How to Rent a Forest Service Cabin

Did you know you can easily rent forest service cabins around the United States? When they are not in use by rangers, the department rents them out on a nightly basis to anyone willing to book. 

The best part? They’re cheap! Most range between $35-75/night depending on location and amenities. Here’s everything you need to know. 

How to Book a Forest Service Cabin

To see nearby forest service cabins, view availability, and book, go to www.recreation.gov.

At the very top of the page, you will see a search bar. Switch the option from ‘explore all’ to ‘camping and lodging.’ Then, fill out the following: 

1. List the nearest town/city 
2. Select the option yurts/cabins under ‘ways to stay’ 
3. Add your desired dates
4. Hit ‘search’ 

Some places have more forest service cabins than others. For example, the western part of the United States has the largest number of cabins, while places like Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama, don’t have any. 

If no cabins appear in your range, you can search a common area where cabins are common (like Colorado) and then zoom the map out to view options in different regions of the country. Here is a map that shows some of the forest service cabins in the United States: 

What to Know Before Renting a Forest Service Cabin 

When renting a forest service cabin, it’s important to know these are rustic accommodations. The cheaper the cabin, the fewer amenities it typically has. Some cabins don’t have electricity and most don’t have running water. 

In addition, the only source of heat in many of these cabins is a woodstove. You are required to chop and stock the woodstove during your stay. 

Be sure to read the description of how to get to the forest service cabin before booking. Not only will it list some of the details above, but it will also detail accessibility. Although many are accessible in any vehicle, some are 4wd only. 

When prepping to stay at a forest service cabin, you should also plan to bring the following: 

• Enough water for the duration of your stay 
• Plastic bags (trash bags not provided and trash is pack it in, pack it out)  
• Sleeping bags/pillows (beds provided, linens are not) 
• Food & cooler 
• Bug spray 
• Firestarter 

Most forest service cabins do not have cell phone service, so ensure you have saved maps and route details to your cabin. 

Forest Service Cabin Rules and Regulations

Forest Service cabins aren’t like hotels and there is no maid service. When you leave it is required that you clean the cabin in preparation for the next visitors. Some common cleaning items for forest services cabins include: 

• Sweeping the floor 
• Doing all dishes 
• Wiping down tables/counters 
• Refilling woodstove bin
• Sweeping out ash in the woodstove 
• Packing out all trash 
• Removing all food

Even if you have leftover food, it is never encouraged to leave it behind for the next group. This is because it is quite common for these cabins to have a couple of year-round mice that might make an appearance during your stay. Although they aren’t a bother to humans, they will break into food once you leave and cause a mess. 

When to Book Forest Service Cabins 

This can be the tricky part, as different National Forests have different policies on when they open up for reservations. When you view the calendar on the recreation website, you’ll often see four different distinctions: 

A = available to booking 

NR = dates not released yet 

R = reserved

X = not available 

FF = first-come, first-serve (aka, no reservations allowed) 

Some locations release dates and seasons on specific dates, while some it’s a rotating calendar, meaning that every day at 10 am EST they release the next date on the calendar, which is typically 3-6 months away. 

However, cancellations do happen. Because the cabins are cheap, sometimes people book when dates are released to secure a potential spot and then cancel the reservation in the future. When that happens, you might be able to book cabins closer to your date. For example, our last stay at a forest service cabin was booked 4 days out for a Friday night. Always keep an eye out! 

Popular cabins, such as the fire lookouts (yes, you can rent fire lookouts!) are often harder to come by for cancellations and reservations. We had to fight and book one in the Big Horn mountains later this year. But if you can snag a yurt or fire tower, it’s definitely worth it!