Colton Guard Station

Lovely setting, peaceful and quiet.
There was no potable water and no water running in bathroom or kitchen sink.
There was no frig a indicated in information.
No matches to go with propane stove.
The Sheep Creek Geological Scenic Drive was well worth it.

Excellent stay

Amazing! Very clean! Tons of firewood. BBQ that goes over the fire pit with seats around it. You don’t really need to bring anything except the food to cook. All Utensils, cast iron pans, plates, and some games. There is a very nice stove inside and full running water with a bathroom inside. Solar powers the lights for the rooms and having running water all around the cabin is very nice. I wasn’t expecting all the amenity’s so far away! The beds are very comfortable and you will get a good nights rest. Walking around the property is very fun seeing the old horse barn and a beautiful landscape. I’ve been to a ton of fire lookouts cabins and stations all over and this one is by far the best one I’ve been to. The night sky full of stars and a nice comfortable fire will make memories you will talk about for years! Its wayyy better than an Airbnb! I wish I could live there forever! Thank you to the Forest Service for this amazing place we can stay at!

The weather was fantastic. They said there was no water available until June 1st, so we scheduled for the 19th so that water would be turned on, but it wasn't. That was a bummer. The cabin was full of dead bugs and the toilet had mold growing in it. The sink was full of dead bugs as well as the shower. It would have been nice if they would have cleaned it up before we came. We left it better than we got it. I finally just kept filling the toilet bowl with water from a bucket and cleaned the inside toilet so that we didn't have to use the out house. That worked. The cabin gives you a rustic feel and it was nice to sit out on the porch in the cool 67 degree weather in the evening. It would be nice if they sprayed for tics, because we found one that we think my grandkids dragged in from walking through the tall grass in the front of the cabin. It was very peaceful and quiet and at least the solar lights worked at night. I guess you will have to be the judge on weather you like it or not. We liked it, but felt the Forrest Service could have done more to prepare the cabin for guest prior to their arrival since we booked so far in advance. I would suggest they cut down the tall grass and spray for tics and bugs not only in the grass around the cabin, but in the cabin as well. I would also suggest they clean up all the dead bugs and flies before guest arrive. Just a health concern and courtesy on their part.

The aspens were in their full glory! The cabin was (mostly) quiet, other than many elk hunters on noisy UTVs using the road to the cabin as a turn-around. Overall, our stay was a delightful family get-together.

Nice to have an indoor toilet. Enjoyed the refreshing air and cool nights. Would do this again.

Dad and 17 year old son from Alabama. Visited for one week in Early June 2022.
The high desert landscapes at Colton Guard Station in the Ashley National Forest are gorgeous beyond description. We enjoyed millions of brightly colored flowers, fragrant sagebrush, the bustle of marmots, grouse, ground squirrels, birds and deer. Driving the forest roads to the canyon rim (within the few miles around the cabin) was genuinely breathtaking. It is as dramatic as seeing the Grand Canyon but you are alone to enjoy it all to yourself! While there, we found and cracked open some geodes. I would highly recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle with a high ground clearance for exploring the forest roads.
The Colton Spring Guard Station site includes 5 buildings; the main cabin, a large bunkhouse, a cellar (being used as a woodshed), a storage shed formerly used for gasoline, a horse barn, and the vault outhouse. All of the buildings are a fairly well-maintained glimpse of mid-last century with clean, simple, but well-planned functionality in an attractive farmhouse-style architecture. A solar panel upgrade provides limited use electric light to the main cabin. No power outlets are available. There are fireplaces in the cabin and bunkhouse and a large propane stove. No refrigerator on site.
No water for us to use in the kitchen or bathroom this trip since the cabin remained “winterized”. Also no water from Colton Spring due to the remnants of cattle grazing and the source of the spring being not easily accessible. The stream coming from the spring contains black piping used for filling stock tanks further down the valley and while obtrusive, this is public use land, so you are only alone until the next car full of people or horse riders show up to look around the property.
Other activities that are relatively close by are the Red Fleet dinosaur trackway, Moonshine Arch, Flaming gorge, big brush creek cave, the McConkie Ranch petroglyphs, and Dinosaur National Monument.

We stayed here in October. Beautiful area, and beautiful grounds. We had a lot of fun outdoors exploring and hiking. There was enough wood and we were able to finally get the cabin heated up because it was freezing outside! We could not get a fire lighted outside for some reason- tried about ten times. The main issue I had with the place is that our group had 7 people and we were counting on being able to use the beds in the bunkhouse- but it was so dirty and full of rodent droppings (on the beds) that I didn't even want to try to clean it up. The wall is not completely closed to the elements either and it was freezing in there. So we ended up cramming into the main cabin and sharing and it was super tight. So don't plan on utilizing the bunkhouse imo. The cabin was also super filthy when we arrived, there's no way it had been cleaned in like a month. It was gross, we spent an hour cleaning it before we even could set any of our things down.

This was an amazing experience. The drive to the guard station was beautiful and well signed. It was a cozy night stay. The solar was great for getting ready for bed - we didn't rely on it but it was nice to have. The propane stove was a luxury as was the water spout. Take the time to walk the property and explore the buildings. Wish I had more time to stay and explore the area. Don't forget to sign the guest book and read the entries from others! To stay in a piece of living history was awesome.

Beautiful winter location. Well stocked with wood and the solar lights were a real treat. Clean. Good 4 burner propane stove. First mile of ski route in mid Feb. held little snow (wind blown), but we were still able to keep skis on the whole way