We stayed at the Portal CCC house for 5 nights third week of February. Loved it! It was colder than we expected but the wood stove worked nicely, there are kind of noisy wall heaters that help, and two newer electric radiator type heaters that were a very nice addition. The kitchen was very well stocked (with the exception of a missing can opener! Luckily, we had one with us.) The kitchen has good light and everything worked great for cooking your own meals. The cabin was relatively clean when we arrived. Since it had been raining, the wood was wet but we found enough dry underneath to get started and brought a bunch in. You'll want to have an axe and a saw to create pieces to fit in the stove. The lighting in the rest of the cabin is very dim. Each room has a ceiling fan with light and that's it. If you want to read, you'll want to bring headlamps or some other light source. When you enter, you walk right into the main bedroom, as in, that's where there is a double bed that you can access from both sides. The other bedroom has a double plus single bunk against the wall and a nice chair and is a bit of a nicer room. That said, we did fine in the first bedroom. The bathroom is large. The shower worked after my husband adjusted the fixture which is duct taped together and really needs to be replaced. We took a sheet to put as a bottom sheet on the bed and used sleeping bags. Take plenty of towels....all your linens, TP, paper towels, etc. Bath mat. The floors are tile and cold in the winter so slippers! That's the nitty gritty. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back! Fantastic hiking even with the streams too high to access many of the trails. The view from the cabin area is great - particularly with the leaves off the trees. (Some of the volunteer poplars might want to disappear.) The cabin is very quiet and private. The nearby volunteers were helpful and unobtrusive. The cabin has a great patio on the view side. Enjoy!

We stayed at the Portal CCC house for 5 nights third week of February. Loved it! It was colder than we expected but the wood stove worked nicely, there are kind of noisy wall heaters that help, and two newer electric radiator type heaters that were a very nice addition. The kitchen was very well stocked (with the exception of a missing can opener! Luckily, we had one with us.) The kitchen has good light and everything worked great for cooking your own meals. The cabin was relatively clean when we arrived. Since it had been raining, the wood was wet but we found enough dry underneath to get started and brought a bunch in. You'll want to have an axe and a saw to create pieces to fit in the stove. The lighting in the rest of the cabin is very dim. Each room has a ceiling fan with light and that's it. If you want to read, you'll want to bring headlamps or some other light source. When you enter, you walk right into the main bedroom, as in, that's where there is a double bed that you can access from both sides. The other bedroom has a double plus single bunk against the wall and a nice chair and is a bit of a nicer room. That said, we did fine in the first bedroom. The bathroom is large. The shower worked after my husband adjusted the fixture which is duct taped together and really needs to be replaced. We took a sheet to put as a bottom sheet on the bed and used sleeping bags. Take plenty of towels....all your linens, TP, paper towels, etc. Bath mat. The floors are tile and cold in the winter so slippers! That's the nitty gritty. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back! Fantastic hiking even with the streams too high to access many of the trails. The view from the cabin area is great - particularly with the leaves off the trees. (Some of the volunteer poplars might want to disappear.) The cabin is very quiet and private. The nearby volunteers were helpful and unobtrusive. The cabin has a great patio on the view side. Enjoy!

Excellent cabin! Very clean!

Excellent cabin! Very clean!

Fantastic cosy cabin in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Fantastic cosy cabin in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Solid, efficient cabin; an excellent base for exploring the Eastern Chiricahua Mountains.

Solid, efficient cabin; an excellent base for exploring the Eastern Chiricahua Mountains.

Love the location. Love the views. It was reasonably clean and we heard no critters in the roof/walls! An amazing place that our family enjoys very much. We are very grateful for this place. Well stocked kitchen. Do not forget a can opener (maybe donate one?), trash bags and TP! Not the best lights if you want to read. The is no phone service. Heavenly!

Love the location. Love the views. It was reasonably clean and we heard no critters in the roof/walls! An amazing place that our family enjoys very much. We are very grateful for this place. Well stocked kitchen. Do not forget a can opener (maybe donate one?), trash bags and TP! Not the best lights if you want to read. The is no phone service. Heavenly!