With every mile driven southeast on Forest Road 68 (Dugas Road), the scenery becomes more remote and beautiful. The buzz of Interstate 17 is replaced by an expansive prairie that eventually transforms into juniper-dotted hills framed by jagged, copper-colored cliffs.
Except for the occasional abandoned building, there’s nothing but unpeopled wilderness in every direction along this dusty dirt track. But then, a sign for Sycamore Cabin appears at Mile 8 and the seemingly impossible becomes a reality: At the end of a short side road sits a fully restored historic house with all the comforts of home, including air conditioning.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Sycamore Cabin was built in 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Before that, the site served as a U.S. Forest Service station for the now-defunct Bloody Basin Ranger District beginning in 1917; the agency upgraded it during the Great Depression to create a comfortable residence for a district ranger and his family.
But by the early 1960s, the Forest Service decided to close the ranger outpost due to its isolated location. The home was then used as a base for firefighters, although seasonal crews were also eventually moved to less remote camps. Fortunately for Arizona history buffs, in the early 2000s, the Forest Service decided to restore Sycamore Cabin and add it to its Rooms With a View rental program.
“We tried to preserve the original CCC architecture and carpentry,” says Prescott National Forest program manager Tom Palmer. “We kept a lot of the original materials.” Although the old Forest Service office was torn down, the Depression-era house and barn remain in excellent condition. The wood-frame residence has a large living room, a spacious kitchen and two bedrooms that accommodate up to six people. The original wood floors, windows and kitchen cabinets all hark back to country homes of the 1930s.
But the best part is outside, just a stone’s throw from the back porch. Sycamore Creek rambles over rocks beneath its towering namesake trees and creates a lush oasis that draws deer, bobcats and even coatis. There’s no cell service or internet, but the well-worn visitor journal attests to the many ways children have managed to amuse themselves without their phones: They make up stories about a ghost in the basement, roast marshmallows around the fire ring at night and keep their eyes peeled for a coati climbing the cliffs above the creek.
As for adults, their notes express gratitude for the beautiful scenery, the isolation and the comforts of heating and air conditioning. But more than anything, visitors staying at Sycamore Cabin appreciate the uninterrupted quality time with family — something the rangers who lived there decades ago surely enjoyed, too.
PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST Sycamore Cabin, 877-444-6777, recreation.gov (reservations); Verde Ranger District, 928-567-4121, fs.usda.gov/prescott (general information)
United States