Box Canyon Guard Station Cabin

A cabin under the Douglas fir

The cabin measures 16 by 24 feet and stands beneath a canopy of Douglas fir at 3,620 feet, on the West Cascades National Scenic Byway, about 75 miles southeast of Eugene. Inside are two twin beds with mattresses, a sofa bed, a desk, a table with chairs, a wood stove, and cleaning supplies. It sleeps four. Outside are an outhouse, a fire ring, and a picnic table. A horse corral about 45 feet across stands nearby.

The building has no electricity, no firewood, and no drinking water. A stream runs close by, but its water must be treated before use. Guests bring their own bedding, lanterns, dishes, matches, towels, and ice chest, and they carry out their trash when they leave. The door has a combination lock, and the code comes with the reservation. The McKenzie River Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest rents the cabin from early May through the end of October. Pets and livestock stay outside. Camping is not allowed at the cabin itself. The adjacent Box Canyon Horse Camp has 11 sites.

The road in is Aufderheide Drive, Forest Service Road 19. Recreation.gov gives the route from Blue River as about 4 miles east on Highway 126, then about 17 miles south past Cougar Reservoir. The Forest Service page puts the cabin approximately 26 miles south of Highway 126 on the same road. From the other end, the road comes up from Highway 58 through Westfir, and the cabin lies about 32.5 miles from that highway. Both pages say a car can make the trip.

Trailheads to the Three Sisters

Trailheads beside the station lead into the Three Sisters Wilderness and the Chucksney Mountain Roadless Recreation Area. The North, Middle, and South Sisters each rise 10,000 feet above sea level. The country around them holds alpine meadows, waterfalls, lava fields, glaciers, and glacial lakes with trout. The forest mixes Douglas fir, silver fir, sub-alpine fir, mountain hemlock, true fir, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine. Roosevelt elk, black bear, bald eagles, blacktail deer, and bobcats live there. Mountain bikers, riders, and hikers share the multi-use trails of the nearby Box Canyon Trail Area. The byway itself runs 220 miles through three national forests.

Quarters for the smoke chasers

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the guard station in 1933 as quarters for fire guards. These were the smoke chasers. A guard in a lookout tower would spot smoke, and the smoke chasers would ride on horseback through the tall timber to the place he had marked. They were the first on the scene, and they often tried to put out what they found by themselves. Otherwise they rode back to report and call for more help.