Overall, the location is nice. It's very secluded, high in the mountains and great if you want to get away from civilization and remember why you paid for that AWD car. I'm taking two stars off because the way NPS informs of it is highly misleading.
Also, if you're driving South as you leave - stop by Umpqua Hot Springs - it's worth it!
Lastly, the cabin is normally locked and you need a code to get in. The code I had from recreation.gov did not work! I tried calling the ranger station, as reservation suggested, but I remembered this Sat morning with reservation coming on Sun night and these guys shut down for the weekend. Call in advance and find out what that cabin code is! But, as mentioned above, you don't really need the cabin since there's plenty of space to pitch a tent outside and there's no good reason to sleep inside the cabin in summer.
Megusta
First, this shows up on recreation.gov as a regular reservable cabin. There are virtually no photos and you might get a feeling that this is the kind of cabin where you get electricity, nice clean beds, etc. Especially given the $50 you need to pay for it. This is not the case. This is not the kind of cabin you'd get at Fort Stevens of the like. This is a winter shelter with a stove, earthen floor and a couple of wooden boards for bed. It does not close tightly, so in summer months it is infested with ants, mosquitoes and other insects. We ended up pitching tents outside since mosquitoes are really evil out there and we didn't want to risk a carpenter ants crawling into our sleeping bags.
Second, you get no directions from the website other than a warning that last 7 miles of the road are rough. I made the mistake of driving from Lake Crescent and that was 12 miles of the kind of road where you would not normally go without a pimped Jeep Wrangler. Lots of rocks, ruts and washouts. I was crawling through it in my Pathfinder, cursing the forest service, hoping that I don't end up with a hole in my oil pan and was thinking that these are the 7 miles they were talking about. At the same time, there are proper gravel roads coming from both Oakridge and Lemolo Lake. If you're getting there, ask locals for directions if unsure and don't trust Google Maps much since they do not take road quality into account when navigating. If you're hitting anything where a regular sedan would not go through with a bit of a challenge - this is not the right road.
Best Little Getaway I've ever had. Only con, not much wood was in there to heat the drafty lean-to. We spent the weekend cuddled and exploring through a snowstorm in November one year. Safe to assume we enjoy this sort of Backcountry romantic seclusion
Otherwise, if you set your expectations straight, you'll enjoy it. On the upside, there's a relatively clean outhouse with toilet paper, a table and a fire ring. Don't forget to bring your high-power mosquito repellent!
Timpanogas Shelter is a US Lodging based in Crescent, Oregon. Timpanogas Shelter is located at NF-398, Crescent, OR 97733, USA.
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