Jack Creek Guard Station

Overview

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

Opportunities exist in the area for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is approximately five miles west of the cabin. Anglers can fish in nearby Jack Creek and game hunting opportunities are available in designated areas with proper licenses.

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.

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