Horsethief Cabin

Horsethief Cabin stands in a clearing of ponderosa pines at over 6,000 feet in the Bradshaw Mountains of the Prescott National Forest. Horsethief Basin Lake is a short walk away, and the Castle Creek Wilderness lies beyond. A gate closes the approach. A four-digit code sent with the reservation opens it, and the same code opens the cabin door.

Inside are four beds for up to six people: two twins, a queen, and a double futon. There is running water, electricity, a propane heater, and fans for warm weather. The bathroom has a flush toilet, a sink, and a shower stall. The kitchen holds a sink, a propane stove and oven, and a refrigerator. Recreation.gov adds a toaster and a coffee maker and counts five chairs at the table, where the Forest Service counts six. Outside are a pedestal grill, which takes charcoal only, a fire ring, and picnic tables. Guests bring their own food, bedding, and towels, and by the Forest Service’s list their own dishes and cookware. There is no phone, and cell coverage is unreliable. Bears range here, so nothing edible may be left outside or in a vehicle. The cabin is one of the Forest Service’s “Rooms with a View” rentals across Arizona’s national forests.

The road past Crown King

The routes in all pass through Crown King. The Forest Service sends drivers off Interstate 17 at Exit 259, west to Cordes, then on County Road 59 through Cleator to Crown King, 17.25 miles on that road alone. At the Crown King turnoff the road becomes Forest Road 259. About 0.6 mile on, Forest Road 52 bears left for the last 6.2 miles.

Recreation.gov gives a different route from the Bumble Bee exit, 248, north on the dirt road to Crown King. From there Forest Road 259A runs south half a mile to Forest Road 52, which runs about 5 miles southeast to the Horse Thief Basin Recreation Area. The same page describes an approach from Spring Valley on Antelope Creek Road, 23 miles to Crown King.

The two sources also differ on the drive itself. The Forest Service puts it at about 90 minutes from I-17 and recommends high clearance. Recreation.gov says over an hour, suggests four-wheel drive, and warns of “moderate to steep, narrow, winding, user-impacted, and severely eroded portions of roadway.”

Lake, lookout and wilderness

The lake is a small reservoir stocked with largemouth bass, channel catfish, and sunfish, open to boats without motors. Horsethief Lookout Tower, a Forest Service fire lookout, stands close by, as do Hazlett Hollow Campground and the Turney Gulch Group Campground. Trails from the cabin lead into Horsethief Canyon and toward Twin Peaks, Castle Creek, and Jim Creek.

The Castle Creek Wilderness covers the eastern slopes of the Bradshaws. Piñon pine and juniper grow on the heights, and saguaro, palo verde, mesquite, jojoba, cat claw, and grassland grow lower down. By Recreation.gov’s account, mule deer and javelina are numerous there. Mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, coyotes, foxes, and badgers are fewer. Doves, quail, hawks, owls, ravens, and jays fly overhead. Off-highway vehicles keep to the forest roads and to the Kentuck (217), Lane Mountain (233), and Tip Top (234) trails.

Quarters for a fire crew

The Forest Service and Recreation.gov tell the basin’s past in the same words. Early Native American inhabitants lived here. In the 1860s the basin was home to horse thieves and rustled livestock. Traces of mining remain, especially around Crown King.

The cabin was built in 1939 as quarters and a staging area for Forest Service crews charged with protecting the southern end of the Bradshaw Mountains against wildfires. It was remodeled and modernized over the years, but by the 1980s it had fallen into disuse. It now serves as a rental cabin.

On June 29, 2023, Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect across the Prescott National Forest at 8 a.m. Horsethief Cabin was on the Bradshaw Ranger District’s list of sites where a fire could still be lit, inside the metal rings and pedestal grills the Forest Service provides.