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A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Crocker Guard Station

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Plumas National Forest, Plumas County, California. About 5,700 feet. 5.7 miles from Portola.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Plumas National Forest
Elevation
About 5,700 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
1 1 cabin non-electric
Longest rig
24 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Plumas County

Overview

Crocker Guard Station was built in 1912 as a home for Forest Service personnel, and was later staffed as a fire station until the 1980s. The historic Crocker Guard Station is located ten miles northeast of Portola, California, at an elevation of 5,700 feet. Visitors will experience the beautiful solitude of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nearby recreational opportunities include fishing, boating, swimming and hiking.

Recreation

Crocker Campground is located adjacent to the Crocker Guard Station. The campground has vault toilets. Campsites have tables, fire rings and food lockers for $15.00 fee.. The campground is the perfect place to expand your guest list or have a campfire. At this campground, hunting is a popular fall activity.

Lake Davis Recreation Area is within four miles, offering a variety of recreational opportunities. Visitors can fish, boat, swim, bike and hike.

Facilities

The house has four bedrooms with ten twin beds and mattresses including two sets of bunk beds, a kitchen, dining room, living room and an outside vault toilet building. Children will enjoy the large fenced in front yard. The rental has propane operated lights, cook stove and heater. There is no refrigerator. Cooking and eating utensils are provided. The house is equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Visitors must bring drinking water. There is an outside hand pump with water for fire protection. Guests should bring bedding, towels, flashlights, trash bags and first aid kits. Visitors are responsible for cleaning the house, packing out trash and locking up before departure.

Natural Features

The Guard Station is situated in a small meadow near an aspen grove surrounded by a forest of pine trees.

Nearby Attractions

Stores, services and restaurants are available just ten miles away, in Portola, CA.

The largest railroad museum in the west is located in Portola. It has a gift shop, train rides and plenty of railroading information

Water activities like boating and fishing are as close as Lake Davis just five miles away on a dirt road.

The night time sky offers star gazing, golden moon rises and meteor showers away from bright lights. There is some light pollution from Reno.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking

The land around Crocker Guard Station

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Nearest campgrounds

Camping near

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated August 1, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.

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