Magee Rangers Cabin

First time back at Magee in about 10 years. The setting is beautiful with the meadow and all of the songbirds. This place is a birdwatcher's dream rental-Robins, Warblers, Catbirds, Pine Siskins, Flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings, Bald Eagles and more. Unfortunately, the cabin is getting pretty run down. There is no running water in the cabin and the pots, pans, dishes etc...are grungy. Furniture is stained and worn out. There is a hot shower and a flush toilet in one of the nearby buildings which is nice. Given that they charge ~$100 per night and it is booked all season, they ought to be able to invest in some maintenance.

First time back at Magee in about 10 years. The setting is beautiful with the meadow and all of the songbirds. This place is a birdwatcher's dream rental-Robins, Warblers, Catbirds, Pine Siskins, Flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings, Bald Eagles and more. Unfortunately, the cabin is getting pretty run down. There is no running water in the cabin and the pots, pans, dishes etc...are grungy. Furniture is stained and worn out. There is a hot shower and a flush toilet in one of the nearby buildings which is nice. Given that they charge ~$100 per night and it is booked all season, they ought to be able to invest in some maintenance.

Absolutely beautiful location. It is a cabin in the woods so there are mice. Due to the septic tank issues you have to walk a few yards to the provided bathroom and shower area, hey flushing toilets and hot showers are a bonus up there. Fridge and stove were perfectly operational.

Absolutely beautiful location. It is a cabin in the woods so there are mice. Due to the septic tank issues you have to walk a few yards to the provided bathroom and shower area, hey flushing toilets and hot showers are a bonus up there. Fridge and stove were perfectly operational.

Didn't get much sleep because of the mice in the walls, no hot water, stove/oven doesn't work. People before us didn't clean so it was gross. Beautiful area though!

Didn't get much sleep because of the mice in the walls, no hot water, stove/oven doesn't work. People before us didn't clean so it was gross. Beautiful area though!

Love this place.

Love this place.

The Magee Ranger Station is suffering from hordes of visitors and over a decade of benign neglect by the USFS. Having been renting MRS since its inaugural season in 2000. Over the years, my friends and I have enjoyed countless hours of gourmet wining & dining, warm camaraderie, terrific fishing, outstanding wildlife viewing and blissful peace & quiet. More recently, our idyllic paradise has been compromised by the proliferation of Razrs/Side-by-Sides and increasing aircraft weekend fly-ins, but that is the cost of doing business in the modern world.

We’ve also sadly watched as the MRS was slowly degraded by a rising water table that rendered the bathroom & kitchen sink unusable, and an optional shower house that has gone steadily downhill to the point where there is perpetual standing water and broken window panes semi-held in place with duct tape.

In short, MRS is being loved to death, and the USFS appears to be unable or unwilling to do the right thing and take the property out of the system for an entire season for the first comprehensive re-fitting and re-habbing in twenty years. My recent phone conversations with the new recreation manager for the District - discussing possible volunteer opportunities - have given me new hope that this beautiful public amenity may yet be rejuvenated before it collapses or burns down. Long live Magee!

The Magee Ranger Station is suffering from hordes of visitors and over a decade of benign neglect by the USFS. Having been renting MRS since its inaugural season in 2000. Over the years, my friends and I have enjoyed countless hours of gourmet wining & dining, warm camaraderie, terrific fishing, outstanding wildlife viewing and blissful peace & quiet. More recently, our idyllic paradise has been compromised by the proliferation of Razrs/Side-by-Sides and increasing aircraft weekend fly-ins, but that is the cost of doing business in the modern world.

We’ve also sadly watched as the MRS was slowly degraded by a rising water table that rendered the bathroom & kitchen sink unusable, and an optional shower house that has gone steadily downhill to the point where there is perpetual standing water and broken window panes semi-held in place with duct tape.

In short, MRS is being loved to death, and the USFS appears to be unable or unwilling to do the right thing and take the property out of the system for an entire season for the first comprehensive re-fitting and re-habbing in twenty years. My recent phone conversations with the new recreation manager for the District - discussing possible volunteer opportunities - have given me new hope that this beautiful public amenity may yet be rejuvenated before it collapses or burns down. Long live Magee!