American River Guard Station

Dappled sunlight filters through the trees and splashes across the shake roof of the American River Guard Station. The cabin, located in the heart of the central Cascades recreation area in eastern Washington off the scenic Mather Memorial Parkway, offers visitors a step back in time in a beautiful, natural setting.

The Depression-era rustic cabin is one and a half stories tall, with a wood frame and shake roof. Recently refurbished and freshly painted, it has a small kitchen, a living/sleeping area, and a bedroom, as well as a full sized sleeping loft and storage room. The clean and comfortable cabin is furnished with many amenities: a small refrigerator, electric range, a dining table and chairs for four people (with hidden leaf to expand for eight people), a queen size sleeper sofa in the living room, a full size bed and mattress in the bedroom, two twin size beds in the upstairs loft, a wood stove, light fixtures and a living room electric baseboard heater. The kitchen is equipped with a coffee maker, pots, dishes and glassware. A picnic table and fire ring is located near the cabin. The original two-seater outhouse has recently been restored.

There is no water at the cabin; visitors must bring plenty for drinking, cooking and washing. (In the summer, drinking water can be obtained from the nearby Cedar Spring Campground.) The cabin contains a variety of cleaning supplies (broom, dustpan, mop and bucket, sponges, cleansers). All food and garbage must be removed to help deter rodents. In the summer, waste disposal is provide by a dumpster in the nearby American Forks Campground. When the campground is closed for the season, visitors must "pack it out and home".

• Availability: American River Guard Station is available year round.
• Price and Capacity: $90 per night, per group, with a maximum of eight occupants. Fees are used directly for the maintenance and preservation of the Guard Station.
• Reservations: The maximum length stay is 14 consecutive nights. Phone 1-877-444-6777 or visit recreation.gov

History

The American River Guard Station was built in 1941 as a summer residence and work site for fire patrol and recreation management personnel. The builders were men of the 932nd Camp Naches Civilian Conservation Corps crew. A rear addition to house, including a bathroom and water heater, laundry and sink room, was added at a later time. The guard station was still occupied by Naches Ranger District personnel in the summers through the 1960s, but its principal use in these later years was as a bunkhouse rather than a work station. Typically two or three seasonal employees lived here in the summer and commuted roughly twelve miles east every morning to the Ranger Station. Forest Service use of the cabin declined in the late 1970s. Volunteers and people granted permits sporadically used the cabin, but it has largely remained vacant. In 1999 the cabin was found eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.  Restoration of the cabin began in 2004.

For specific questions contact the Naches Ranger District at (509) 653-1401 or click here to email a question.
 

At a Glance