About 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. 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. 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…
- Fees: Site type is Cabin non-electric.
- Managed by: Dixie National Forest, FS
- Where: 13 mi northwest of Boulder, UT · 37.99972, -111.65944
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jun–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Nov–Apr.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jubilee Trail | Horse | at camp | 8.5 mi |
| Auger Hole Trail | Horse | 0.3 mi | 3.2 mi |
| Great Western Trail | Hiking | 0.4 mi | 63.5 mi |
| West Fork Trail | Horse | 0.8 mi | 3.4 mi |
| Cowpuncher | ATV road | 0.8 mi | 1.6 mi |
| Cowpuncher East | ATV road | 1.2 mi | 2.2 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
No signal at camp
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way casts shadows and the sky is crowded with stars.
Class 1 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Stargazing nearby: Heritage StarFest (Capitol Reef) (Astronomy festival), 25 mi.
Dump station: 14.6 mi
Water fill-up: 14.3 mi
Camps nearby
- Blue Spruce Campground 1.8 mi
- Posey Lake Campground 4.4 mi
- Escalante Ranger District 6.3 mi
- Barker Recreation Area 10 mi
- Host 10 mi
- Porter Equestrian Group Campsite 10.2 mi