This was our second time staying at the CCC cabin and it remains a favorite place. Portal and the Cave Creek Canyon area are magnificent, with great hiking, bird-watching, and outdoor experiences. The cabin is such a great little piece of history and a perfect base for explorations. There are Cassin's kingbirds, Hooded orioles, and Lucy's warblers nesting in the trees around the cabin, plus sightings of Indigo buntings, Northern cardinals, and others during the day and listening to Elf owls & Mexican whip-poor-wills at night. The high temps were around 90F when we were there, but we opened the windows in the evening and it cooled off quickly and then we closed the windows and curtains during the day and the interior stayed quite comfortable. A couple of notes for future visitors, as the booking description has not been updated: There are now two queen beds, instead of one queen and a bunk bed. The beds are new, clean, and comfortable. And there is no longer any couch/futon in the living/dining area, just a table with four chairs and a side table with books and games. All appliances are clean and in working order.

This was our second time staying at the CCC cabin and it remains a favorite place. Portal and the Cave Creek Canyon area are magnificent, with great hiking, bird-watching, and outdoor experiences. The cabin is such a great little piece of history and a perfect base for explorations. There are Cassin's kingbirds, Hooded orioles, and Lucy's warblers nesting in the trees around the cabin, plus sightings of Indigo buntings, Northern cardinals, and others during the day and listening to Elf owls & Mexican whip-poor-wills at night. The high temps were around 90F when we were there, but we opened the windows in the evening and it cooled off quickly and then we closed the windows and curtains during the day and the interior stayed quite comfortable. A couple of notes for future visitors, as the booking description has not been updated: There are now two queen beds, instead of one queen and a bunk bed. The beds are new, clean, and comfortable. And there is no longer any couch/futon in the living/dining area, just a table with four chairs and a side table with books and games. All appliances are clean and in working order.

Fabulous location for wildlife! 21 bird species. The hot shower was great. Overall the cabin is rundown and could use a true deep-clean and repainting. Last tenant left a lot of dirt on the floor. Keep your food in the fridge as some mice feces spotted.

Fabulous location for wildlife! 21 bird species. The hot shower was great. Overall the cabin is rundown and could use a true deep-clean and repainting. Last tenant left a lot of dirt on the floor. Keep your food in the fridge as some mice feces spotted.

Perfect location. The Cabin has everything you need.

Perfect location. The Cabin has everything you need.

We spent 5 nights here in early March and absolutely loved it! The area is isolated, beautiful and quiet. Hiking the Nature Trail and Silver Peak Trail was amazing, but the snow kept us from reaching the top. The cabin itself was spacious and clean and had all the amenities described and then some! There were 2 extra portable heaters, all the firewood we could need and more than enough cookware/utensils/plates/ etc. We will definitely rent this place again!

We spent 5 nights here in early March and absolutely loved it! The area is isolated, beautiful and quiet. Hiking the Nature Trail and Silver Peak Trail was amazing, but the snow kept us from reaching the top. The cabin itself was spacious and clean and had all the amenities described and then some! There were 2 extra portable heaters, all the firewood we could need and more than enough cookware/utensils/plates/ etc. We will definitely rent this place again!

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!