Little Brooklyn Lake Guard

Little Brooklyn Guard Station is located nine miles west of Centennial, Wyoming, just off the Snowy Range Scenic Byway at an elevation of 10,340 feet. It was constructed in 1931 as housing for Forest Service employees. Today it is a unique year-round lodging experience for guests seeking recreation and relaxation in southeastern Wyoming. During the dry, summer months, guests can drive directly to the cabin; during the snowy months, access is limited to snowmobiles, skis or snowshoes, about three miles from the parking lot at Green Rock Recreation Area. Access is also limited during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, when the snow isn't deep enough to snowmobile on but is too deep to drive in — please understand these limitations before deciding to reserve the cabin at that time of year. There may be snow in the area until mid-July, and the road can be muddy, bumpy or inaccessible. The cabin offers many modern amenities, but guests should be prepared to pack in some of their own supplies and gear, especially in winter. A vast hiking trail system that accesses the highest elevations of the Snowy Range is available within two miles of the cabin. Hikers may attempt to summit Medicine Bow Peak, the highest peak in the Range at an elevation of 12,013 feet; Sheep Lakes Trail and Glacier Lakes Trails are also nearby. Fishing is available at many alpine lakes and streams, including Brooklyn Lake and Little Brooklyn Lake, which is within walking distance of the cabin. Winter brings deep powder snow for the snowmobiler, snowshoer and cross-country skier, and opportunities exist for mountain biking, horseback riding and hunting in designated areas nearby. The cabin measures 28x22 ft. and has three rooms. It can accommodate up to seven people with two sets of bunk beds, one single bed and a double sofa bed. It is heated by a wood stove and equipped with propane lights, propane cook stove, cookware and utensils for eating and cooking. The Forest Service supplies the propane and firewood; the firewood will need to be split, and a maul and axe are provided — please leave a good amount of split firewood for the next guest. Drinking water is available during the summer months from a pump located outside the cabin, and no running water is available inside. Water from the pump may freeze during the winter months, so guests must bring their own supply of water or melt snow for drinking, cooking and cleaning during this time. A vault toilet, grill and picnic table are located outside the cabin. Saddle or pack stock belonging to the renter may be kept in the meadow north of the guard station, and only certified weed-free hay or processed feed may be brought into the National Forest. Guests need to provide their own food, sleeping bags, lanterns or flashlights, linens, towels, dish soap, matches, first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags; all trash and food must be packed out, and guests must clean the cabin before leaving. From valleys and canyons that rise steeply to jagged ridges, the area around the cabin boasts alpine lakes and a mixed forest of spruce, lodgepole pine, subalpine fir and aspen. In the summer, guests can enjoy a view of wildflowers spilling down the meadow in front of the cabin to the edge of serene Little Brooklyn Lake; in winter, this same meadow is blanketed in pristine snow. Wildlife is abundant near the cabin, including elk, deer and coyotes, and migratory birds, squirrels and an occasional black bear find habitat in the forest as well. In summer guests can travel the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Highway 130), which has many campgrounds, picnic areas and hiking trails along its course and the small Snowy Range Ski Resort adjacent to it, though portions of Highway 130 are not completely accessible during the winter.