Cabin rental · U.S. Forest Service · Dixie National Forest · Escalante, UT

Cowpuncher Guard Station

Cowpuncher Guard Station is located in the Dixie National Forest, 20 miles northeast of the town of Escalante in southern Utah. The cabin is situated just off the Hells Backbone Road and is accessed by road during summer and fall. Roads are usually closed by snow 5.5 miles from the cabin from late November to mid-April. Check the ranger station for winter conditions.

Cabin rentalReservable · Recreation.gov1 site30 ft maxPets okFires ok
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Cabin and covered porchFront room of cabin showing table, chairs, couch and two windows.Bedroom showing double bed, two sets of bunkbeds and bench.Kitchen with wood cookstove, propane cooktop and kitchen sink
Photos courtesy of USFS · Recreation.gov
1fire
active
Fremont River Rd Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 41 mi away
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Cabins1
This cabin is booked as a single unit on Recreation.gov. The booking page shows which dates are open and how far ahead they release. How the booking window works

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteFits, ftSurfaceShadeWaterfrontPeople / vehiclesFiresAccessibleRating
Cowpuncher30GravelPartialRiverfront7 / 3YesYesPrime

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Amenities & rules

Max vehicle length30 ft
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions
FeesSite type is Cabin non-electric.
AccessibilitySite Cowpuncher is listed accessible

The cabin is comfortably furnished with bunk beds and one full size bed, table and chairs, wood cook stove, propane stovetop, kitchen sink with cold running water (summer and early fall), battery operated lanterns, pots and pans, dishes and utensils. A covered porch extends the space outside with a picnic table and fire ring below. A vault toilet is located 150 ft. from the cabin and firewood is provided.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Cowpuncher Guard Station30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.07 inches of precipitation, 15.7 inches of snowFebruary: 1.05 inches of precipitation, 10.8 inches of snowMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitation, 6.7 inches of snowApril: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 2.3 inches of snowMay: 0.72 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowJune: 0.38 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.11 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.58 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.44 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowNovember: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowDecember: 0.79 inches of precipitation, 11.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 30.4°F averageFebruary: 34.1°F averageMarch: 41.7°F averageApril: 47.7°F averageMay: 56.4°F averageJune: 66.6°F averageJuly: 72.4°F averageAugust: 70.4°F averageSeptember: 63.0°F averageOctober: 51.5°F averageNovember: 39.5°F averageDecember: 30.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Boulder, 15 miles from the campground at 6,650 feet, station USC00420849 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 12 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 52 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Highway 12 in Escalante, turn north on 300E. Drive 14 miles to the junction of Forest Roads 154 and 153. Continue on FR153 for 4.5 miles. Turn left on FR145 towards Cowpuncher and Blue Spruce Campground. Travel 0.7 miles to Cowpuncher Gate. The cabin is 0.2 miles past the gate.

Nearest townEscalante, Utah
Coordinates37.9997° N, 111.6594° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Fremont River Rd Piles Rx

    41 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗14.9 mi
Outdoor gearEscalante Outfitters ↗16.1 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.3 mi
    Auger Hole Trail
    3.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.7 mi
    Jubilee Trail ↗
    8.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.8 mi
    West Fork Trail
    3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.4 mi
    Burr Top Trail ↗
    5.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.4 mi
    The Box Trail ↗
    8.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 2.5 mi
    Blue Springs Trail
    1.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Box-Death Hollow Wilderness begins about 3.9 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

Cowpuncher sits in a secluded meadow surrounded by pine and aspen groves next to a small trout stream. The elevation at the cabin is 8,000 feet and the adjacent pine and aspen covered slopes quickly rise up to 8,900 feet. Summer days are warm and nights are cool.

Recreation

The cabin is surrounded by trails, including the Great Western Trail which offer abundant opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Pine Creek flows through the site offering excellent trout fishing. The scenic Hells Backbone Road is minutes away and is a popular scenic drive for both cars and OHVs. Posey Lake is 7 miles away.

Nearby

Cowpuncher offers a cool escape from the surrounding desert landscape and is often used as a base to explore the surrounding area. The Escalante area of southern Utah offers breathtaking scenery nearly everywhere you look. Sightseeing along Road 153, Hells Backbone Road, and Utah Highway 12, a National All American Highway, are very popular. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Anasazi State Park, and the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park are all located in the area.

Guidebooks for Utah

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Sites at Cowpuncher Guard Station are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Site type is Cabin non-electric.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Cowpuncher Guard Station have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

The longest site here provides 30 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are pets allowed at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Yes, pets are allowed at Cowpuncher Guard Station. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there is 1 active fire within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Site Cowpuncher is listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Cowpuncher Guard Station?

The cabin is surrounded by trails, including the Great Western Trail which offer abundant opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Cowpuncher Guard Station?

Escalante, Utah. Cowpuncher offers a cool escape from the surrounding desert landscape and is often used as a base to explore the surrounding area.

Source: Getting there

What if Cowpuncher Guard Station is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Blue Spruce Campground (1.8 mi, first-come), Posey Lake Campground (4.4 mi, partly first-come), and Barker Recreation Area (10.1 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby