Madera Canyon cabin could open to public

The Coronado National Forest is seeking public input to help determine if it should make a six-room cabin in Madera Canyon available for overnight rentals.

The cabin would be part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Arizona “Rooms with a View” cabin rental program, which has renovated 13 historical structures statewide, including three in the Coronado National Forest.

Those include Kentucky Camp in the Santa Rita Mountains near Sonoita and two structures in the Dragoon Mountains near Willcox — the Shaw House and Halfmoon Ranch.

Soon the Kent Springs Cabin in Madera Canyon, 15 miles west of Green Valley, could be added to that list.

There are few places to lodge in the canyon, which attracts hikers and birding enthusiasts from around the world.

A $150 per day fee would include day and overnight use of the house, which has two bedrooms, a full bathroom, two living rooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a large outdoor deck. A full size bed, bunk beds and two double futon couches can accommodate up to eight people.

Most of the money raised through rental fees help operate and maintain the 13 cabins, said Kathy Makansi, an archeologist with the Coronado National Forest who helps oversee the program.

She says the goal of “Rooms with a View” is to “preserve historic buildings and provide unique opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the wilderness.”

Before the project can be approved, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act requires that all proposals to charge fees at recreation sites must meet certain criteria. Though renovation has already begun on the Kent Springs Cabin, nine months of “public involvement” is required before the renovation proposal goes before the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Advisory Council in March, she said.

If the cabin is approved, it should be available to rent in April.

Makansi says the BLM council has never rejected a structure for the cabin rental program, but could if there’s not enough public interest.

The cabin, named for nearby fresh water springs, was built as a private residence in 1952, and purchased by the Forest Service in the late 1960s. It was renovated by the Friends of Madera Canyon in the early 1990s after the original owner passed away, Makansi said.

Until July 2008, it was used by the Santa Rita Lodge, which had a special-use permit to rent the cabin to large groups.

The cabin sits at the end of a winding dirt road about a half-mile back from Madera Canyon Road, between the Kubo Bed and Breakfast and the Chuparosa Inn. A large wrap-around back porch overlooks a seasonal stream and a bed of boulders scattered among large oak trees.

The cabin has several notable features, including a stone fireplace made with chunks of obsidian and petrified wood from the owner’s collection.

An Alligator Juniper tree is growing up through the middle of the cabin, and two boulders are incorporated into the structure.

Information on the available Room with a View cabins in Arizona can be found online at www.fs.fed.us/r3/recreation/cabins.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726

Cabin questions

The Forest Service is fielding comments, questions and suggestions from Green Valley residents and anyone who might be interested in renting the Kent Springs Cabin in Madera Canyon. Reach Kathy Makansi with the Coronado National Forest at 520-760-2502 or email her at kmakansi@fs.fed.us.