The Long Way
El Dorado County
A cabin nestled among tall trees with a wooden staircase leading to the entrance.
Plate I. Exterior of Sly Guard Cabin. From fs.usda.gov
A small brown cabin with a covered porch stands in a forest.
Plate II. Exterior of the Sly Guard Cabin. From recreation.gov
A cabin in the woods covered in snow.
Plate III. Sly Guard Cabin in winter. From recreation.gov
A small brown cabin with wooden stairs stands among trees.
Plate IV. Front view of Sly Guard Cabin. From recreation.gov
A living room interior with wood flooring, a sofa, coffee table, and doorways leading to other rooms.
Plate V. Living room inside Sly Guard Cabin. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a retro-style kitchen with green cabinets and a dining table.
Plate VI. Kitchen area, Sly Guard Cabin. From fs.usda.gov
A wooden cabin sits in a clearing surrounded by trees, with picnic tables in the foreground.
Plate VII. Picnic area and Sly Guard Cabin. From recreation.gov
A small bathroom with green paneled walls, a sink, and a toilet.
Plate VIII. Bathroom interior, Sly Guard Cabin. From recreation.gov

Sly Guard Cabin

Pollock Pines, El Dorado County, California. Recreation site.

Details

Map. Pollock Pines, El Dorado County, California. Larger map
Where
5561 Sly Park Road, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Directions
When
Check-in 2:00 PM; check-out 11:00 AM.
Season
Year-round; winter parking at Cedar Park Trailhead.
Getting there
From Highway 50, about 16 miles east of Placerville and 47 miles west of South Lake Tahoe, take Exit 60 (Sly Park Road) and travel south about 6.2 miles.
Fees
$65 per night for up to 12 people.
Access
When snow is present, parking is only available in the nearby Cedar Park Trail parking lot.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservations can be made 7 days to 6 months before the first night by anyone 18 or older.
Phone
(530) 644-2324
Website
fs.usda.gov
Managed by
Eldorado National Forest, Placerville Ranger District.
Established
early 1940s.
Coordinates
38.71019, -120.593074.

The Sly Guard Cabin is less remote than other cabins on the Eldorado National forest and is a great choice for families with children. The cabin is near Sly Park Reservoir, also called Jenkinson Lake, the tourist area of Apple Hill, a variety of wineries, a number of hiking trails, and the historic mining towns of Coloma and Placerville.

Notable Events

  1. 1848On July 2, 1848, the Mormon Battalion company moving up the divide between the American and Cosumnes rivers stopped in a lush green valley and called it Sly's Park after one of their men who found it, building a couple of corrals there. thepollockpinesepic.com
  2. 1940sThe Forest Service constructed the Sly Guard Cabin as living quarters for rangers "on guard" in the Sly Park area. recreation.gov

People

  • James Calvin Sly, The man Sly's Park was named after; member of the Mormon Battalion company who found the valley, later a guide for a train of wagons over the same road (returned about a year later as a guide for a train of wagons).

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234654
  2. fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/sly-guard-cabin
  3. fs.usda.gov/media/121944
  4. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234654
  5. thepollockpinesepic.com/title/sly-park