# Spencer's Cabin available for rent



## tsprunk (Feb 27, 2007)

Eagle County (in partnership with Colorado Open Lands and Gates Family Foundation) acquired a 34-acre property on the Colorado River located just upstream from Burns in late 2014. Along with the land we acquired a nifty one-room cabin. We are making it available to the public through our website at Open Space - Spencer's Cabin - Eagle County 

The cabin can only be accessed from the river, there is no public road access. The fee is $25 per night and is non-refundable. Use requires a reservation. Our Ranger will be patrolling.

A few other things you should know:

1. There is no toilet or water supply, you must bring a portable toilet system
2. There is no power at the cabin
3. There is no cell service in the area
4. The cabin is just upstream from mile marker 44 on the new Upper Colorado River Recreation Guide, which I've attached. The nearest put in is Catamount. There is a primitive take out in Burns near the railroad tressle.
5. No cooking is permitted inside the cabin.
6. You must bring all your own sleeping gear and cooking gear.
7. Users absolutely must stay off the railroad tracks, this is an active railroad.
8. This is a primitive cabin, don't expect the Marriott.
9. There is a fire pit, but for the meantime you'll need to bring your own firewood. After we collect a few user fees we may splurge and deliver a cord of wood.
10. Please leave the cabin and surrounding area in better condition than you found it. This is an experiment and the cabin's continued availability depends on how well the site is cared for. 
11. This property was mainly acquired to protect outstanding wildlife habitat, you may see bighorn sheep, river otters, bear, deer, elk, beaver, bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, or even sage grouse. Please keep noise to a minimum and otherwise respect wildlife. Pack out all food waste, wrappers, cans, etc.

Attached are a few photos, as well as the newly completed Upper Colorado River Recreation Guide.

Please call me if you have questions,

Toby Sprunk
Eagle County Open Space 
970-328-8698


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## zercon (Aug 30, 2006)

*That cabin*

Nice job on picking up that property. I have always wondered what the story was with that cabin with the great river view.
Two questions,
How close is it to the train tracks?
What would be the next couple of take outs down stream from there?


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## basinrafter (May 12, 2009)

Just made my reservation! Yee haw! I love Eagle County Open Space.....


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## tsprunk (Feb 27, 2007)

The most logical take out lies one mile downstream at the Burns Railroad trestle. It is a primitive take-out on river right, very near the Burns Post Office. Another alternative is to run the Class III Rodeo Rapid at Derby Junction and take out at the BLM site a few miles downstream.


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## tsprunk (Feb 27, 2007)

basinrafter said:


> Just made my reservation! Yee haw! I love Eagle County Open Space.....


 Thanks! Hope you enjoy!


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## finripple (Jul 25, 2013)

tsprunk said:


> Thanks! Hope you enjoy!


Super cool!


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## tsprunk (Feb 27, 2007)

Oh, and to answer the earlier question - the railroad track is uphill, behind the cabin, so you have an unobstructed view of the river from the porch.


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## basinrafter (May 12, 2009)

Just a heads up - I don't know if this was a total fluke or a recurring thing, but there was a bear hanging out on the beach in front of the cabin when we arrived this past Saturday evening. He didn't want anything to do with us, and we never saw him again after we landed on shore, so hopefully it was just a fluke that we were all there at the same time.


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## tsprunk (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks for the info, we have had several reports of bear activity in the area, they are quite common in that corner of Eagle County. Eagle County Ranger, Phil Kirkman, is patrolling that area regularly to make sure the cabin is kept clean and free of human food.

Thanks again for letting us know, let's hope Mr. Bruin finds other tasty morsels to distract him, 

Toby Sprunk
Eagle County Open Space


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

hey, i have a bear tag for that unit. good right now. how big is the bear? what color?


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## Vailboater (Apr 12, 2009)

We were there Wednesday night and didn't see any bears😀 just otters eagles and nobody else. Thanks Timberline for the wood! 


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## fishycharacter (Sep 11, 2015)

Love Eagle County for all their efforts on the river corridor.
The campsites along the river appeal to me much more than the cabin. The real attraction there is the old cabin 200' upstream that is falling down but has some great local lore. As told to me by Edith Lederhaus(local born in Burns) a miner tried his luck there in the 60's. He was excited and hopeful. His sluice box was powered by an old Ford with the rear wheel off and a belt attached to a pump. His brother was on his way to join him in the adventure when the miner became ill. Edith's father checked on him and found him so ill that the arduous journey into Glenwood was necessary. The miner died at the hospital before his brother arrived and they could pursue their dream.
It would be great to have these stories verified and listed for us to enjoy when we visit this historic river corridor.


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## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

I'm old if the 1960s are historical 


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