit everywhere. The associated flies were like a biblical plague.
This is also the most expensive of the several dozen guard stations we've stayed at.
We encountered several Forest Service employees and they were all very professional and friendly.
If there had been water this would be a five star place.

This was our first experience up this canyon and staying at a guard station so we didn't know what to expect. This canyon is lower so the temperatures aren't as cool as you may be imagining a canyon to be. It is heavily used as an off road vehicle canyon so if you're going for some peace and quiet, be aware that you will see and hear many vehicles going up and down. The guard station is farther up and will require you drive up a maintained dirt road so it will be bumpy and dusty but we drove a minivan and was just fine.

If you reserve this, there will be a warning that there are rattlesnakes in the area. I called and was told that there isn't a huge problem at that site but that they are in the canyon so that alleviated my concerns; we just had our kids wear closed toe shoes whenever possible and kept them in the main area.

The guard station site itself is nice enough. Some of the grass you see in the picture are actually pokey type weeds so you won't be wanting to run around barefoot. The bathroom on site appears to be a public, meaning there will be people stopping by and using the restroom but it was clean and not smelly. The fire pit is semi-shaded but I'd highly recommend a little pop up or tarp or something to go over the picnic table because it's not shaded most of the day. There were some large logs when we were there you could sit on but I'm not totally sure if that's what they're meant for or if they are more for firewood so bring camp chairs.

Behind the property is a nice little stream, small enough to not worry about the kids playing in it but big enough to play in and cool yourself off. That was a major plus for our group and the kids loved the privacy because nobody else was there.

The fire pit is great and has a garbage can for ash and shovel as well. I noticed some great smaller wood for kindling kind of piled up nearby one of the out buildings on the property but I can't say if there's wood always there or not. It was also the kind of wood pile that attracts rattlesnakes so I wouldn't be sending kids over to gather some of it up. The wood that was available when we went (not sure if it's always there or not) was very large and we brought an ax but it was so wide, we were grateful that inside the cabin, there was a saw and that tool that helps break up the large logs. I hope it always comes with the place but I can see how that might disappear.

The house itself is very rustic so be prepared for that. Not sure if it was the time of year but there were a lot of box elder type bugs in the house. Not like they were swarming but also rustic. We were able to sleep more in the house than listed because there was a super basic roll out cot you can use if you bring an air mattress or thick pad. We also brought a cot of our own that there was room for.

We didn't use the fridge or oven but the fridge was running and cool so you can use that. There were a lot of pots, pan, plates, and serving spoons but with no running water, we kept things more simple. Also, lots of paper products I'm guessing people left behind.

Overall, my kids LOVED it! Those that love old buildings will love it for the history and chance to live like they used to. My descriptions are accurate for our experience going mid July and pretty detailed so if it feels like your thing and the rustic feel doesn't bother you, it will be a good fit for you.

Nice night stay. Rented late in the fall with quite a bit of snow falling. Sat by the fire and played cards all evening.