Paddy Flat Guard Station

Summary

The Paddy Flat Guard Station is located in the Payette National Forest of central Idaho, offering guests the opportunity to explore and enjoy activities such as hunting, hiking, biking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle roads and trails, and fishing. The Guard Station offers one rental cabin, with a second planned to be available soon, and the surrounding area is rich with traditional attractions such as Gold Forks Hot Springs, Roseberry, and McCall.

Overview

The Paddy Flat Cabin East is undergoing renovation in Summer 2023, and we hope to make it available for public use in late summer 2023 or early 2024.

The Paddy Flat Cabin West is undergoing renovation, and we plan to make it available for public use in 2024.

The Paddy Flat Guard Station is located in the Payette National Forest of central Idaho. Guests enjoy the remote area for its hunting opportunities and abundance of hiking, biking, horseback riding and off-highway vehicle roads and trails. Abundant streams and numerous alpine lakes within travel distance offer fantastic fishing opportunities. 

The Paddy Flat Cabin East provides sleeping quarters four up to 4 persons. This cabin is also allowed up to two single-family tents outside. 

Recreation

The Paddy Flat Guard Station serves as an excellent jumping-off point for adventures via horseback, motorcycle, ATV or hiking. Numerous trailheads within a few miles allow access to alpine lakes for fishing, meadows for watching birds and wildlife, as well as peaks ranging as high as 8,681 foot elevation for excellent views of the South Fork of the Salmon River drainage.

Facilities

The Paddy Flat Guard Station currently offers one rental cabin (Paddy Flat Cabin East). The second rental cabin (Paddy Flat Cabin West) is anticipated to be avilable for public rental in late summer 2023 or early 2024. 

Kitchen utensils such as a coffee pot, frying pans, and silverware are not provided, so please bring your own. Firewood gathering is available in the forest areas surrounding the Paddy Flat Guard Station, although none is available on site.

Paddy Flat Cabin East

• Paddy Flat Cabin East occupancy is 4 persons for sleeping quarters. This unit is also allowed up to two single-family tents on the cabin grounds. 
• This Cabin is a large one room space with the kitchen on one side and the living/sleeping space on the other. 
• The kitchen includes a refrigerator, stove/oven, sink and counter space. 
• The living quarters include a futon bed, a twin bed, and a small table seating four.
• The attached restroom includes a flush toilet and shower stall.
• EAST UNIT ONLY: Up to four head of pack and saddle stock are permitted at this site. Parking is adequate for one four-horse stock trailer. Stock must remain contained within the provided corral. No pickets or high lines are permitted. All stock feed must be certified weed free and transported by tenants.

Natural Features

This Guard Station sits at an elevation of 5,250 feet and is situated within a scenic meadow surrounded by a dense conifer forest. The Payette National Forest contains some of Idaho's most beautiful and diverse country. Located in west-central Idaho, north of Boise, the 2.2 million-acre forest extends 100 miles west to east, from Hells Canyon to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and 70 miles north to south, from the Salmon River to the Weiser River.

Nearby Attractions

While the Paddy Flat Guard Station is located within some of the most scenic forest areas of Idaho, you may find a desire to visit "civilization" during your visit. If you hanker for a pizza, hot lunch or subway sandwich, the town of Donnelly is just a bit of back-tracking away. While you are there, take some time to explore the historic town of Roseberry or take the ten mile drive to Gold Forks Hot Springs for a relaxing dip in their pools. While McCall is a bit further of a drive north, a walk through downtown is always a fun way to while away the afternoon. Spend some time on the waterfront, take in a local museum, visit Ponderosa State Park, or take a tour through the McCall Fish Hatchery.