The Long Way
Valley County
A man applies chinking between the logs of a wooden cabin exterior.
Plate I. Cabin restoration, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From mccallstarnews.com
A brown wooden cabin with a porch stands in a grassy field with trees and another building in the background.
Plate II. Rental cabin, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
A brown cabin with a green corrugated roof and front porch stands among trees and grass.
Plate III. Rental cabin, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
A photograph shows the interior of a rustic kitchen.
Plate IV. Cabin kitchen, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a room with a wooden bunk bed, a window on the left, and a doorway to another room.
Plate V. Bunk beds inside Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a modern accessible bathroom with a pedestal sink, shower with a bench, and patterned tile flooring.
Plate VI. Renovated bathroom, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a room with a small dining table, chairs, and a couch.
Plate VII. Cabin interior, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a rustic kitchen with wooden cabinets and paneling.
Plate VIII. Cabin kitchen, Paddy Flat Guard Station. From fs.usda.gov

Paddy Flat Guard Station

Donnelly, Valley County, Idaho. Fire Lookouts/Cabins Overnight.

Details

Map. Donnelly, Valley County, Idaho. Larger map
Where
Donnelly, Valley County, ID. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check in: 2:00 p.m.; Check-out: 12:00 p.m.
Getting there
From McCall: about 9 miles south on State Highway 55; left (east) on Paddy Flat Road, Forest Road #388, about 5 miles to Paddy Flat Summit; then Forest Road #389 about 3 miles to the guard station.
Fees
$100 per night.
Access
Call the Payette National Forest Supervisors Office at least 24-48 hours in advance of arrival for the door lock combination.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservation required; door lock combination obtained by calling at least 24-48 hours in advance.
Phone
208-634-0400
Managed by
USDA Forest Service.
Established
Historic warehouse built in 1919; recently restored.
Coordinates
44.77468971, -115.9504947.

Two cabins available for rental at this guard station; the cabins were fully renovated in 2024.

Notable Events

  1. 1908When the Idaho National Forest was created from the original Payette National Forest in 1908, it was broken into ranger districts, and Paddy Flat was the first, including a portion of the South Fork of the Salmon. yellowpinetimes.wordpress.com
  2. 1921In addition to the new districts formed in that period, the Paddy Flat District gained significant new area on the upper South Fork. yellowpinetimes.wordpress.com
  3. 2024The two rental cabins at the guard station were fully renovated in 2024. fs.usda.gov
  4. 2025The Payette restored the historic Paddy Flat Guard Station; during the project volunteer Art Troutner applied a layer of weatherproof sealant between the newly installed logs. mccallstarnews.com
  5. The Paddy Flat Guard Station Deferred Maintenance project was among the Payette National Forest projects selected for Great American Outdoors Act funding for FY21-FY25. fs.usda.gov

People

  • Art Troutner, volunteer on the restoration project (2025).
  • Lee Kessler, Paddy Flat District Ranger (from 1923 to 1925).
  • Walter Estep, Paddy Flat ranger, who resigned the Forest Service to mine on Ramsey Ridge (1921-1923).
  • Warren Cook, Ranger of the Paddy Flat District (from the autumn of 1910).

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r04/payette/recreation/paddy-flat-guard-station-rental-cabins
  2. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250043
  3. mccallstarnews.com/2025/10/23/news/payette-restores-historic-paddy-flat-guard-station
  4. yellowpinetimes.wordpress.com/category/weekly-history
  5. fs.usda.gov/r04/payette/planning/great-american-outdoors-act
  6. sam.gov/opp/af8793abbecb4b94bb53248a6f76ec9b/view
  7. valleycountyid.gov/HistoryofValleyCounty