Sunshine Guard Station

This cabin was not in good hygienic order. Lots of dead flies and heavily soiled mattresses and seating surfaces. Had a good time regardless.

We have stayed here on and off for years. The location in a secluded eastern Oregon valley is beautiful. The cabin has never had as much charm as many we've used, but it is still fine. Very nice walks in the valley and hills. Saying that, this cabin does need a little TLC. It seldom is clean, even by FS cabin standards and this time it was even worse. Must be due to cooking smoke, but all three hard-wired smoke devices are pulled off the wall and the two battery powered ones are also not working. Side porch; look out. The wood is rotted and loose and a heavy person could go through. Fridge had old food in it and tons of dead flies. Couch had a meal's worth of food on it and several small "home" items, like lamps or utensils we have left over the years are gone now. As usual, we left things cleaner than when we arrived, but this needs at least a once-a-year deep clean. The price of this cabin has gone up greatly in the last decade, and I see none of the fee's reinvested into the cabin. Sad. Ending on a positive, thanks for the new stove.

Cabin was clean and comfortable. Electicity! Not much to do in the area unless you drive some.

We have stayed here a number of times. Always enjoy the location and amenities. this time there were several issues which I called the Forest Service about. This facility needs regular maintenance, or it will become unusable.

Don't forget your water.

Lovely location, easy to access but the road it is on is very quiet, hardly any traffic. Enjoy walking the forest roads around the cabin.

Mouse feces and dead flies EVERYWHERE.

Nice clean cabin and cold temperatures kept bugs away. The road next to the cabin leads up to the large meadows where deer and elk can be seen early and late in the day. I hiked about 4 1/2 miles into backcountry behind cabin until I reached snow. Nice hike with very nice views. Also visited nearby Bates State Park and Arch Rock. Too much snow due to late storms so couldn't go as high in the backcountry as I originally intended, but an excellent visit anyway.

The cabin was very nice

We enjoyed a great long weekend in January at this station. There was a significant amount of snow, so we were glad to have driven a truck with good clearance and 4-wheel drive to get into the "driveway". Spots of ice on the roads leading in, but since it had been sunny most of the week, they were mostly dry pavement. The heaters kept the inside very warm and cozy as temperatures fell below freezing each night. Great wildlife watching- we saw many white tailed deer, bald eagles, elk tracks, and even a raccoon wandered around one night. The view from the top of the hill just behind the cabin is outstanding and the forest service road made for a nice snowshoe trail. The padlock needed a firm yank each time we unlocked it, but we got in. We truly enjoyed disconnecting from the outside world in this getaway.

Fantastic location and nice cabin.
The cabin could use a deep clean & some dishes & cookware are missing so come prepared.
We were lucky that Jan Temps during our stay weren't too cold during a power outage. A gas or wood stove for alternate heat would be a great addition.