Jack Creek Guard Station

P.O. BOX 249, 2171 S. HIGHWAY 130
SARATOGA, WY 82331

Overview

The Jack Creek Guard Station is available mid-June through October, weather permitting. This was the northern ranger cabin for the historic Encampment Ranger District, built by Ranger Evie Williams in 1934, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The one-room cabin can accommodate up to four people with two bunk beds, a combination wood/propane cook stove, simple table and chairs. There is no indoor plumbing, a vault toilet is located within walking distances. Water is available during the summer months from the freeze-proof hydrant outside and from the Jack Creek Campground nearby. Items to bring include bedding/sleeping bag, food, dish soap and sponge, trash bags, first aid kit, flashlight, towels and washcloths, personal items. Basic cooking and eating utensils are provided. Utensils need to be cleaned and put away after use. The garbage is pack-in, pack-out. Saddle/ pack animals may not be be kept within the Jack Creek Guard Station area. Campers, tents or trailers may not be set up at this facility. Please clean up after your pets.

The Jack Creek Guard Station is located southwest of Saratoga, Wyoming, offering visitors a unique lodging experience in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests.

The guard station once served as the northern ranger cabin for the historic Encampment Ranger District. It was constructed by Ranger Evie Williams in 1934. Oral history states that Ranger Williams spent most of his construction dollars on the material for the foundation and chimney, and used his own funds to finish the windows and roof.

The guard station is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers guests recreation and relaxation in a delightful natural setting. The cabin is typically open from mid-June through mid-October and is accessible by vehicle. Basic amenities are provided, but guests will need to pack in some of their own supplies and gear.

Recreation

Lake and Pond Fishing

Areas for Lake and Pond Fishing at Sierra Madre Area

Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
Hog Park Boat Dock and Ramp
Hog Park Campground
Hog Park Picnic Site
Lake View Picnic Site at Hog Park

River and Stream Fishing

Areas for River and Stream Fishing at Sierra Madre Area

Big Creek-Holroyd Park Trailhead
Bottle Creek Campground
Bottle Creek Group Picnic Site
Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
East Fork - Encampment River Trail
Encampment River Wilderness
Hog Park Campground
Huston Park Wilderness
Jack Creek Campground
Jack Creek Crew Quarters
Jack Creek Guard Station
Purgatory Gulch Trailhead

Day Hiking

Areas for Day Hiking at Sierra Madre Area

Baby Lake Trailhead
Big Creek Park Trailhead
Big Creek-Holroyd Park Trailhead
Bottle Creek Campground
Bottle Creek Group Picnic Site
Bottle Creek Trails
Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
CDNST - Deep Jack Trailhead
CDNST - Pipeline Trailhead
CDNST - Red Mountain Trailhead
Commissary Park Trailhead
East Fork - Encampment River Trail
Encampment River Wilderness
Green Mountain Falls Trailhead
Green Mountain Trailhead
Hog Park Campground
Huston Park Wilderness
Jack Creek Campground
Jack Creek Crew Quarters
Lost Creek Campground
Purgatory Gulch Trailhead

Backpacking

Areas for Backpacking at Sierra Madre Area

Baby Lake Trailhead
Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
CDNST - Deep Jack Trailhead
CDNST - Pipeline Trailhead
CDNST - Red Mountain Trailhead
Commissary Park Trailhead
East Fork - Encampment River Trail
Encampment River Wilderness
Green Mountain Trailhead
Huston Park Wilderness
Purgatory Gulch Trailhead

Viewing Wildlife

Areas for Viewing Wildlife at Sierra Madre Area

Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
Hog Park Campground
Jack Creek Crew Quarters
Jack Creek Guard Station
Sandstone Cabin

Viewing Plants

Areas for Viewing Plants at Sierra Madre Area

Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
Hog Park Campground
Jack Creek Crew Quarters
Jack Creek Guard Station

Viewing Scenery

Areas for Viewing Scenery at Sierra Madre Area

Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Office
Encampment River Wilderness
Green Mountain Falls Trailhead
Hog Park Campground
Huston Park Wilderness

Facilities

The one-room cabin is furnished with two sets of bunk beds and can accommodate up to four people. Heat is provided by a combination wood and propane cook stove. Basic cooking and eating utensils and propane lights are supplied.

Water is available during the summer months from a hydrant just outside or a hand pump at Jack Creek Campground, one mile away. There is no indoor plumbing, but a vault toilet is located nearby. A picnic table and campfire ring are also outside the cabin. Please use propane side of stove for cooking and heat. There is no trash service; this is a pack-it-in, pack-it-out facility.

Natural Features

From open, high expanses to valleys and canyons that rise steeply to snowy ranges, the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests encompass mountain ranges, tributaries to the North Platte River and the Colorado River, and a mix of forested ecology with spruce, lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, aspen and shrub lands.

The Jack Creek Guard Station sits in a clearing with lodgepole pine, aspen and mixed conifer forest at an elevation of 8,500 feet. Wildlife viewing is abundant in the area, including elk, deer, bear and moose.

Nearby Attractions

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Picnic table: all 1 sites
Largest party: 4 people

Fees

$50/per night. Reservations can be made up to 6 months at www.recreation.gov. Reservations can be made by calling 1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov

Directions

From Saratoga, travel west on County Road 500 approximately 16 miles to junction with County Road 405. Stay left and travel 3 miles to the forest boundary. The road changes to Forest Service Road 452. Travel on Forest Service Road 452 for 6.5 miles to Jack Creek Campground and the guard station. From Encampment, take State Highway 70 west for 7 miles and turn onto Forest Service Road 443 for approximately 15 miles to the junction of Forest Service Road 452. From there, go west for approximately 8 miles to Jack Creek Campground and the guard station.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 11 AM.

Reviews

6 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

Mike H

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Cabin was clean, vault toilet was the cleanest I've ever seen. Host was very friendly knowledgeable about the area. I would stay there again.

David B

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

It's a small cabin but it was a nice stay. Lots of nearby areas for hiking. The camp host was welcoming but not intrusive. Overall, I was happy with the cabin. One thing, the directions to the cabin are terrible. The cabin is about a mile or so beyond the campground if you're coming from Saratoga. The online directions read as if the cabin is in the same area as the campground, it's not.

Thomas N

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

I have stayed at both the lodge and cabin and both could use a lot of repairs. The recent stay at the cabin was quite a disappointment as it was very dirty, thousands of flies, dead mice on floor, trash left inside from previous occupant. Did not use any of the cooking implements because there is no water so how did anyone wash things? This could be a very good thing but I felt it was overpriced for what we got. Turned on the heat stove and it smelled so bad we couldn't leave it on. as it smelled so bad.

Liane T

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

Forest Service staff came by soon after we arrived and got the heater going for us. Really nice guys! They said we were the first to use the cabin for the season (hence a winter's worth of floor-dirt and mouse droppings). But we got it swept out as best we could and enjoyed two nights with no further sign of critters. Cabin simple with four bunk beds, table and chairs, stove and heater. Faucet outside for non-potable water and enclosed pit toilet up a walkway. Larger USFS rental cabin uphill -- can and hear its occupants on occasion. Road used by vehicles and ATVs -- not too bad -- but since we were early for the season, it could be busy during the main summer season. All in all, loved the cabin and area. No cell service for T-mobile phones at the cabin. Attempted to fly-fish down at the creek, but hard to get to thru bogs, brush. Ended up using nice open area across from the campground to the north.

Anne D

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

Jack Creek Guard Station is a rustic cabin with a 4-burner propane stove/oven, propane heater, kitchen table, and bunks. It also comes with a healthy population of flies and mice. Outside is fresh water access and a vault toilet. I don’t mind rough or rustic accommodations, but have a hard time justifying $50/ night to have mice scamper over my body while I try to sleep. The guard station could be much improved with a bear and mouse proof storage container for food.

Robert B

Loop:Jcgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

Nice little cabin very comfortable will do again also had family at the bigger cabin above was also nice but it does need some work done with plumbing and other issues in cabin if looking at it

Availability

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

Reserve