Oregon / Jackson County / Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

Willow Prairie Cabin

Closed — Closed for winter. Wheeled-vehicle access is typically possible from late spring through fall. Winter access requires skis or snowmobiles from Highway 140 with an Oregon Sno-Park permit, ranging 2 to 6 miles depending on conditions.

About

Willow Prairie Cabin is a historic Forest Service guard station constructed in 1924 by a road crew building the Butte Falls-Fish Lake Highway. Originally used as a firefighter base station, the cabin was converted to a horse camp in 1990 and restored by local volunteers and Butte Falls Ranger District employees. Today it serves as a rustic rental cabin available to groups with or without horses. The one-room cabin sits at 4,300 feet elevation in the Cascade Range at the foot of 9,495-foot Mt. McLoughlin. It features two bunk beds without mattresses, shutter-style windows without glass, a wood stove for heat, and rustic furnishings including a table and chairs. Outside amenities include four 12x12-foot horse paddocks with water troughs, a campfire ring, and a picnic table. A vault toilet is located in the adjacent Willow Prairie Campground. The cabin provides access to over 19 miles of horse trails and is adjacent to productive wetlands featuring beaver ponds where visitors can observe sandhill cranes, great blue herons, Canada geese, and other wildlife. The area offers excellent opportunities for horseback riding, birding, hiking, hunting, and winter sports including cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Winter access requires skis or snowmobiles and can range from 2 to 6 miles depending on snow conditions.

Directions

From Butte Falls, take the Butte Falls-Fish Lake Highway (County Road 821) approximately 17 miles southeast to Forest Service Road 3738. Turn west on Forest Service Road 3738 and drive 1.3 miles to the intersection of Forest Service Road 3735. Continue west across the intersection onto a dirt road. At the next junction, turn left and the cabin will soon be in sight. Visitors with trailers or low-clearance vehicles should turn left at Forest Road 3738 and Forest Road 3735 intersection and travel a quarter mile to the Willow Prairie Campground overflow parking area.

Nearby Campgrounds