Grizzly Creek Guard Station

$90.00/night

PO BOX 158
WALDEN, CO 80480

Overview

At an elevation of 8,500 feet, Grizzly Creek Guard Station is located between Walden and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, offering guests an unique lodging opportunity in the Routt National Forest. The area around the guard station offers a chance to view abundant wildlife and experience a variety of recreational opportunities year-round. The guard station is accessible by passenger vehicle when there is no snow; however, high clearance vehicles are recommended in the spring and fall. Access to the cabin in winter is accessible by car; However, snow plowing is intermittent and not guaranteed. Other access may only be available by snowmobile, cross-country skis or snowshoes. The cabin offers some creature comforts, but guests should be prepared to bring some of their own supplies and gear.

Recreation

In summer, hiking and fishing can be found within the vicinity. Trailheads leading to hiking and horseback riding trails are an easy drive from the guard station. Designated areas for off-road vehicles are also near the cabin.

In winter, the area is blanketed by snow for wintertime play. Cross-country skiers and snowmobile traffic often pass by the guard station during daylight hours.

Facilities

The historic two-room cabin sleeps five on bunkbeds with mattresses. The cabin has a heater and range powered by propane. The kitchen is equipped with a table and chairs, cooking utensils, pots and pans. An accessible outhouse with pit toilet is also on-site.

Water, electricity, indoor plumbing and trash collection are not available. Water must be hauled from a campground approximately three miles away during the summer. In the winter, guests must provide their own supply of water for cooking, cleaning and washing.

Guests must bring their own food, sleeping bags, lanterns or flashlights, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags. All trash and food should be packed out, and guests are expected to clean the cabin before leaving.

Natural Features

The cabin sits in an open area among grassland and sagebrush, with nearby aspen groves and lodgepole pine forests.

The Mount Zirkel Wilderness lies east of the guard station. The wilderness was one of the original areas protected under the 1964 Wilderness Act and has since been expanded twice to its present size of 160,648 acres. The area boasts ecosystems ranging from sagebrush meadows in the lower areas, through pine and spruce/fir forests, to alpine tundra at high elevations.

Elk, deer, moose and other wildlife are often seen in meadows adjacent to the cabin, and cattle frequently pass by the area as well.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

ADA accessible: all 1 sites
Largest party: 5 people

Directions

From Walden, take Highway 14 west for approximately 11 miles to Hebron. Turn right on County Road 24, driving west. Follow County Road 24 as it forks left and then right at intersections with County Roads 1 and 5. After approximately 10 miles, the road becomes Forest Service Road 60 and you arrive at the Grizzly Creek Guard Station.

Stay Limit

Check in from 3 PM, check out by 2 PM.

Reviews

5 reviews

4 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Meghan S

Loop:Grizzly Creek

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

My friend and I stayed here 9/28/24-9/30/24. The views are great and the nearby hiking is wonderful. The outhouse area was clean. The heat seemed to work and the stove was in working order. Getting the code for the combo lock after booking was difficult. The phone number listed was not in service. Another number I called for the Walden Forest Service said the office closed on 8/29/24. I had to call another Forest Service number, get transferred, leave a message and then wait for a call back. The call back gave me yet another contact, who finally gave me the combo lock code. The inside of the cabin has not been maintained or cleaned. The mice kept us up most of the night. There are fly strips in the windows, but there were hundreds of flies. There are mouse droppings everywhere. The fire extinguisher was last inspected in 2022. Other campers left years of food and supplies behind. Some of it expired as long ago as 2014. My friend and I cleaned as best as we could with the supplies there and took trash out. This trash included expired food, toilet paper and paper towels, some of which was covered in mouse droppings and partially chewed up by rodents. I love the location but would not stay again. I understand that each patron is supposed to clean after their stay, but this is clearly inconsistent at best. It would be helpful if the Forest Service did something to help with upkeep. The flies and mice are a serious health and safety issue.

Stephen P

Loop:Grizzly Creek

Site:

Reviewed 4 years ago

Well restored historic cabin in a very scenic location. Comfortable and well kept. Some good hikes in the area, and we saw a moose stroll by. Great night skies. When we arrived, it smelled pretty strongly of gas: the stove and heater were both flowing but the pilots out. So be sure to check / relight those. It's immediately along the road that goes up Buffalo Pass. It seems like OHV can be active in the area but I didn't see many.

Jeffrey M

Loop:Grizzly Creek

Site:

Reviewed 7 years ago

I've stayed at the guard station in the past and have enjoyed. It's always a bit rough and never spotless. Unfortunately during my most recent stay the first week of November the furnace did not work. It would lite then immediately go out. So, word to the wise, bring two sleeping bags for each person JIC!

Adam G

Loop:Grizzly Creek

Site:

Reviewed 7 years ago

First and most importantly the heater did not work at all. It was very cold. After trying to get heater going for like 3 hours we lite the oven and propped it open on 400 degrees to heat the place up. That warmed the cabin up nicely. Warm enough to awaken 100 fat flies that clunge to the window like a horror movie, In the middle of the night a mouse fell into the 5 gallon bucket under the sink and drowned. I understand this is a rustic cabin that's 100 years old but maybe the forest service could repair the heater and the vacuum up all the flies and install a bunch of fly paper. Pretty gross and uncomfortable overall.

Tim H

Loop:Grizzly Creek

Site:

Reviewed 7 years ago

The cabin and facilities were nice, but it is 50' from the road. There's a lot of traffic and you get dust from the dirt road. Nice cabin, very poor location!

Availability

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

Reserve

Popularity: Quiet

Busiest in November, when about 21% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 4 years of reservations.