Portal Ccc House

$125.00/night

DOUGLAS RANGER DISTRICT, 1192 W. SADDLE VIEW ROAD
Douglas, AZ 85607

Overview

The Portal CCC House is a five-room cabin located just west of Portal, Arizona. The fieldstone masonry cabin has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the few remaining structures from the 1930s-era Cave Creek Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) Camp. The CCC House was built to serve as the camp's garage; the large vehicle entries were later filled in and the structure was converted to housing for a telephone switchboard and its operator. While the historic appearance has been maintained on the exterior, the interior was remodeled to provide modern amenities for visitors.

Recreation

Cave Creek Canyon is located on the eastern slope of the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona, about 2 1/2 hours from Tucson. Cave Creek Canyon is world-renowned for its dramatic rock formations and diverse wildlife. Birding is exceptional year-round, and particularly rewarding during the summer months. Hiking and rock-climbing are also popular activities, and the canyon has numerous picnic areas along Cave Creek for hikers.

Facilities

The Portal CCC House is a five-room cabin, suitable for up to five people. It has electricity and running water. The cabin has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a large kitchen/dining area. The first bedroom has a twin-over-double bunk bed; the second has a queen-sized futon. A table with seating for four is located in the dining area, which also has a wood burning stove (firewood is provided). The kitchen is equipped with a stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot. Pots pans, utensils, and dishes are provided. Outside, guests will enjoy using the propane grill and furniture for outdoor dining. Although the cabin has amenities for comfortable lodging, guests will need to provide some of their own supplies, including food, sleeping bags or linens, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, a first aid kit, toilet paper, and garbage bags. It is recommended that guests bring additional drinking water and flashlight in case of emergencies.

Natural Features

The Portal CCC House is located at the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The canyon's soaring cliffs, with their caves and pinnacles, are often described as "Arizona's 'Secret' Grand Canyon." Cave Creek, a perennial stream, flows nearby.

Nearby Attractions

The Portal CCC House is located approximately one mile west of Portal, Arizona. Attractions in the area include Chiricahua National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historical Park, historic Camp Rucker, the Geronimo Surrender sites, and the International Border and the border community of Douglas, Arizona.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Longest RV: 20 ft
Largest party: 5 people

Directions

From Tucson, take I-10 east for 139 miles to Road Forks, NM. Turn right (south) on US 80 and drive 28 miles to Portal Road. Turn right (west) and drive 7 miles to the town of Portal. Turn left on Forest Road 42 into Cave Creek Canyon; the signed gate to the Portal CCC House is approximately 0.9 miles on the right.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

60 reviews

5 stars

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1 stars

TODD V

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Reviewed 16 days ago

We travelled to Cave Creek, AZ to enjoy the day but upon arrival realized we wanted to stay longer. We checked with recreation.gov on availability and were pleasantly surprised to find this unit available for the two nights we wanted to stay. The cabin was clean, comfortable and had pots, pans, silverware etc available. We brought our own coffee maker, blankets and pillows. The views are spectacular from the patio area. It was quiet and snug. We did use the wood burner one night as there was a storm that blew through. Highly recommend this cabin and only ask that more cleaning supplies be provided as guests are required to clean up.

Christina H

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Reviewed a month ago

You can't beat the view from this cabin! And it's so convenient if exploring the area, walkable trails nearby. However, this listing needs serious updating. The sleeping arrangements have changed. There are two full beds and one twin. NO COUCH & NO cleaning supplies. They say they want you to clean up and the cabin isn't attended, etc so at best bring clorox wipes and bug spray. There are two fire ant hills, one out back and one near front so if you drop any crumbs or food, use extra caution because the front door has a gap. Yes, the ants moved in! We had to give them a small cookie offering to keep them far away. I had a spider fall off the ceiling above my bed while reading a book. Use caution with windows, they are stiff and fragile. Overall, the cabin is wonderful, but it's unclear how much attention it does or doesn't get by park employees. Just prepare yourself with your linens, hand soap, wipes and the rest is there! Microwave works great and wonderful hot shower water! So that's a huge plus! :)

Anne V

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Reviewed a month ago

This was my 5th time to the Portal ccc house. I has always been clean and has a well supplied kitchen. The view from the house is very beautiful and it's easy to access the nearby trails. If you like less crowded spots, don't mind roughing it a little and don't mind cleaning before you leave you might love this cabin.

Sara S

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Reviewed 3 months ago

Lovely location! This cabin has all necessary amenities but was lacking cleaning supplies and showed some current rodent activity.

Manuel L

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Reviewed 5 months ago

Facility was very clean, well maintained and had all necessary utensils available. Excellent views.

Aaron K

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Reviewed 6 months ago

We got lucky and hit a sweet spot in the apparently infrequent cleaning schedule here. Recent fumigation & cleaning left behind a strong chemical smell (bad, but got better with airing out), but decreased the heavy rodent activity that had been recently reported. Definitely not for the rodent-phobic. We saw small amounts of mouse sign every morning. We kept everything well sealed up in fridge/ bins/ coolers, so they couldn't party too much, but they're definitely there. A few other RVs/ campers share the driveway. Everyone was quiet. Appliances worked. Beds were ok. Shower was fine. Not a deluxe spot by any means, but a decent bare-bones base of operations to explore the area, and the view from the back porch ain't bad.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in November, when about 10% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 4 years of reservations.