All bookings and reservations are managed by rec.gov. You can find the Guard Station’s booking page here. The Guard Station is only available on weekends (Friday - Sunday), and only during the snowy times, December through June. The cost is $200 per night, plus an $8 reservation fee from rec.gov. There is a two night minimum, and reservations open six months in advance. The Guard Station is very popular, and books almost immediately upon opening every year. Cancellations do happen, so keep checking back.

A – The Guard Station can accommodate up to 8 people.

A – No, the cabin is rented to one party at a time. It is only open winter weekends, December through June.

A – The snow door access code is included with the confirmation email that is sent when you booked through recreation.gov.

A – Make sure you’ve entered the correct access code. Sometimes one of the cylinders is off just a bit and the lock doesn’t open. Spin the dials, try again. If you’re still encountering issues, try flipping the lock over and re-entering the access code. Push in hard and pull on the lock. We’ve added a new cover to help prevent the lock from freezing. However, if it does freeze, there may be de-icer near the ladder. If you’re still having issues gaining access, send an email to this email address, which is monitored throughout the day: hello@fotjc.org

A – We follow recreation.gov protocols. Review the ‘Fees and Cancellations’ tab on the Guard Station's rec.gov web page. The FOTJC Refund Policy for requests within the 14-day rec.gov window; refunds will be issued for the following reasons only: road closure preventing any access to the Tilly Jane Snow Park (there are multiple roads leading to the parking area, check ODOT for all options), government shutdown, forest closure, emergency cabin closures. Beyond these, no refunds will be issued.

A – All reservations are managed through recreation.gov, where you made your reservation. Review the ‘Fees and Cancellations’ tab for more information.

A – Yes, you’ll need to hike, snowshoe or ski 3 miles, with an elevation gain of 1900 feet. This route follows the historic Tilly Jane ski trail from Tilly Jane Sno-park. Alternately, you can follow the 9 mile Cloud Cap Road, however this is not well marked or maintained in the winter, and people have gotten lost.

A – Not during the rental season. The Cloud Cap Road is closed and gated during the winter months. The Forest Service typically closes the road mid-October and re-opens it when the snow has completely melted, typically by early/mid-July. Please check with the Hood River Ranger Station for up-to-date information: (541) 352-6002

A – Yes, an Oregon Sno-park permit is required at Tilly Jane Sno-park between Nov. 1st and Apr. 30th. Find a retailer or purchase a permit at Oregon DMV.

A – For their own safety, dogs are NOT ALLOWED in the cabin. Rodents can be a big problem at the cabin, and rodent control measures, including poison, are used throughout. In addition, in the winter, renters harvest snow and melt for water consumption, please keep your dogs away from the cabin for this reason.

A – Yes, the cabin maintains a full kitchen, including all necessary cutlery, plates, cups, bowls, cutting boards, pots and pans. There is a 4-burner propane cooktop and oven. See the check-in and check-out procedures for detailed instructions on how to turn the gas supply on and off.

A – Yes, dish soap, bleach, hand sanitizer, cleaning sponges, towels and paper towels are provided. Three wash basins are also provided for dishwashing. Please clean everything you used during your stay before leaving, and leave the cabin in a better condition than you found it. We also ask that you put away all dishes before you leave. We do not provide napkins or paper plates. We do try to stock aluminum foil, but you might want to bring your own if you’ll be needing it.

A – Either melt snow or obtain water from Tilly Jane Creek (you may be required to dig an access hole). Water is not available at TJ campground. There are several 5-gallon buckets with lids available in the cabin specifically for hauling drinking water from the creek. There are several large pots for melting snow on the propane burner. We recommend all water be treated before drinking.

A – There is no electricity, but the cabin is equipped with propane gas lights. Please do not leave the lights on when leaving for any reason. Fire is a huge concern. Don’t be that person!  Extra mantels are in the cabinet in the living room. If the lights are not working, make sure you give the propane time to flow, as there can be a delay in the cold of winter.

A – Yes, the pit toilet is located at the back of the wood room. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper are provided.  Do not dump menstrual products, wipes, garbage or anything else into the toilet. These can’t be pumped out.

A – No. Please remove all garbage generated from your stay. If you packed it in, pack it out! You can help us out by removing any leftover items you might find.

A – Bring lots of warm clothing. There is a large fireplace in the living room. Also, a woodstove is available in the kitchen for melting snow, and for heat. Instructions are located next to the stove. Please be conscious of the amount of wood you burn. The cabin holds over 5 cords, which should be enough to last the entire winter. Newspaper for fire starting is provided in the bottom cabinet in the wood room. We provide matches, but we recommend you bring extras.

A – Yes, over 5 cords of wood are stacked in the wood room. Once the wood is exhausted, it’s gone. Please be respectful of those that follow you; burn only what you need. Don’t overfill the stove or fireplace, and follow the woodstove instructions. And please join us by volunteering for the annual wood haul!

A – Please refer to the check in procedures to make sure all stove pilots are lit. After opening the main propane valve, light the stove and oven pilot lights. The large single burner has no pilot. Make sure all lanterns are set to the off position.

A – There is a 2nd story sleeping loft. Foam sleeping pads are provided, or you may want to bring your own, or a ground cloth to cover the pads and floor. We recommend a 20-degree sleeping bag at the minimum. Bring extra clothes if you run cold. Earplugs are also highly encouraged! Please properly re-store all pads before you depart to help with possible rodent destruction.

A – There are multiple hiking and snowshoeing trails in the area of the cabin. During the winter months they will be snow covered, so route finding is required. A Mt. Hood Wilderness map should be available at the cabin. We recommend you bring your own map for on-trail reference. Major landmarks include Polallie Ridge, The Stone Hut, Eliot Glacier and Cloud Cap Inn.

A – Do not use the roof as a sledding hill. Cedar shakes are extremely expensive. There’s a great hill behind the cabin, or near the Cloud Cap Inn and campground.

A – Unfortunately, there isn’t a telemetry station nearby. We recommend some of the following: NOAA point forecast, Temira’s Mt. Hood forecast, snow-forecast.com, NW Avalanche Center’s forecast, and Oregon DOT TripCheck. These are just a few different sources.  The best tool you can use is your brain.  Make smart decisions!

A – The cabin was built by the CCC between 1931 and 1934, and served as the local Forest Service guard station for the surrounding area. The Oregon Nordic Club managed the cabin for over 20 years, and the cabin is now managed by the all-volunteer non-profit Friends of Tilly Jane Cabins. While the cabin itself isn’t on the National Register of Historic Places, it is included within the Cloud Cap-Tilly Jane National Historic District. The nominating materials are in the “library” at the cabin. This is a good historical source.

A – Tilly Jane was the nickname of Caroline Augusta Elliott Ladd of Portland. She loved the area so much, they named it after her! She was married to famous Portlander William Ladd.

A – The burn area on the approach trail resulted from the Gnarl Ridge fire, which was started by lightning on 8/7/2008. The fire raged for several months before fall rains reduced the potential for the fire to spread, and ultimately the long winter extinguished it. Fortunately, this fire didn’t quite reach the Guard Station area. While no one wants to see fire ravage our wilderness areas, they can be a natural process, and there are a few benefits we can enjoy. These fires have opened new areas to great skiing. More recently, the area around the Guard Station and campground is suffering from a tree root rot disease. We’re told it will get worse before it gets better.

A – No, the wood is for heating the cabin.

A – First, please treat the cabin with the respect it deserves. It’s old and needs all the help it can get. We always need volunteer help with projects. We hold two work parties per year; one in July and one in October. Please come to one of these events, show your support and help keep the cabin open! If you’d like to be added to the email distribution list, please send a note to: hello@fotjc.org.  You’ll receive 3 or 4 emails per year, including the annual cabin newsletter.  Please use this email if you have any other questions not covered here.

A – The main cabin maintenance weekend serves to prepare the cabin for winter usage and occurs the 1st Saturday of every October.