Firewater Cabin Hike
A short hike to a historic cabin site in Desolation Canyon — a remnant of the ranching era in this roadless stretch.
The Firewater Cabin Hike at mile 29 is an excursion to a historic cabin site in the lower canyon drainage, one of several remnants of the cattle ranching and prospecting era in Desolation Canyon. The hike involves a short traverse from the river to the cabin location — across bench country and up through light brush. The cabin itself is a structural remain from an era when the canyon supported scattered human habitation. Like the Rock Creek Ranch further downstream, this site represents the particular persistence of canyon country settlement — people making a life in a geography that seemed determined to prevent it. The hike is short and can be done as a morning stop without making camp at the adjacent river mile.