Blacksmith Fork Guard Station

Ranger Station was exactly what I was looking for. Remote, quiet, warm wood burning stove and good nights rest.

Ranger Station was exactly what I was looking for. Remote, quiet, warm wood burning stove and good nights rest.

House smelled like propane, windows had plywood covering them, looked like squatters had been staying there, overall not worth the money. The house was extremely underwhelming, for the trip definitely save your money and book just the campsite.

House smelled like propane, windows had plywood covering them, looked like squatters had been staying there, overall not worth the money. The house was extremely underwhelming, for the trip definitely save your money and book just the campsite.

How do you feel about camping in mouse poop that could give you hantavirus? 6 of us including babies went on a XC ski cabin trip up to Blacksmith Fork Guard Station mid-February '24. This was FAR below our expectations especially for $79 a night. Upon arriving, we realized there was so much mouse poop on every horizontal surface we saw. On the counters, table, floor, window seals, counters in the kitchen, on the mattresses, under the mattresses, dresser, fridge, oven range, in kitchen drawers and more. That wasn’t it, the cleanliness was extremely poor. The fridge and freezer had mold.

Before our trip, I called the ranger to ask about the cabin and get more details. We were expecting to use some of the things the ranger said we could use but because of the poor maintenance of the cabin we were not able to. I was told there were propane lights we could use there and instructions on how to use them, upon arrival we read the instructions which said to install a mantle for the light. There was only one mantle in the cabin so we could only have one room lit. I was told there were dishes to use there but they had mouse poop on them (they had butter knives but I don’t think they had spoons/forks). I was told there would be instructions on how to use everything with propane but there wasn’t any info on how to use the propane fridge. I was told the beds are sanitized between guests. The beds had pet hair, mouse poop, and lots of little yellow stains on them. On one mattress, it looked like a human (or dog) had peed on it. There was one unset mouse trap under the kitchen sink, but no other measures to keep the mice out...Check my google review for pictures and more info as I am limited on space and cannot add pictures here.

I called and talked with the ranger after the visit and the ranger was grateful to know what was going on. They refunded us for our trip.

How do you feel about camping in mouse poop that could give you hantavirus? 6 of us including babies went on a XC ski cabin trip up to Blacksmith Fork Guard Station mid-February '24. This was FAR below our expectations especially for $79 a night. Upon arriving, we realized there was so much mouse poop on every horizontal surface we saw. On the counters, table, floor, window seals, counters in the kitchen, on the mattresses, under the mattresses, dresser, fridge, oven range, in kitchen drawers and more. That wasn’t it, the cleanliness was extremely poor. The fridge and freezer had mold.

Before our trip, I called the ranger to ask about the cabin and get more details. We were expecting to use some of the things the ranger said we could use but because of the poor maintenance of the cabin we were not able to. I was told there were propane lights we could use there and instructions on how to use them, upon arrival we read the instructions which said to install a mantle for the light. There was only one mantle in the cabin so we could only have one room lit. I was told there were dishes to use there but they had mouse poop on them (they had butter knives but I don’t think they had spoons/forks). I was told there would be instructions on how to use everything with propane but there wasn’t any info on how to use the propane fridge. I was told the beds are sanitized between guests. The beds had pet hair, mouse poop, and lots of little yellow stains on them. On one mattress, it looked like a human (or dog) had peed on it. There was one unset mouse trap under the kitchen sink, but no other measures to keep the mice out...Check my google review for pictures and more info as I am limited on space and cannot add pictures here.

I called and talked with the ranger after the visit and the ranger was grateful to know what was going on. They refunded us for our trip.

So fun! And so nice! We loved the privacy and features it gave us

So fun! And so nice! We loved the privacy and features it gave us

Even though it says to bring your own cleaning supplies we found a broom, mop, simple green, Lysol, and other supplies there. You should bring your own paper towels. The kitchen utensils were sufficient for our needs but you may want to bring your own skillet or you’ll be stuck with a 4 inch egg pan. There is a large soup pot and some smaller ones as well. A full set of plates, bowls, and silverware for at least 4 people.

There are definitely several deer mice that have lost their fear of humans that live in this cabin one of whom had a face off with our two year old.

The bunks have a thin 1 inch ish foam pad that we didn’t find adequate but with a supplemental air mattress or camping pad are fine. There are two sets of bunk beds one is twin on top queen on bottom and the other is two twin beds.

There is a woodpile in the back and an axe in the closet of the cabin but no hatchet (we had our own). There is a clothesline outside to hang up your wet swimming clothes and plenty of fish in the creek. The propane stove, fridge, and gas lamps work great but we never tried the oven.

We ended up cleaning the public toilet as when we got there someone before us had had a very bad day and we had the means to clean it.

There is no trashcan inside the cabin and with the mice I highly recommend either bringing your own metal container or we put ours in a locking plastic cargo box at night to avoid a disaster in the morning.

Overall a 10/10 experience. Highly recommend.

Even though it says to bring your own cleaning supplies we found a broom, mop, simple green, Lysol, and other supplies there. You should bring your own paper towels. The kitchen utensils were sufficient for our needs but you may want to bring your own skillet or you’ll be stuck with a 4 inch egg pan. There is a large soup pot and some smaller ones as well. A full set of plates, bowls, and silverware for at least 4 people.

There are definitely several deer mice that have lost their fear of humans that live in this cabin one of whom had a face off with our two year old.

The bunks have a thin 1 inch ish foam pad that we didn’t find adequate but with a supplemental air mattress or camping pad are fine. There are two sets of bunk beds one is twin on top queen on bottom and the other is two twin beds.

There is a woodpile in the back and an axe in the closet of the cabin but no hatchet (we had our own). There is a clothesline outside to hang up your wet swimming clothes and plenty of fish in the creek. The propane stove, fridge, and gas lamps work great but we never tried the oven.

We ended up cleaning the public toilet as when we got there someone before us had had a very bad day and we had the means to clean it.

There is no trashcan inside the cabin and with the mice I highly recommend either bringing your own metal container or we put ours in a locking plastic cargo box at night to avoid a disaster in the morning.

Overall a 10/10 experience. Highly recommend.