Beaver Creek A-Frame Cabin (ID)

We had an awesome time at the A-frame! What a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery! Very peaceful, We will definitely be going back!

Quiet, peaceful, secluded, wonderful furniture. The vault toilet was immaculately clean. Only caveat is it’s very dark inside, go upstairs for the best light. Take plenty of led lanterns and batteries.

I was hoping to post some pictures...I recommend bringing a bear-proof cooler and, or boxes; plastic bucket, metal bucket, shovel, axe, chainsaw, a lot of lanterns, like 10. Leaving a pack of tea candles for the next group is a nice gesture I learned from staying in old cabins in the Virginia Highlands for thru-hikers, or emergencies. I would not recommend leaving anything else. The beds are useless, bring an air mattress or a good thick sleeping pad. The back room is dark like a cave even mid-day when the sun is shining. It is really cold in there at night, even in the summer so if you do not know how to procure wood, buy some and bring it with you. The log deck is wet and old. If you are able to leave dry wood neatly, please do to give the next group a head start. The cabin was built by loggers (plaque is on the side of the fireplace) and I call this a "Class V" roof for a chimney check so please be careful with fire, and don't burn wet, dirty wood. If TP is an issue, bring your own in a bucket with a lid (ex. 5 gal or cat litter container) and leave it in the building. There is a bathroom at Beaver Creek Camp. Also, the Red Ives Ranger Station is manned by a volunteer in the summer. USFS employees including livestock work out of the Red Ives area too. its just down the road if you need something. Need high clearance vehicle. The road has been graded and brushed out in recent years, but it's still rough and narrow. I strongly recommend calling the St. Maries, Idaho USFS office in advance of your reservation to get current conditions and codes.

The cabin is great, it is chilly so pack warm clothes. We went the last week of September, weather wasn't great, rainy off and on but still a great trip. Area is beautiful, and lots of roads to ride. The 303 road is tight, two trucks passing is frightening, hope the forest service will consider widening the road. Take EVERYTHING, there are a couple wood bed frames, indoor and outdoor tables but nothing else and the cabin gets dark. Be sure to take firewood, toilet paper just in case, vault potty was very clean. Lots of comments in the guest book about mice in the warmer months, we didn't see any but just FYI. If its rainy might throw in a tarp to cover upper porch, or the back outside kitchen area will be wet.

At the time of our trip in late June, the final road (#303) to the A-Frame had not been brushed, making the single lane road even more tight. I highly recommend carrying a chainsaw as we encountered several windfalls, including a very large one on our way back out that must have fallen the night before, even though there hadn’t been a windstorm. We only saw two vehicles drive by over the two days we were there so the location is very private. As others have stated, the cabin is very dark. We also found the cabin to be colder than the outside air. Speaking of the outside air, at the time of our travels the temps were in the 80’s in Avery. The temperature at the cabin property was a good 20 degrees cooler. The outhouse on the property was much nicer than we expected but be sure to bring your own toilet paper just in case the supplies are not restocked. As far as the Recreation.gov experience. I did receive an email with a code. However, there were two check-in times listed in that email so there was some uncertainty there. Once you arrive the check-in is clearly stated to be 2:00pm. Also, the email noted to call the Avery Ranger Station to confirm the code. I went to do this the day before arrival and found they were closed. Given the length of the drive, I was a bit nervous the code I was emailed wouldn’t work. Thankfully it did work. Please note the Avery Ranger station is only open on weekdays.

The cabin is very dark so bring plenty of lighting. The setting is also very shady and cold so bring warmed clothes. Even if it is warm down on the main river, expect it to be chilly here.