Holme’s Cabin is a lesser known cabin located about halfway up the mountains East of Kaysville. It is accessible starting from the Kaysville East Wilderness Park trailhead and involves climbing 2800 feet of elevation in about three miles making it a very steep hike or run. It is on the ridge South of Adam’s Canyon and North of its namesake Holmes Creek.
Starting the Journey
The closest place to park is at East Mountain Wilderness Park. From there, you can travel up the dirt road until you get to the turn off for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Keep north on the trail, going past the bridge until you get to this point pictured below and also marked here on google maps.
At the blue marker pointing left for BST, you will want to take a right to start going up the mountain. The next section of trail is crossed by a lot of other smaller foot paths through the sage brush. A good rule of thumb for keeping on the right path is that you should always be heading up the mountain. There are no downhills and the path does not cut across the mountain to make the way less steep.
The trek to the cabin is not a lot of mileage, but the steep trail conditions can make it take many hours. If done in the winter, expect considerable snow.
In snowy conditions it is particularly difficult to find the trail since it is not typically well traveled. In this last winter I had to consult maps on my watch very frequently to keep on the right track towards the end of the run.
The Cabin
Of the Davis County cabins, Holmes cabin is a sturdy contender. It is not as robust as its neighbor Adam’s cabin, but it is in far better condition than Fernwood cabin which at this point I am guessing has collapsed. Holmes cabin has quite a lot of provisions, though don’t expect free food. The cans of food that were there earlier this year expired in 2014. There are enough supplies to start a fire though if needed. Additionally, there are also sleeping bags hanging from the rafters.
Years ago there was a blog post about some winter backpackers who stayed the night at Holmes cabin. That blog seems to have since gone offline, but to my remembrance they appeared to have had an enjoyable time staying the night. It is important to note, that like the other cabins, you do have to worry about rodent droppings. Squirrels and mice are frequent inhabitants of these cabins and they leave stuff everywhere. The first time I visited Holmes cabin, I opened the door and squirrels went scurrying out from everywhere much to the delight of my dog.
