Colton Guard Station, Vernal, UT

Colton Guard Station is located in the Vernal Ranger District of the Ashley National Forest (3 hrs 24 min east of Provo, UT) with an elevation of 8,178 feet. The site is normally open from the beginning of January to the end of October. There is a fee of $60.00 per night.

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Campsite Reviews (19)

3.9 out of 5

5 star		42%
4 star		32%
3 star		11%
2 star		5%
1 star		11%

@JadenC8721982 · Camped on Aug 16, 2023 at Campsite #1

Amazing! Very clean! Tons of firewood. BBQ that goes over the fire pit with seats around it. You dont really need to bring anything except the food to cook. All Utensils, cast iron pans, plates, and some games. There is a very nice stove inside and full running water with a bathroom inside. Solar powers the lights for the rooms and having running water all around the cabin is very nice. I wasnt expecting all the amenitys so far away! The beds are very comfortable and you will get a good nights rest. Walking around the property is very fun seeing the old horse barn and a beautiful landscape. Ive been to a ton of fire lookouts cabins and stations all over and this one is by far the best one Ive been to. The night sky full of stars and a nice comfortable fire will make memories you will talk about for years! Its wayyy better than an Airbnb! I wish I could live there forever! Thank you to the Forest Service for this amazing place we can stay at!

@NormJ042372A92 · Camped on Jun 19, 2023 at Campsite #1

The weather was fantastic. They said there was no water available until June 1st, so we scheduled for the 19th so that water would be turned on, but it wasn't. That was a bummer. The cabin was full of dead bugs and the toilet had mold growing in it. The sink was full of dead bugs as well as the shower. It would have been nice if they would have cleaned it up before we came. We left it better than we got it. I finally just kept filling the toilet bowl with water from a bucket and cleaned the inside toilet so that we didn't have to use the out house. That worked. The cabin gives you a rustic feel and it was nice to sit out on the porch in the cool 67 degree weather in the evening. It would be nice if they sprayed for tics, because we found one that we think my grandkids dragged in from walking through the tall grass in the front of the cabin. It was very peaceful and quiet and at least the solar lights worked at night. I guess you will have to be the judge on weather you like it or not. We liked it, but felt the Forrest Service could have done more to prepare the cabin for guest prior to their arrival since we booked so far in advance. I would suggest they cut down the tall grass and spray for tics and bugs not only in the grass around the cabin, but in the cabin as well. I would also suggest they clean up all the dead bugs and flies before guest arrive. Just a health concern and courtesy on their part.

@JaredL3201078 · Camped on Oct 13, 2022 at Campsite #1

The aspens were in their full glory! The cabin was (mostly) quiet, other than many elk hunters on noisy UTVs using the road to the cabin as a turn-around. Overall, our stay was a delightful family get-together.

@DaleF8147083 · Camped on Aug 29, 2022 at Campsite #1

Nice to have an indoor toilet. Enjoyed the refreshing air and cool nights. Would do this again.

@AndrewT9982192 · Camped on Jun 3, 2022 at Campsite #1

Dad and 17 year old son from Alabama. Visited for one week in Early June 2022. The high desert landscapes at Colton Guard Station in the Ashley National Forest are gorgeous beyond description. We enjoyed millions of brightly colored flowers, fragrant sagebrush, the bustle of marmots, grouse, ground squirrels, birds and deer. Driving the forest roads to the canyon rim (within the few miles around the cabin) was genuinely breathtaking. It is as dramatic as seeing the Grand Canyon but you are alone to enjoy it all to yourself! While there, we found and cracked open some geodes. I would highly recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle with a high ground clearance for exploring the forest roads. The Colton Spring Guard Station site includes 5 buildings; the main cabin, a large bunkhouse, a cellar (being used as a woodshed), a storage shed formerly used for gasoline, a horse barn, and the vault outhouse. All of the buildings are a fairly well-maintained glimpse of mid-last century with clean, simple, but well-planned functionality in an attractive farmhouse-style architecture. A solar panel upgrade provides limited use electric light to the main cabin. No power outlets are available. There are fireplaces in the cabin and bunkhouse and a large propane stove. No refrigerator on site. No water for us to use in the kitchen or bathroom this trip since the cabin remained “winterized”. Also no water from Colton Spring due to the remnants of cattle grazing and the source of the spring being not easily accessible. The stream coming from the spring contains black piping used for filling stock tanks further down the valley and while obtrusive, this is public use land, so you are only alone until the next car full of people or horse riders show up to look around the property. Other activities that are relatively close by are the Red Fleet dinosaur trackway, Moonshine Arch, Flaming gorge, big brush creek cave, the McConkie Ranch petroglyphs, and Dinosaur National Monument.

@ThomasH6812009 · Camped on Oct 21, 2021 at Campsite #1

We stayed here in October. Beautiful area, and beautiful grounds. We had a lot of fun outdoors exploring and hiking. There was enough wood and we were able to finally get the cabin heated up because it was freezing outside! We could not get a fire lighted outside for some reason- tried about ten times. The main issue I had with the place is that our group had 7 people and we were counting on being able to use the beds in the bunkhouse- but it was so dirty and full of rodent droppings (on the beds) that I didn't even want to try to clean it up. The wall is not completely closed to the elements either and it was freezing in there. So we ended up cramming into the main cabin and sharing and it was super tight. So don't plan on utilizing the bunkhouse imo. The cabin was also super filthy when we arrived, there's no way it had been cleaned in like a month. It was gross, we spent an hour cleaning it before we even could set any of our things down.

@AJT4698750 · Camped on Aug 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

This was an amazing experience. The drive to the guard station was beautiful and well signed. It was a cozy night stay. The solar was great for getting ready for bed - we didn't rely on it but it was nice to have. The propane stove was a luxury as was the water spout. Take the time to walk the property and explore the buildings. Wish I had more time to stay and explore the area. Don't forget to sign the guest book and read the entries from others! To stay in a piece of living history was awesome.

@AJT812 · Camped on Aug 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

@SethH906 · Camped on Feb 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

Beautiful winter location. Well stocked with wood and the solar lights were a real treat. Clean. Good 4 burner propane stove. First mile of ski route in mid Feb. held little snow (wind blown), but we were still able to keep skis on the whole way

@SethH5667449 · Camped on Feb 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

@JenniM1199232 · Camped on Oct 16, 2020 at Campsite #1

Cute cabin! The locked stocked wood storage shed with an axe in it out back leveled up our stay for sure. Nice not having to worry about being cold! The wood stove in combination with the cabin insulation was very effective to keep us warm through the night without having to keep the fire going. The futon doesn't latch open when in bed form. It folded down the middle a few times in a middle of the night. The first night that really bothered me. After giving into it the second night, and just sleeping in the middle fold, I slept fine. We brought our own water since we knew it was turned off. Was surprised the spigot didn't produce water, but we had enough. Love the solar panel! That was another level up! We had plenty enough light until bedtime each night to play cards and hang out. It was a beautiful area that, apart from several vehicles coming down to see what was at the end of the road, we had it all too ourselves. Really nice to be able to stretch out, breath clean air and yell as loud as we wanted without bugging anyone. We really enjoyed our time and feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to rent the cute cabin and hope to again in the future. Thank you!

@JenniM855 · Camped on Oct 16, 2020 at Campsite #1

@StephenieG984 · Camped on Jul 31, 2020 at Campsite #1

we had a wonderful time. We enjoyed exploring the area, fishing at east park, and spending time with family.

@Stephenie26264 · Camped on Jul 31, 2020 at Campsite #1

we had a wonderful time. We enjoyed exploring the area, fishing at east park, and spending time with family.

@BrandonB861330 · Camped on Jan 31, 2020 at Campsite #1

Was given wrong combination to lock, once in no gas available for cooking on range.

@BrandonB513 · Camped on Jan 31, 2020 at Campsite #1

Was given wrong combination to lock, once in no gas available for cooking on range.

@CherylC468 · Camped on Aug 14, 2019 at Campsite #1

I had planned on a fridge and a stove when I made the reservation. Unfortunately there was an issue a couple days prior to my arival and they did not have a substitute for the fridge however, they did have a back up camping stove. Over all great stay :)

@CherylC6330808 · Camped on Aug 14, 2019 at Campsite #1

@TanaA362 · Camped on Jul 9, 2019 at Campsite #1

Beautiful area but the cabin was not taken care of. It was extremely dirty - as if it hadn't been cleaned or any maintenance done on it since the 1930's. Granted, those who stay here are suppose to take care of it. The 1st hour I was there I tried to clean and sweep. The beds were pretty bad. We were hoping that the futon would be able to be open but it is stuck. We ended up sleeping in the back building. I actually liked it out there. There are numerous bunk beds and they are fairly comfortable. We were hoping for hot water since that is what was said and shown to be available. The water heater had been taken OUT so NO HOT WATER. We were grateful for the stove and the refrigerator though! The toilet in the cabin has no flushing power whatsoever. #1 is fine...but #2 - NO WAY. Thankfully there is an outhouse nearby. The place is a little oasis in a high desert. It's by a stream. The flowers were amazing. Some deer visited us along with lots of chipmunks. =) It was decently located within reasonable distance of the 'mountains' with pine trees, reservoirs and hiking...and then close to a pretty aspen tree area, as well. There are LOTS of cows roaming around and mooing at all hours. I would probably consider this cabin again but it was a pretty far distance from our home [4+ hours] so that will probably not happen. Overall though...pretty nice.

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