Public Comment Open Until Jan. 15

TELLURIDE –The United States Forest Service is seeking comments on its plans to add two more cabins to its popular cabin rental program.

The Matterhorn Cabin, a large bunkhouse located just off Highway 145 about 10 miles south of Telluride, will become available for year round rental starting next July.

For alpine skiers and snowboarders looking to ride the Telluride Ski Resort next winter, the facility is just a short drive away. And Nordic skiers won’t even have to put a key in the ignition – the Priest Lake Nordic trails maintained by the Telluride Nordic Association are within footsteps.

“There is easy access to the trail system right outside the front door,” said Kathy Peckham, recreation staff for the USFS Norwood Ranger District.

“We plan to enlarge the existing parking area to accommodate both cabin renters and the skiing public.”

Renters will also have direct access to the Galloping Goose bike/hiking trail during the summer and fall months.

The Forest Service will also open its historic, two-bedroom Lone Cone Cabin (also known as the Lone Cone Guard Station) to the public next July.

Located about 25 miles south of Norwood and accessed by driving a Forest Service road during summer and fall and by snowmobile in the winter. Moreover, the cabin promises unsurpassed wildlife access and economical accommodations during hunting season.

“I think it will be immediately popular with hunters and I think summer use will grow as well,” said Peckham. “The location is great for hunting.”

But lest the idea of a bunkhouse or cabin conjure images of the most basic of accommodations, think again.

The Lone Cone Cabin was built as housing for Forest Service rangers during the 1930s as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps program that provided work for unemployed men during the Great Depression. But with sublime views of its namesake peak and modern amenities, a stay there is hardly roughing it.

“Renting this cabin will provide folks with the unique opportunity to experience a small piece of Forest Service history in a private, spectacular setting,” said Norwood District Ranger Judy Schutza.

The architecturally rustic log cabin can sleep six to eight adults and has a wood stove, electricity, running water and a flush toilet.

The cabin will also have corrals where horses may be held, although there will be no pasture facilities.

The modern Matterhorn Cabin can accommodate 10 or more adults in its five bedrooms which have all the comforts of a typical hotel room. Originally built for USFS trail crews, it has a furnace and wood stove, a large kitchen containing two ovens, two refrigerators and a dishwasher, and two bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. The cabin even has a washer and dryer and a television/DVD player.

While the USFS has not yet determined pricing for the two cabins and will not do so until its Recreation Advisory Council meets in March to consider new fee proposals, it will take into consideration the price of similar facilities when doing so.

Comparable Forest Service facilities include the Moose Manor and Black Bear Cabins at Mesa Lakes that both sleep eight adults, and the Silesca Cabin on the Uncompahgre Plateau that sleeps six.

They are currently priced on the federal government’s www.recreation.gov reservation website at $180, $120 and $120 per night, respectively.

Given these, Peckham estimated that the Lone Cone Cabin might cost around $150 per night and the Matterhorn Cabin might come in around $300 per night.

Both facilities will have summer weekday blackout dates from July through September when they will be available for reservation by the public on Friday through Sunday only.

Neither facility appears on the reservation website yet, but Peckham estimated that they will be available for online booking starting next April.

Written or verbal comments about the rental cabins are being accepted until Jan. 15, 2010 by Norwood Ranger District, 1150 Forest Street, Norwood, CO 81423, Attn: Kathy Peckham; Email: comments-rocky-mountain-gmug-norwood@fs.fed.us; Phone: 970/327-4261; or FAX 970/327-4854.