Fitton Cabin

About

Fitton Guard Station Cabin is a historic Forest Service structure perched at 10,600 feet in a high-elevation meadow along Burro Creek in the Rio Grande National Forest. The one-room cabin sleeps four guests on two bunk beds and provides rustic amenities including a wood-burning cook stove for heating and cooking, table and chairs, and a small covered porch. An outhouse serves as the restroom, and a fenced pasture with barn is available for visitors traveling with horses. The cabin is completely off-grid with no potable water. Burro Creek flows nearby but water must be treated before drinking. Firewood can be gathered from the surrounding forest. Bears frequent the area, so proper food storage is essential. Access is the defining challenge of Fitton Cabin. The only routes in are via Burro Creek Trail #873, which is limited to vehicles 50 inches wide or less, hiking, mountain biking, or horseback. From the lower trailhead on County Road 14 (12 miles south of Del Norte), it is a 6-mile journey to the cabin. The upper trailhead via Forest Roads 329 and 329.1C is 1.5 miles from the cabin but requires 28 miles of forest road driving from Del Norte.

Directions

From Del Norte, head south on County Road 14 for 12 miles to the lower Burro Creek Trailhead, then travel 6 miles upstream on Burro Creek Trail #873. Alternatively, access the upper trailhead via Forest Service Roads 329 and 329.1C (28 miles from Del Norte), which is 1.5 miles from the cabin. Trail is limited to vehicles 50 inches wide or less, hiking, biking, or horseback.