Cape Horn Winter Rental

Open — The cabin is currently open for winter rentals and requires advance reservations through Recreation.gov. Walk-in use is not allowed. Highway 21 access may be affected by snow closures, but alternate access is available from Boise via Sun Valley and Galena Summit.

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About

Cape Horn Winter Rental is a rustic guard station located in beautiful Elk Meadow, approximately 16 miles northwest of Stanley in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Situated at 6,660 feet in a stand of lodgepole pines, the cabin offers breathtaking views of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from its front porch. The cabin is only available for winter rental and is used by Forest Service employees during summer months. The cabin sleeps up to 8 people with one double bed, one single bed, a couch, and floor space for sleeping bags. It features electricity that powers lights and a four-burner stove with oven, though heavy snowfall can cause outages, so guests should be prepared to cook on the wood stove. The water system is turned off for winter, meaning no running water or indoor flush toilet. A vault toilet is located behind the cabin. Firewood is provided but may need splitting. Access requires skiing approximately 1.7 miles cross-country from Highway 21 or about 4 miles via the Stanley-Landmark Snowmobile Trail. The parking pullout is near Forest Service Road 195 and Swamp Creek. Highway 21 may occasionally not be plowed to the pullout, increasing the ski distance to nearly 9 miles. The area offers unlimited winter recreation with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling in surrounding meadows, and backcountry downhill skiing on slopes behind the cabin.

Directions

The guard station is accessed by skiing approximately 1.7 miles cross-country from Highway 21 or about 4 miles via the Stanley-Landmark Snowmobile Trail. The parking pullout is near Forest Service Road 195 and Swamp Creek at coordinates 44° 21' 39.0000" N, 115° 8' 20.0000" W. Note that Highway 21 may not always be plowed to the pullout, which can increase the ski distance to nearly 9 miles. The trail is marked from the pullout to the guard station.