A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Crescent Lake Guard Station

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Deschutes National Forest, Klamath County, Oregon. 4,901 feet. 27.4 miles from La Pine.

Managed by
Forest Service Deschutes National Forest
Elevation
4,901 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
1 1 cabin electric
Longest rig
22 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

The Crescent Lake Guard Station, built in the early 1930s, is a one bedroom, one bath cabin on the eastern shore of Crescent Lake, managed by the Crescent Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest.

Recreation

A boat launch is nearby, and Crescent Lake Resort is within walking distance and offers a number of services including food, fishing supplies and boat rentals.

Facilities

The Guard Station is approximately 670 square feet with a full kitchen, a furnished living room that includes a couch (folds out to full bed), an original buffet, a desk and a newly installed gas wood stove's heater. The kitchen includes a fridge, stove and sink. The bedroom has a full bed, and the restroom has a claw foot tub, a toilet and a pedestal sink. Outside amenities include a picnic table, a fire grill and a horseshoe pit.

Natural Features

Crescent Lake is in the Deschutes National Forest in a naturally glaciated basin behind a moraine dam and lays just east of the summit of the Cascade Mountain Range in northern Klamath County. It is a popular recreation lake in a setting of wooded shorelines, sandy beaches and brilliant blue-green water. The Guard Station sits atop a small hill overlooking Crescent Lake in an open ponderosa stand.

Nearby Attractions

This area is a typical Oregon summer recreation area which features Crescent Lake, Odell Lake, Waldo Lake and Gold Lake. The Diamond Peak Wilderness trail can be accessed nearby. Also nearby: beach, boat launch, resort, lodging, restaurants, boat rentals.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping

The land around Crescent Lake Guard Station

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.