Deer Creek Guard Station Cabin

Very nice cabin located in a nice park-like setting. First day I drove over to Road's End trailhead and hiked up Strawberry Mountain (saw a mountain goat on the way back). Next day I headed out the road next to the cabin and hiked up to Flagtail Lookout (10.3 mi round-trip) where I got nice views of Strawberry Mountain and Fields Peak.

Very isolated location means it's very quiet most of the time and the cabin is in fine shape.

We have a great time and enjoyed the cabin and the area. A few items to mention. Two pilot lights were out on the stove, This caused a significant propane odor in the cabin. The wood rats are living under the deck and are active at night. their feces are apparent each morning on the deck and ramp. That end of the cabin smells of the excrement and urine. Most window screen are either missing or in poor repair.
This is a fantastic cabin and a gem to stay at. Thank you.

I absolutely loved my stay at Deer Creek Guard Station and can’t wait to go back. Everything I needed was there, and I enjoyed the propane lights, which were new to me. Having the creek so close was a perk since my visit was during a heat wave. Still, being more water than you think you’ll need as it goes fast. There are fun surprises to be had at DCGS that I don’t want to ruin here. I’ll just say be sure to read the log book so you don’t miss the best features. Note that there is no cell service so plan ahead! My GPS brought me a different way but I noted the directions on this website are spot on (which is how I found my way home;)). Enjoy your stay!

We had a great stay, the location is beautiful. quiet and secluded. There were way more essential items provided in the guard house then we expected. It's a nice clean and roomy place, and we ended up needing to use the propane stove, since it went below freezing, so we were very comfortable at night. There are lots of areas nearby to explore on foot, a nice swing for people to find and enjoy, and apparently wild horses in the area, although we did not see any.
The only negatives were, the bunk beds are not comfortable at all, the pull out bed from the wall is much nicer.
There was some kind of rodent making an enormous amount of noise in the wall, which kept us from having any restful sleep for both nights.

We enjoyed everything about our visit to this cabin. The cabin and surrounding area were very clean. We did get lost using google maps, it wanted us to take a “road” that didn’t exist, so screenshot the directions from the website to be sure you know where you are going! Other then that, beautiful area! My husband, me, and our 3 dogs had a fantastic time!

What a wonderful treat to come here. Thanks to all of the other guests for taking such great care of this place. It makes for a great base camp!

Absolutely awesome spot! Cabin was beautiful, in a lush meadow, fenced off to keep wandering Cows (which I saw none of) Out, with the biggest Ponderosa Pine I have ever seen towering over the sire - I called it "Methuselah of the Meadow" ❤ @ Picnic tables outside the Cabin, one with fire ring right next to a gurgling creek, which was running in late May, may dry up later in the summer. Cabin is beautiful, Propane lights and appliances worked great, the fold down murphy bed was quite comfortable. You might want to bring a headlamp or electric lantern to supplement the lights if you want to read. The propane fireplace has a Thermostat that turns it on or off depending on the interior temp, it worked great. Bugs were pretty much non existent. Lots of areas to explore, never did find The Swing mentioned in the logbook and other reviews, but hiked to the top of the ridge behind (there was Cell service starting halfway up) and rode my Mt Bike around on the multitude of Gravel road, also found cell service about 2 mi up FS-2480. Did not see even 1 car during my 6 nite stay, total solitude! Saw signs of wild Horses everywhere around, saw a total of 25 in 4 distinct herds, all within 2 mi of the cabin - So Magnificent! Anderson Meadow off FS-2480 is a good spot to look in late afternoon. You can drive down FS-24 to FS-43, which runs along the upper S Fork of the John Day R, great fishing and incredibly scenic. Last mile of FS-24 is a bit rough and could be muddy when wet, but the towering cliffs here, and along 43 are not to be missed - Black Canyon on the John Day is really impressive.
I loved this spot so much I am going back for a 2nd visit in early October, cant wait!

Bring plenty of fresh, potable water and/or a good water purification system, plus it would be a good idea to have your flashlight, head lamp and a couple of propane/kerosene lanterns.

The house and location was wonderful. It really was lovely. Loved seeing the wild horses and finding the hidden swing. I didn't know about ticks which was a bit of a concern but should have done better research.

We had a wonderful stay here and are looking forward to the next one. Cozy cabin with everything we needed. Great area to hike and explore. Incredible night skies and wildlife. A treasure and a treat.
On cell service—we have a cell phone booster in our car. When we turned it on, we did have service as needed.