Blacksmith Fork Guard Station

Bring adequate firewood for the wood burning stove on cold nights as none, or very little, is available there.

Beautiful location and access to the river. Not the best access to trails or the most private, but it was a lovely place to stay.

Great place to stay if you don't quite want to camp in a tent but still want to be off grid. Its a charming small cabin built during the CCC days. It has propane but no electricity. There's a propane range and a propane fridge inside to use and a concrete fire ring in the back. There's also a small river in the back so be careful with small kids. We took our two girls there ages 3 and 10 months as our first "camping" experience and it was great.

{"text"=>"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.\n\nIf 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nBehind 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nWe 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.\n\nOverall, 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.", "languageCode"=>"en"}