Murderers Creek Guard Station

Small Gaurd station but its all you need. It makes for a treat central  point for camping  or RV, but no beds in side cabin. We have slept on the floor  but the tard is perfect  for a tent or 3. The area is beautiful  but the creek  is so very tiny and back behind the cabin. It has a vault toilet that was very clean but we may have been  lucky  since it is not cleaned between guests. You can take a unpaved road to Dayville and the creek the runs alongside the road has lots of crawdads and is refreshing.

Wife and I stayed here in June 2019, and loved it. The building is quaint with gaslights, and gas fireplace. The fold out bed is old and worn out. I recommend putting an air mattress or at least sleeping pads on it. 

There's a big refrigerator and gas stove in the kitchen, along with some pots and pans for cooking. But NO running water for drinking or cooking. so bring plenty of water. 

There's a nice vault toilet outside the guard station. The outhouse is much newer than the guard station and kinda looks like a public toilet in the woods. But it's within the fenced boundary of the guard station. 

Right in the middle of the Malheur Forest, this would be a great place to stay for deer/elk hunting season. 

Fishing is good if you go over to the John Day river. 

We saw Pronghorn in the Silvies Valley heading to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. I had to see the place that the standoff with the Feds took place.

The Cabin

Besides the pullout couch leaving a lot to be desired, this little guard station was wonderful. Perfect for two, this cabin comes with propane heat and powered appliances, so no need to sacrifice meal quality or comfort. We were here for Thanksgiving and it was great to be able to explore the Malheur National Forest during the crisp days, and come back to a warm cabin late in the afternoon. In the spring, I imagine you can fish the creek behind the cabin.

The Wildlife

If you hike a little off trail, there's plenty of wildlife to be seen. We ended up hiking to Horse Mountain (about 3.5 miles from the cabin), and saw wild horses early in the morning. We also saw mule deer and turkeys. Maybe it is because it was November, but there were very few people out exploring the area.

The Terrain

The forest was super easy to move through, and if you're driving from western Oregon, the terrain is quite an amazingly unique site given its golden hills and red rocks. All in all, I highly recommend staying here for a nature filled getaway.