Pinedale on the Web!
Pinedale, Wyoming
Home | Calendar of Events | Photo Gallery | Local Businesses |

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is interested in hearing your comments on a proposal to offer two new rental cabins.

Green River Lakes Cabin: The cabin would be available year-round at $100 per night during the summer and $75 per night during the winter without water. The cabin sleeps 5-8 people and contains a flush toilet & shower (summer only), propane gas heat, and propane appliances. The cabin does not have electricity, but the Forest will provide battery operated lanterns. The cabin is furnished with bed frames, mattresses, kitchen gear, cooking stove, garbage collection, extra space for camping outside the cabin, and other amenities. The site very popular for day-use, such as weddings, meeting, and family reunions, which can accommodate up to 50 people. The cabin is located near the shores of beautiful Lower Green River Lake, at an elevation of 8,000 feet. The lake sits on the western edge of the rugged Wind River Range. Nearby is a developed campground, and trails for non-motorized use including the popular Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, as well as fishing and canoeing on the lake.

Sherman Guard Station: The Guard Station includes both a cabin and a bunkhouse, both have the same amenities and would be available year-round. During the summer the Forest is proposing a fee of $80 for renting the cabin and the bunkhouse together. It will not be possible to rent the cabins separately in summer; however during winter visitors would have the opportunity to rent either one or both cabins at a cost of $35 for one or $60 for both. The cabin sleeps 4 people and the bunkhouse 6 people. Both buildings contains flush toilets and showers (summer only), running water, propane heat, solar lights, refrigerators, beds, a cooking stove, cooking utensils, furniture, and extra space outside for camping. The Guard Station is located in Horse Creek drainage, approximately 28 miles from Pinedale, Wyoming, and just west of the North Horse Creek Winter Trailhead.

In the summer and fall Horse Creek offers great opportunities for fishing along Horse Creek and hunting from the high country. The North Horse Creek Winter Trailhead provides access to some of the best snowmobiling in the country. From the trailhead, riders can jump on the Blind Bull/North Horse Creek Snowmobile trail and head to the top of the Wyoming Range and down into the Grey's River.

Forest Recreation Program Manager Shannon Connolly stated, "While the Green River Lakes Cabin has abundant recreation opportunities nearby, a cabin is not located in the area for rent. The Sherman Guard Station is located on a remote part of the Forest where only dispersed recreation is present for the public. These cabins would provide a unique and great opportunity to enjoy their public lands while staying with comforts from home."

The majority of the revenue collected at recreation fee sites remains on the forest to operate, maintain and improve the facilities and programs.

Pictures of the proposed rental cabins can be found on the Bridger-Teton National Forest webpage. At this time, comments are being accepted on the new rental cabin proposals. Please send your comments to Cindy Stein, Acting Bridger-Teton National Forest Recreation Program Manager, 29 E. Fremont Lake Road, P.O. Box 220, Pinedale, WY 82941, or email them to cstein@fs.fed.us with "BT Recreation Fee Proposal" as the subject line. Comments will be until taken until April 7, 2017.

All new fee proposals will be presented before a citizen’s committee, Wyoming Recreation Action Team (REACT). REACT is a consortium of state and federal land management agencies that work to ensure public input regarding proposed fee increases on federal lands and to identify opportunities and address issues affecting recreation and tourism in Wyoming. State agencies making up REACT are Wyoming Game and Fish, the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, Department of Transportation, Division of Travel and Tourism, and the Department of Agriculture. Federal entities involved are the BLM, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Forest Service. The public is welcome to attend and comment at all committee meetings. The next REACT meeting is expected to be held the winter/spring of 2017. The exact meeting time, location and agenda will be announced on the Bridger-Teton National Forest website and through the local media. These fee proposals will also have extensive reviews by both the Forest Service Regional and Washington Offices.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act which allows the Forest Service to retain funds collected at certain recreation sites and use these funds locally to operate and maintain and improve these sites. Before the Forest Service received the authority to retain funds locally, all fees collected by the Forest Service went to the national treasury.

If approved, the cabins would be placed on the National Recreation Reservation Site for rental information and reservations. People can make reservations via toll free number (877) 444-6777 or online at www.recreation.gov.

For more information, questions or comments about any of these rental cabin fee proposals, please visit the Bridger-Teton National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/btnf or contact Cindy Stein at 307- 367-5717.