Best Cabin Camping near Malheur National Forest

This is a great place to come to getaway from the fast pace life. They have really cool cabins here at Hilltop Hideaway that are great! The cabins, however, are not very big. The max occupancy is 4 people. We had 4 people and I would say it did feel crowded but we managed. They only have 1 room, but there are bunk beds. There is a kitchen with fridge which is also nice. There is also an oven and microwave which made making food easy! The living room is cute, very "cabin" like feel. There was a couch and some chairs. We also brought a few folding chairs, which helped with more seating. The cabin also is equipped with a bathroom, running water, and shower. This piece was nice after a long day of exploring and getting dirty! Just FYI- and it does say this on their site- but there is no running water the months of October-May. We didn't have any issues with this because we went in June. Outside the cabin they do have a picnic table and grill, for those who want to do more outside cooking and activities. We BBQ one night, and it was a lot of fun! Another great thing about these cabins are dogs are welcomed. We brought our lab, and he had a blast! We enjoyed outdoor activities nearby- hiking, mainly. This place was great, however my only complaint would be the size of cabin (4 max), but it is obviously more room than a tent :)

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.

General: 31 site state park that does not take reservations. There was plenty of availability at 4 pm on a Friday in April.

Site Quality: Sites are all level with paved pads, ranging in length from 37 to 84 feet. Good separation between the sites and some have foliage providing some amount of privacy. A large picnic table, fire ring, electric hookup, and wastewater drain complete each site. There are also two teepees. Sites along the river are better; road noise would obviously be louder at the sites that back up to the road. 

Bathhouse: Up to many Oregon State Park standards with hot water, soap, utility shelves, and paper towels. Clean. Showers are free ($2 for non-campers) but did not use so cannot comment on their quality. 

Activities: Not too much to do but there is a nice nature trail about a half-mile long that meanders along the John Day River. It forks a couple of times and if you keep to the left each time, you will eventually end up at a fence at the boundary of private property, but it is easy enough to loop around and return to the campground. 

Although this campground is close to the road and you will hear road noise, it was also peaceful and quiet during our stay.

Our truck broke down just outside of Burns and we ended up having our travel trailer towed to this RV park, as it was the only place we could stay for the week while waiting to get our truck repaired. We had a full hookup spot, which was super nice, but the spot itself was pretty small. This is typical of many RV parks I have been too - good amenities but small spot.

There were some other spots in the park that were slightly larger and had picnic tables, but ours did not. We had only a tiny plastic table with 2 chairs, but we were so close to the RV next to us that we were basically either looking in their window or we would have to be right next to the "road'. Not ideal so we didn't spend much time outside.

There was room here for all sizes of campers - from tents (I saw I guy on a bicycle who tent camped for the night) to giant motorhomes with cars towed behind. The park hosts were all extremely nice and helpful, given our circumstances. They also gave us a military discount since my husband is a veteran.

Restrooms and showers were fairly small (only 2 toilets and 2 showers in each bathroom) but I think most folks used the facilities in their RVs. The shop/office sells propane and ice, so we were able to restock on both (plus they have wine and ice cream if you need a little splurge).

The park is right off of the highway so you may get some truck/traffic noise but it didn't seem to bother us city folks too much. :)

Wifi was fairly decent and you can get some local channels in the TV, if those things are important to you.

Dog and kid friendly, but there is really not much for either to do here.

Overall, this suited our purpose, in that we had a nice safe place to stay while our truck was repaired, but I'm not sure I would stay here just for kicks. Close to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and a great stopover if you need a night to rest while driving through the high desert of Oregon.

FEATURES:

PROS:

-A firepit with wood is provided for guests. The owner says he sometimes hosts "Smore Nights," for guests in peak season. 

-a propane grill is also available for use.

-Our back-in site for our 30 amp travel trailer wasn't too hard to get in too.

-Good wifi, though there weren't that many other people in the park at the time we were there.

-The campground is on a river, though you can't really sit by it or see due to growth along the banks.

-The office was closed when we were there, but according to their website, they have local beer, wine, and snacks for sale.

CONS:

-Bathrooms are small, two showers, two stalls.

-Our site was unlevel so we needed our levelers.

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Overall a fine stay. We didn't hear the road much at all inside our trailer. We enjoyed sitting out on the picnic table at our site. Owners very nice.

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.