You might not be in position to buy a spacious cabin tucked away high in the verdant forests of the Catalina Mountains — but you could stay in one if a proposed addition to a federal cabin-rental program wins approval.
The Coronado National Forest has tentative plans to add the historic Sollers Cabin in the Catalinas to the Rooms With a View program, and the agency is seeking public comments on the plans.
“This large, two-story cabin — with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom — was constructed in the 1940s,” said Kathy Makansi, an archaeologist with the Coronado Forest. “It’s in a really cool, secluded forest setting” at the end of a dirt road about a mile from the Catalina Highway.
Chris Schrager, a historic preservation specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, said Sollers Cabin “has been used as a private residence, as well as quarters for Forest Service firefighters and other staff. It sits in a clearing among pines and Douglas firs, with spectacular views of the Tucson basin and surrounding mountain ranges from nearby Sollers Point.”
The proposed per-night rental fee for the cabin, which can accommodate up to eight people, is $175. If the rental plan is approved after a public comment period and government reviews, the cabin would be available for rent in the spring of 2017.
Comments may be directed to Makansi by phone at 760-2502, or at kmakansi@fs.fed.us by email. The comment period ends on Dec. 31 of this year.
Makansi said 19 other Rooms With a View rental cabins are available at sites around Arizona. Reservations may be made at www.recreation.gov on the internet.
