Paddy Flat Guard Station

102 W. Lake Street
McCall, ID 83638

Overview

The Paddy Flat Guard Station is located in the Payette National Forest of central Idaho. Guests enjoy the remote area for its hunting opportunities and abundance of hiking, biking, horseback riding and off-highway vehicle roads and trails. Abundant streams and numerous alpine lakes within travel distance offer fantastic fishing opportunities.

Recreation

The Paddy Flat Guard Station serves as an excellent jumping-off point for adventures via horseback, motorcycle, ATV or hiking. Numerous trailheads within a few miles allow access to alpine lakes for fishing, meadows for watching birds and wildlife, as well as peaks ranging as high as 8,681 foot elevation for excellent views of the South Fork of the Salmon River drainage.

Facilities

Two cabins are available for rental at this guard station. Please be respectful of visitors at the adjacent cabin. The cabins were fully renovated in 2024.

Limited kitchen utensils such as dished and silverware are provided, but please bring your own so you have what you need.
The Guard Station is a "Pack-It-In, Pack-It-Out" facility. All garbage/trash must leave with you. Please clean up after use.
Pets are allowed, however please be sure to clean up after and maintain control of your animal.
Administrative buildings on site are not available for use.
Firewood gathering is available in the forest areas surrounding the Paddy Flat Guard Station, although none is provided on site. Do not bring firewood that is not local to the area. Don't Move Firewood! Help prevent the spread of tree-killing pests in our National Forests by obtaining firewood in proximity to your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
No camping at the guard station. If camping is desired, Kennally Creek Campground, and a number of dispersed campsites are nearby.

Cabin East

The occupancy within the Cabin East is four people. The unit is fully accessible and includes an access ramp off the backdoor. The bathroom has a wheel-chair accessible shower stall, toilet and sink.
A second rental cabin is located at this Guard Station. Please be respectful to other parties using that facility.
Parking: Parking for this unit, is directly behind the cabin, with space for three vehicles.
EAST UNIT ONLY: Up to four head of pack and saddle stock are permitted at this site. Parking is adequate for one four-horse stock trailer. All stock feed must be certified weed free and provided by tenants. Use of the Barn is not allowed.
- Update for 2026: Stock must remain contained within the provided corral or pasture. No pickets or high lines are permitted outside the corral or pasture. However, we recommend supplemental electric fencing due to the location and nature of the facilities, which may not be adequate to contain your stock. Questions on bringing your stock? Call the Payette National Forest at 208-634-0700.

Cabin West

The occupancy within the Cabin West is four people. Sleep quarters are on the second floor and include a queen size bed and twin-size bunk beds. There are two bathrooms at this house. On the first floor, the full bathroom includes a wheel-chair accessible shower stall, toilet and sink. On the second floor, the bathroom includes a tub/shower, toilet and sink.
A second rental cabin is located at this Guard Station. Please be respectful to other parties using the adjacent rental cabin.
There are stairs leading into the unit. The basement is off limits.
This unit does not have a fire pit outside.
Parking: Parking for this unit is near the garage to the rear of the property with capacity for three vehicles.

Natural Features

This Guard Station sits at an elevation of 5,250 feet and is situated within a scenic meadow surrounded by a dense conifer forest. The Payette National Forest contains some of Idaho's most beautiful and diverse country. Located in west-central Idaho, north of Boise, the 2.2 million-acre forest extends 100 miles west to east, from Hells Canyon to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and 70 miles north to south, from the Salmon River to the Weiser River.

Nearby Attractions

While the Paddy Flat Guard Station is located within some of the most scenic forest areas of Idaho, you may find a desire to visit "civilization" during your visit. If you hanker for a pizza, hot lunch or subway sandwich, the town of Donnelly is just a bit of back-tracking away. While you are there, take some time to explore the historic town of Roseberry or take the ten mile drive to Gold Forks Hot Springs for a relaxing dip in their pools. While McCall is a bit further of a drive north, a walk through downtown is always a fun way to while away the afternoon. Spend some time on the waterfront, take in a local museum, visit Ponderosa State Park, or take a tour through the McCall Fish Hatchery.

Camp site features

Across 2 camp sites:

Water hookups: 1 of 2 sites
Fire pit: 1 of 2 sites
Picnic table: all 2 sites
Pets allowed: all 2 sites
ADA accessible: 1 of 2 sites
Longest RV: 40 ft
Largest party: 4 people

Directions

If you are approaching the cabin from the north (McCall), drive approximately 9 miles south on State Highway 55. Paddy Flat Road will be a left turn (east). This is Forest Road #388. Follow road #388 approximately 5 miles to Paddy Flat Summit. At the summit take Forest Road #389, which is a slight turn to the right. Follow Forest Road #389 approximately 3 miles to the Paddy Flat Guard Station. If you are driving from the south, Paddy Flat Road will be a right turn approximately 3 miles north of the town of Donnelly. Again, this will be Forest Road #388 heading east. Follow #388 to Paddy Flat Summit, veer right onto Forest Road #389 and continue on to the guard station.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 11 AM.

Reviews

10 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

2 stars

Renee F

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

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Reviewed a month ago

Great location, great cabin. Could use better cookware so if you have extra to donate please do. I will be bringing some next time to contribute. Some mice but we never saw them, just their droppings. Had a dog so maybe that kept them hidden as they came out only at night. Plus keeping our food in containers probably helped. Highly recommend! The bird did come and peck on the windows as others had said in the book in the cabin. It's cute!

Robert R

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

The cabin was remodeled a year ago and is nicely updated. The main problem is that the cabin is infested with mice. Luckily, I had a live trap in my car that I brought into the kitchen. I caught 12 mice in two nights. There seemed an endless number of mice that came into the cabin each night. The only thing to be aware of for the East cabin is that there are no chairs in the cabin. I recommend bringing some camp chairs to use.

Karrin S

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

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Reviewed 4 months ago

Great place to stay. We like that it was dog friendly. Within 45 minutes to site seeing places and lakes.

Kingdon P

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

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Reviewed 4 months ago

Cabin was remodeled recently and in good condition. Be aware that the upstairs sleeping quarters have no window coverings or screens on windows.

todd w

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

Great location with woods and meadows and mountain views. The cabins were clean and roomy. Had plenty of cookware and cups and stuff. Very nice place to spend the weekend. Close enough to McCall to go out for groceries but feels like you’re out in the woods. Mattress was a bit too firm for our liking so we used our tent air pads. Would gladly come back.

MARK B

Loop:Paddy Flat Guard Station

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

I had some problems with this cabin. When I arrived I noticed right away that the gas range was not working. Come to find out the propane tank was empty and would not be refilled for two days. It was difficult to make contact with someone in McCall to report the issue and since there is no cell service at the cabin it required me to drive out to call. The only thing that saved my trip was the willingness of the person, who finally called me back as I was driving back home, to let me stay in a different cabin about an hour away. I can understand that they are doing the best they can given the slash and burn policies of the current administration. Just be aware that they may not deliver the experience you're expecting.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve