The Long Way
Cochise County
A stone building with a yellow-trimmed porch sits in a landscape with rocky hills.
Plate I. Exterior of the Portal Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A rustic kitchen interior with exposed wooden ceiling beams and a dining table.
Plate II. Kitchen area inside Portal Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
An interior bedroom with wooden bunk beds and a ceiling fan.
Plate III. Bedroom interior, Portal Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A small bathroom featuring a corner shower, a corner sink, and a toilet.
Plate IV. Bathroom interior, Portal Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov

Portal Bunkhouse

Portal, Cochise County, Arizona. Cabin; Open year-round.

Details

Map. Portal, Cochise County, Arizona. Larger map
Where
Portal, Cochise County, AZ. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check-in after 2:00 PM; check-out by noon.
Getting there
From Tucson take I-10 east 139 miles to Road Forks, NM; turn right (south) on US 80 for 28 miles to Portal Road; turn right (west) and drive 7 miles through the town of Portal; turn left on Forest Road 42 for approximately 1 mile. The Bunkhouse is the rock masonry building just past the Visitor Information Center.
Fees
$100 per day.
Access
Driveway on the west side of the building, accessible by passenger car. Guests bring food, sleeping bags or linens, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags; renters clean the cabin before leaving. Guests are advised to bring additional drinking water and a flashlight in case of emergencies.
Walk-in or reserve
Reserved on Recreation.gov; cabin entry is a combination lock on the left-side front door, with the combination provided once a reservation is made.
Phone
(520) 364-3468
Website
recreation.gov
Managed by
Douglas Ranger District, Coronado National Forest.
Established
1933.
Coordinates
31.8985555463704, -109.162348893642.

At the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon at 5,000 feet, on the eastern slope of the Chiricahua Mountains; Cave Creek, a perennial stream, flows nearby.

Notable Events

  1. 1933The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the two-room bunkhouse cabin one mile west of Portal, Arizona. fs.usda.gov
  2. 1934Enrollees at the Cave Creek CCC camp built the office and pumphouse; from the start the office served more often as a bunkhouse for Forest Service personnel than an office, while the nearby residence housed the ranger and his family. npgallery.nps.gov
  3. 1993The registration form for the Portal Ranger Station bears a National Register stamp dated May 1993, and the property was nominated under the Depression-Era USDA Forest Service Administrative Complexes in Arizona multiple property study. npgallery.nps.gov

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/portal-bunkhouse
  2. recreation.gov/api/camps/campgrounds/250019
  3. npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/7aad01a6-2c69-4cd1-ac57-b854dfc23c76
  4. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250019