Recreation Residences

Recreation residence in woods

Mt. Hood National Forest is home to 549 privately-owned recreation residence cabins located in the Zigzag Ranger District. The cabin program has a rich past dating back to 1915, and continues today as a unique example of living history on the forest.

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Current Cabin Owners

Project Proposals

Cabin owners must receive written approval from the Forest Service before starting any project that disturbs the soil or that affects the exterior of the cabin, as outlined in their Special Use Term Permit. The first step in the project approval process is to complete and submit a Project Proposal form.

Endangered Species Act – Critical Habitat

Per the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Northwest Forest Plan, the Mt. Hood National Forest is legally mandated to manage our ESA Critical Habitat and riparian reserves in a way that maintains and restores the ecological health of watersheds and aquatic ecosystems within the Forest boundaries. NOAA Fisheries, also known as National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is the regulatory agency that oversees, enforces, and set these regulations.
For recreation residences, this may result in restricting certain activities that could threaten the ecological health of Critical Habitat or riparian reserves, including projects that involve excavation, grading, land filling, construction of a new structure, or construction of an enlarged structure.

All project proposals should be submitted for review during a period called “Open Season,” which lasts from August 15 – November 15 every year.

If you have a complex project (such as a rebuild, addition, or major infrastructure project), it’s advised that you submit it during the Open Season the year before you would like to begin work. Keep in mind that some projects will only be authorized for completion during the “dry season.”
Emergency repairs are an exception and can be submitted year-round – and will be reviewed in the month that they are submitted (with the expectation of a 60-day service standard from request to authorization).
There can be other exceptions to these norms, but it’s best to err on the side of caution and submit a project proposal as early as possible.

Recreation Residence Standards and Guidelines

Tree Issues

Have a downed tree or a potential hazard tree? Please review the following documents for guidance on addressing these situations:

Library for Current Cabin Owners

Prospective Cabin Owners

Five Key Things to Know about Recreation Cabin Ownership and Permits

The Forest can only issue a permit to an individual or married couple. Several people can own a cabin together, but one person must officially be the “permittee.” This is also the person we will need to receive requests from, and who we will communicate with during project work.
Cabins cannot be used for commercial purposes, as retreats for companies, and are very limited in their ability to be “rented” (30-day max, with stipulations).
A cabin can be owned by a trust, but we have very specific policy and examples of trusts that will work.
The permit does not come with rights associated with the land. This is a private structure on public land and the deed must reflect that.
Any project work that disturbs the soil or is on the exterior of the cabin (roof, windows, paint, deck, etc.) must be submitted as a proposal, undergo a review process that can vary in length, and then be approved by the Forest Service in writing and in advance.