Round Trip Distance: 300 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5303 - 5311 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 20 mins.
Trailhead: Captain Smith's Cabin
Fee: none
Attractions: Historic cabin, inscriptions
Captain Smith's Cabin is located in the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area between Delta and Grand Junction, Colorado. Captain Smith was a Civil War veteran and an expert tombstone carver. Some of his carvings can be seen on the boulder that serves as the south wall for his cabin and high up on the canyon cliffs.
For turn-by-turn directions enter 'Captain Smith's Cabin' into your driving app. After turning off of US-50 it is 10.5 miles up Escalante Canyon to the site. The well maintained gravel road is passable by most highway vehicles.
One of the most interesting aspects of the cabin is the use that Captain Smith made of the large boulder that forms its south wall. First off, he carved grooves in the top of the boulder for the roof joists. He also carved out niches for a bed, gun rack, and 2 niches below the bed for other items.
On the other side of the boulder, on the outside of the cabin, is an example of Captain Smiths engraving skills.
Captain Smith apparently had enough visitors that he had to build a guest house behind his cabin for their accommodation.
The guest house had a secret room and a large attic.
High up on the face of the cliff are several more examples of Captain Smith's engraving skills. It must have been a tedious undertaking for something so large and intricate that obviously would have required standing upon a ladder the entire time while working.
Without a lot of difficulty it is possible to scramble up the cliff for a closer look. The star and horseshoe are apparently the insignia of a blacksmith shop. The engravings are a tribute to Captain Smith's blacksmith friend Paul Bowen. It appears that the engravings originally had a coat or two of blue paint.
If you would like to see this interesting site for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
