Horsethief Cabin

$100.00/night

PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST, 344 S. CORTEZ STREET
PRESCOTT, AZ 86303

Overview

Horsethief Cabin is situated in a clearing of Ponderosa pines at an elevation of over 6,000 feet in the Bradshaw Mountains of the Prescott National Forest.

The original cabin was built in 1939 as quarters and a staging area for Forest Service crews charged with protecting the southern end of the Bradshaw Mountains against wildfires. The cabin was remodeled and modernized over the years, but eventually fell into disuse by the 1980s.

The historic structure now enjoys a second life as a rental cabin, providing a unique recreation opportunity for visitors to the Prescott National Forest. To make reservations select the date range on this site or call 1 (877) 444-6777. For general cabin question contact the Bradshaw Ranger District at 1 (928) 443-8000.

Recreation

Anglers will appreciate the short hike from the cabin to Horsethief Basin Lake, stocked with largemouth bass, channel catfish and sunfish. Non-motorized boating is also available at the lake. Hikers have plenty of opportunities to explore the area on trails leading to Horsethief Canyon, Twin Peaks, Castle Creek and Jim Creek. Off-highway vehicles have several roads and trails available for travel, and a Forest Service fire lookout tower and a campground are in close proximity.

Facilities

The cabin can accommodate up to six people and is furnished with four beds, including, two twin beds, one queen bed, and one double futon. The cabin is equipped with running water, electricity, propane heater, and fans for cooling.

The kitchen has all the basic amenities including a sink, propane stove/oven, refrigerator, toaster, coffee maker, and table with five chairs. The bathroom has a flush toilet, sink, and shower. There is a fire pedestal grill, fire ring, and picnic table on site.

Although the cabin has several amenities, guests must also provide a few of their own supplies, including food, sleeping bags, linens, towels, dish soap, matches, first aid kit, and garbage bags. It is recommended that you carry a well prepared Emergency Kit for any emergency.

Natural Features

The nearby Castle Creek Wilderness is defined by rugged and diverse terrain ranging from lower elevations with saguaro cactus, palo verde, mesquite, jojoba, cat claw, and grasslands to higher elevations dominated by piñon pine and juniper.

Dense populations of mule deer and javelina inhabit this area, along with a few mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, coyotes, rabbits, foxes, skunks, and badgers. Snakes and lizards live here, and numerous birds soar overhead, including doves, quail, hawks, owls, ravens, jays, and many smaller species.

The area is rich in history, including early Native American inhabitants and later in the 1860s, home to horse thieves and rustled livestock. Evidence of historical mining activity abounds in this area, especially in the nearby community of Crown King.

Nearby Attractions

Horsethief Lookout Tower as well as Hazlett Hollow and Turney Gulch Campgrounds are in close proximity to the cabin.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Largest party: 6 people

Directions

From Phoenix, Arizona: When traveling Northbound on I-17 take the Bumble Bee Exit 248 and continue North on the dirt road, taking Forest Road (FR) 259 to Crown King. From Crown King, take (FR) 259A south for 0.5 mile to the junction of 52. Take FR 52 southeast for about 5 miles to the Horse Thief Basin Recreation Area. The cabin sits adjacent to the Horse Thief Lake Rd. Alternate route from Flagstaff, Arizona: Traveling Southbound on I-17 take Exit 263, turn right and proceed towards a roundabout and merge onto Hwy 69 North towards Prescott for 2.4 miles until turning left on to Spring Ln. in Spring Valley. Continue down Spring Ln. for 0.7 Miles until you get to Duffers Dr. turn right onto Duffers Dr. The road will become unpaved, continue to travel for 1.4 miles until you get to the intersection of Duffers Dr. and S. Antelope Creek Rd. and turn left and drive for 23 miles until arriving to Crown King, Arizona. From Crown King, take (Forest Rd) 259A south for 0.5 mile to a junction with 52. Take FR 52 southeast for about 5 miles to the Horse Thief Basin Recreation Area.The cabin sits adjacent to the Horse Thief Lake Rd. From Prescott, Arizona: From Downtown Prescott travel South on State Route 69 for 31 miles until you arive to Spring Valley, Arizona and turn right onto Spring Ln. Continue down Spring Ln. for 0.7 Miles until you get to Duffers Dr. turn right onto Duffers Dr. The road will become unpaved at this point, continue to travel for 1.4 miles until you get to the intersection of Duffers Dr. and S. Antelope Creek Rd. and turn left and drive for 23 miles until arriving to Crown King, Arizona From Crown King, take 259A south for 0.5 mile to a junction with 52. Take FR 52 southeast for about 5 miles to the Horse Thief Basin Recreation Area. The cabin sits adjacent to the Horse Thief Lake Rd.

Stay Limit

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

Reviews

11 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Timothy E

Loop:Horsethief

Site:

Reviewed 16 days ago

I have stayed at most of the Az Forest Service Cabins in Arizona and have generally been quite satisfied. Each one has its strong and weak points and it's own peculiarities. Every cabin needs well written instructions on getting the cabin up and running and they were completely missing in this one. When I arrived there was no hot water and the cabin was cold (as it should be). It took quite awhile to figure out how to turn the water heater on and I never did figure out how to turn the cabin heater on. I stayed at a differen FS Cabin the next night, the set up was completely different but the instructions were on the kitchen table and it was all very simple. This cabin is situated nicely in the Ponderosa Pines, is well maintained and close to some nice hiking trails. It would have received a higher rating if there were basic instructions available. Also .... there were no forks, spoons or dinner plates.

Marjorie M

Loop:Horsethief

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Reviewed 5 months ago

This cabin is 30.8 miles on an unpaved uphill road 6 miles past Crown King. Once you get there, it is a beautiful destination with electric and water near Horsetheif lake where you can fish. There is also a gate to get to the cabin that you can lock at night if you want.

Jason V

Loop:Horsethief

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

The cabin was in great condition. A bit sparse on plates, silverware and bowls. Adequate pots and pans. Great fishing!!

Carlie O

Loop:Horsethief

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

We read years worth of reviews about mice, we did as instructed and set all six traps with peanut butter, but we did not see one mouse the whole time we were there. That being said, we did keep the kitchen light on when we slept that night just as a further deterrent. My favorite part was reading the book. Someone had generously gifted to the cabin, ranch trails and short tales by Claire Cordes. Pretty cool read, especially since you are in the heart of the storytelling. The bed was covered with dirt, but we did bring our own sleeping bag, but perhaps a little more housekeeping prior to guests would be nice. Beautiful area though, the cabin is extremely rustic, but things were manageable. We were happy we stayed. Additionally, there were no other bugs or unwanted critters anywhere to be found as previously posted by other guests. You do have to fill pots to fill the toilet tank to get it to flush, but again they had pots available so it was manageable. Caught two largemouth bass in about five minutes down at the lake.

Megan R

Loop:Horsethief

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Reviewed 3 years ago

If I could give this experience zero stars, I would. We ended up sleeping in our car and never actually got to stay in the cabin. Here's what happened: The confirmation letter you receive upon booking states: "A four-digit code included in the confirmation letter will gain access at the entrance gate, and the cabin." There is no other instructions whatsoever about how to gain entry to this cabin. We arrived just before 7pm as it was starting to get dark. We followed the instructions in the confirmation letter and used the code to open the gate and drive up to the cabin. The instructions seem to indicate access is one thing, not multiple things. The one sentence seems to indicate either the gate code is the only lock thing or perhaps there might be another lock code on the door. Well, we got to the door and it was an old fashioned key lock, and it was locked. There were tons of signs around the door. No shooting signs, ranger phone numbers, but no cell service, but nothing explained where or how we might unlock this door. We looked around and couldn't figure it out. No cell service, getting dark, rough roads, we just decided to sleep in the car. The next day when it was light again we found a lock box on the side of the cabin hidden behind a gutter. In it was the keys to get in the cabin. This should have been made clear in the instructions in the confirmation letter as well as on signage around the front of the cabin. How are we supposed to know we are looking for this thing, and where, without ANY indication whatsoever. Better instructions on the confirmation letter are very much needed!

Daniel B

Loop:Horsethief

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Reviewed 4 years ago

We loved the isolation of this cabin.

Availability

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

Reserve

Popularity: Quiet

Busiest in November, when about 31% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 2 years of reservations.