Cold Springs Cabin - Ochoco Nf (OR)

Nice trip after I cleaned up after the previous guests.

2 bags of paper garbage on porch including dirty food stained paper plates.

Dog food scattered in 3 areas around deck and front walk.

Liter on front porch, empty water bottles.

One of the beds appeared to have been slept on by a dog leaving dirt and hair on it.

Shower was dirty with hair in drain cover.

The worst for last, on the night of the second day a fire in the fire pit sprung back to life leaving us to dose it out with water and shovel, this during a red flag alert and no fires allowed in the Ochoco National Forest.

Overall a we enjoyed our stay in spite of what the previous guests had left us.

Nice trip after I cleaned up after the previous guests.

2 bags of paper garbage on porch including dirty food stained paper plates.

Dog food scattered in 3 areas around deck and front walk.

Liter on front porch, empty water bottles.

One of the beds appeared to have been slept on by a dog leaving dirt and hair on it.

Shower was dirty with hair in drain cover.

The worst for last, on the night of the second day a fire in the fire pit sprung back to life leaving us to dose it out with water and shovel, this during a red flag alert and no fires allowed in the Ochoco National Forest.

Overall a we enjoyed our stay in spite of what the previous guests had left us.

We stopped at both the BLM and US Forest Service offices where we purchased several maps and confirmed there were no road closures. We followed directions to the site both per the US Forest Service instructions as well as well as recreation.gov confirmation. After travelling 10 of the 19 mi on US Forest service road 42 which is paved (Stay right to merge onto Forest Service Road 42 and then travel approximately 19 more miles) there was a road closure sign directing us toward Walton Lake (a 20 mi detour) on non-maintained gravel roads. At the time it was not only dark (at 3 PM) it was storming (cautions on road flooding) and we were unable to make it to the cabin and subsequently never visited the site. Use caution and triple check with US Forest Service to confirm no road closures. (Although we did, clearly the USFS employee did not take her job seriously.) This could have been a dangerous and serious situation as the area is very remote and we saw no other vehicles along the route.

We stopped at both the BLM and US Forest Service offices where we purchased several maps and confirmed there were no road closures. We followed directions to the site both per the US Forest Service instructions as well as well as recreation.gov confirmation. After travelling 10 of the 19 mi on US Forest service road 42 which is paved (Stay right to merge onto Forest Service Road 42 and then travel approximately 19 more miles) there was a road closure sign directing us toward Walton Lake (a 20 mi detour) on non-maintained gravel roads. At the time it was not only dark (at 3 PM) it was storming (cautions on road flooding) and we were unable to make it to the cabin and subsequently never visited the site. Use caution and triple check with US Forest Service to confirm no road closures. (Although we did, clearly the USFS employee did not take her job seriously.) This could have been a dangerous and serious situation as the area is very remote and we saw no other vehicles along the route.

Our second time staying at the Cold Spring Guard Station was amazing, as expected. The setting and accommodations are spectacular.

Thank you for another wonderful experience!
--Gina

Our second time staying at the Cold Spring Guard Station was amazing, as expected. The setting and accommodations are spectacular.

Thank you for another wonderful experience!
--Gina

For 2023 visitors should bring twin mattress covers, mattress pads, and a fitted twin sheet along with your sleeping bag and pillows. Bring tall kitchen garbage bags and a couple of leaf bags to haul your trash home.

Be sure to drive the loop around the prairie to enjoy the varied scenery and vegetation zones. Watch for wild horses on the west side. Good picnic destinations include Allen Creek Horse Camp - go thru the camp and left down to the creek, and Deep Creek Campground. The drive to the latter is spectacular.

Cell service is spotty at best. To reach our most reliable hit, from the cabin return south to the stop sign/bridge on the paved 42 road. Turn right across the bridge and in a few hundred yards take the first left. Continue straight, past the Travel Management billboard, for 2-3 mi. When you top out at a right hand curve and can see into the next drainage to the south, you should be able to pick up one, maybe two, Verizon bars.

For 2023 visitors should bring twin mattress covers, mattress pads, and a fitted twin sheet along with your sleeping bag and pillows. Bring tall kitchen garbage bags and a couple of leaf bags to haul your trash home.

Be sure to drive the loop around the prairie to enjoy the varied scenery and vegetation zones. Watch for wild horses on the west side. Good picnic destinations include Allen Creek Horse Camp - go thru the camp and left down to the creek, and Deep Creek Campground. The drive to the latter is spectacular.

Cell service is spotty at best. To reach our most reliable hit, from the cabin return south to the stop sign/bridge on the paved 42 road. Turn right across the bridge and in a few hundred yards take the first left. Continue straight, past the Travel Management billboard, for 2-3 mi. When you top out at a right hand curve and can see into the next drainage to the south, you should be able to pick up one, maybe two, Verizon bars.

We've stayed at the Cold Springs Guard Station a number of times over the past 15 years. This trip, the front door window was broken about one month earlier by a guest and was covered with cardboard and duct tape. Since our last visit (September, 2022) the Forest Service replaced the cedar shake roof (missing shakes) with a new, clay-based composite 'shake' roof. Otherwise, the Guard Station seems locked in time. The propane appliances (refrigerator / freezer, stove, water heater), three bedrooms, solar-powered LED room lights and the 1.5 baths make for a great venue for multiple party members / family members. We enjoy the large deck and spend evenings at sunset on the helipad just south of the Guard Station birding or watching for wildlife. We regularly hike to the top of Lookout Mountain, where the flower displays never disappoint. There are other trails in the region and Walton Lake is about 10 mi away. If you value some creature comforts while otherwise off the grid, the Cold Springs Guard Station won't disappoint.

We've stayed at the Cold Springs Guard Station a number of times over the past 15 years. This trip, the front door window was broken about one month earlier by a guest and was covered with cardboard and duct tape. Since our last visit (September, 2022) the Forest Service replaced the cedar shake roof (missing shakes) with a new, clay-based composite 'shake' roof. Otherwise, the Guard Station seems locked in time. The propane appliances (refrigerator / freezer, stove, water heater), three bedrooms, solar-powered LED room lights and the 1.5 baths make for a great venue for multiple party members / family members. We enjoy the large deck and spend evenings at sunset on the helipad just south of the Guard Station birding or watching for wildlife. We regularly hike to the top of Lookout Mountain, where the flower displays never disappoint. There are other trails in the region and Walton Lake is about 10 mi away. If you value some creature comforts while otherwise off the grid, the Cold Springs Guard Station won't disappoint.