Upper Crossing Guard Station

Open — Open year-round for reservations via Recreation.gov at $75 per night. Winter access may require snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or skiing approximately 0.5 miles from the nearest maintained road. Maximum stay is 14 consecutive days.

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About

Upper Crossing Guard Station sits at 8,400 feet elevation along Colorado Highway 114 near the Continental Divide, serving as the original headquarters of the old Cochetopa National Forest from the early 1900s. This historic guard station has been remodeled into a comfortable rental cabin that accommodates up to nine people with three bunk beds featuring twin beds on top and fold-out full beds on the bottom. The cabin includes modern amenities such as electricity, propane heat, a wood-burning stove, running water with hot water, a full bathroom with ADA accessible shower, and an ADA accessible kitchen equipped with refrigerator, stove, cooking utensils, pots and pans. The living area features a table, chairs, couch, and other furniture. Outside amenities include a picnic table, campfire grill, and horseshoe pit. Situated at the confluence of two creeks, the guard station offers excellent fishing opportunities for rainbow, cutthroat, brown, and brook trout right from the property. The surrounding Rio Grande National Forest provides extensive recreation options including hiking to nearby wilderness areas, hunting in fall, and winter activities like cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The brief dirt road leading to the cabin follows the old stagecoach route with historic graffiti serving as vintage advertisements. Views encompass the Continental Divide, high mountain peaks, diverse forests, and scenic working ranches across unspoiled countryside once favored by Ute Indians.

Directions

From Saguache, take Highway 114 west for approximately 22 miles. The turnoff for the guard station is 1 mile past County Road NN14, between mile markers 39 and 40. Look for the Upper Crossing sign on the highway. Turn east until the road ends in a T, turn right and go 0.5 mile. The cabin will be on the left. From Gunnison, travel Highway 114 east approximately 4 miles past Buffalo Pass Campground entrance. Public access is only allowed via these directions; the road south of the guard station gate crosses private property and is closed to public access.