Oregon / Jackson County / Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

Big Elk Guard Station

Closed — Closed for the season. Typically operates during summer and fall months. Reservations available through Recreation.gov.

About

Big Elk Guard Station is a historic Forest Service rental cabin with roots dating back to 1907, representing the oldest continuously used administrative site within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The current log cabin, built in 1929, served for decades as summer headquarters for solitary forest guards who built trails, fought fires, and patrolled the backcountry on horseback. The two-story cabin sits on the fringe of Big Elk Meadow, a grassy expanse that floods in spring and dries in summer. The fully furnished structure includes a large living room with mortared-rock fireplace and original fir flooring, a kitchen equipped with electric range and refrigerator, and two upstairs bunkrooms accessed by a steep double landing staircase. The cabin has electric lights and heat throughout. Outside, a fenced yard contains a picnic table, fire ring, and CCC-era storage shed for firewood. A vault toilet is located near the cabin. The location offers spectacular views of Mt. McLoughlin and the edge of a 20,000-year-old lava flow from Brown Mountain. The surrounding forest of lodgepole pine, quaking aspen, Shasta red fir, and Douglas fir provides habitat for blacktail deer, elk, mountain lion, black bear, and bald eagles. Nearby Fish Lake (5 miles) offers boating, fishing, and swimming, while the Fish Lake Trail, High Lakes Trail, Brown Mountain Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Sky Lakes Wilderness, and Mount McLoughlin trail systems are all within an hour's drive.

Directions

From Butte Falls, drive east on Butte Falls-Fish Lake Highway (County Road 821) for 19 miles to Highway 140. Turn right, go 0.08 miles to Forest Road 37. Turn left, travel approximately 4 miles to the guard station driveway on the left. From White City or Klamath Falls, take Highway 140 to Forest Road 37 junction and follow directions above.

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