Reservations

Make your reservation by calling the office at 541-493-2629

Check in: 4pm
Check out: 11am

QUIET HOURS:10 PM – 6 AM. Please close curtains and blinds and turn off porch lighting to accommodate our dark sky viewers.

50% deposit is required to hold your reservation. Upon receipt of deposit check you will receive an email confirmation of your reservation. Full payment balance due on arrival.

NO SMOKING POLICY in all buildings. Outside – stamp out completely and put in metal containers.

We hope you are enjoying our new website. We are not done yet. The main reasons for the upgrade is to tell you a lot more about MFS and to build a website that is solid enough to support an Online Booking System. It is coming soon and will allow you to book and pay for lodging and programs online. We are working on it but are taking our time to make sure it is rock-solid and secure. In the mean time, you will still need to do it the old fashion way: call us at 541-493-2629.

If you are planning a visit, below are two links that will give you lots of useful information.

If you would like more information, please call the main office at (541) 493-2629 or email us at malheurfieldstation@gmail.com

Review this downloadable sheet of our accomodations and prices. See each unit in full detail below.

Cancellation Policy

CANCELLATION POLICY:  If you need to cancel your reservation you will lose 10% from the deposit money you send in.  Please note the policy dates for % of deposit returned:

• 4 weeks out from date of check in, 100% after 10%
• 3 weeks out from date of check in, 75% after 10%
• 2 weeks out from date of check in,  50% after 10%
• 1 week out from date of check in, 25% after 10%

Less than a week there is no return on your deposit.  Please note, if you arrive and check in, and decide to depart early, there is no return on your deposit.

A fee of 2% per month assessed on all past due accounts.
$25 NSF check charge.

Arrival/ Departure

ARRIVAL:  Check in at the OFFICE and settle up your balance.  If the office is not open when you arrive, please plan to remit asap the next day.  PLEASE VERIFY LODGING ASSIGNMENT BY CHECKING THE BULLETIN BOARD NEXT TO THE ENTRANCE TO MALCOLM HALL.  Occasionally we need to make last minute changes, so do confirm before moving in! Site map is on the bulletin board as well as a scale model map of the station just inside the door, which can be used to locate your assigned dwelling. VISA/Mastercard accepted, personal checks preferred.

RECYCLING boxes are located in each building along with a posted list of recyclable items. It is vital that guests participate in our recycling program (or take them home). Plastic No. 1 & 2, paper, foil / NO GLASS. Your actions reduce garbage, keep disposal costs to a minimum, and makes good ecological sense.

DEPARTURE:  A Few Simple Tasks: We request that you leave your lodgings in the same condition as you found them.  Please read and follow the task list prominently posted.  For groups, good housekeeping will assure the return of your cleaning deposit.  Your contribution to general housekeeping is essential in keeping our costs down and ensuring that our rates are affordable to the widest range of visitors.  Thank you in advance!

PROBLEMS: Please contact the office at 541-493-2629 if you encounter any problems.  We want your stay to be as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible.

HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY! When birding along roads, remember to pull over safely and use your ‘flashers’.  Non birders often drive very fast on our rural roads.

What to Expect

The MALHEUR FIELD STATION (MFS) is located in the northern section of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, surrounded by a unique and diverse landscape of shrub-steppe uplands, wetlands, and mountains. Visitors have opportunities to witness a spectacular array of birds, plants, stunning geological features, and incredibly dark night skies (MFS is kept dark at night).

WEATHER: ELEVATION: 4100 FT.
MARCH – JUNE: Expect rain or snow in April and freezing nights in June. Daytime highs 40 – 65 degrees F in March/April and 60 – 85 degrees F May/June.

JULY - AUGUST: Highs can approach 100 degrees F during late July or August.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER: Weather changeable in September, by mid-October cold spells can be severe. In any season a forty degree temperature difference between day and night is not uncommon.

CLOTHING: The secret to staying comfortable in this region is to have multiple layers of clothing.

WHAT TO BRING

ESSENTIALS

• Clothing suited to season including sunhat and sturdy walk-ing shoes 
• Bed linens/sleeping bag and pillow 
• Towel(s) and toiletries 
• Sunscreen and Insect repellant 
• Canteen/water bottle 
• Flashlight (min. outdoor lighting) 

RECOMMENDED

• Binoculars, telescope, camera and batteries 
• Field ID Books, Writing and Sketching materials 
• Chapstick, anti-itch ointment, hand lotion 
• Specialized cooking equipment (garlic press/condiments) 
• Drinking water: Our water is regulated and tested as a public water supply. We have potable water in each unit. It is refillable in our greasewood room. If you need help, please contact the office. 

BEDDING: Beds range from Twin, Double and Queen. You must bring your own full bedding and bath towels/toiletries.

COOKING FACILITIES: Fully equipped kitchens with all basic kitchenware and appliances (microwave, coffee maker, toaster) are provided in two cooking dorms and all kitchenettes and trailers and houses.

MEALS: The MFS Dining Hall is open seasonally. We offer hot breakfasts, sack lunches and hot dinners. Please inform us if you have special dietary needs and we will try to accommodate. Meal reservations are required prior to arrival.

MFS BOOKSHOP: Our bookshop carries a selection of educational books (children’s, reference, field guides), clothing, gift cards, artwork, sundries and beverages.

EXPLORING: If you choose to leave the paved roads or sidewalks, please use caution due to many foot-hazard (burrows, uneven ground, disused infrastructures).

If you have any questions or changes, please do not hesitate to call or email.  We look forward to welcoming you at MFS!

Kitchenettes/ No Pets Allowed

Our Kitchenettes are named Owl East, Owl West and Pelican. All three units have Central Air and Heat. The Owls have 3 bedrooms each and can sleep six in each unit, with shared living, dining, kitchen and bath. Owl East and West are kept open year around and are available all winter.

Visitors can rent any of our kitchenettes exclusively. Pelican has six bedrooms and sleeps ten with shared living, dining, kitchen and bath. All units are fully furnished with cookware, dishes, silverware, stove, fridge, microwave, coffee pot and are centrally located near each other and Greasewood our Recreation/Social Hall as well as Malcolm Hall.

Kitchenettes are available for individuals or small groups. Private bedrooms with shared living room, kitchen (fully equipped), and bathroom. These units have A/C and are comfortable and popular.

Pelican - Mini Dorm Pelican features 5 beds, 2 bathrooms

Dorms

We have 3 Dorms available for lodging groups of 10 or more. ‘E’ Dorm has 10 rooms and sleeps 22, and has a full kitchen set up. ‘A’ Dorm has two large rooms on each wing and sleeps 36 total and has a full kitchen set up. ‘F’ Dorm has two large rooms on each wing and sleeps 36 total and does not have cooking facilities.

Dormitory lodging is available to groups only. They come with or without full kitchen facilities.

Mobile Homes

We have 3 different types of mobile homes available – single wide 2 bedroom, large 2 bedroom and three bedroom. All but one are only available seasonally. We do keep Stilt a single wide 2 bedroom heated and available all winter.

Pet policy: $5 per night per dog
+ $25 non-refundable cleaning deposit
Pets are allowed but not on the furniture please. All pets must be declared and leased. Please pick up after your pet.

RV Parking & Hook-ups

We have 5 newly wired hook-ups and 2 dry camps available. The hook-ups sometimes book up fast so please be sure to make reservations.

RV dry & Full Hookups must be self contained.  No cooking and bathroom facilities.

Pet policy: $5 per night per dog
+ $25 non-refundable cleaning deposit
All pets must be declared and leashed. Please pick up after your pet.

Houses

Middle House is a 3 bedroom home, (Queen/ Queen/ Twin-Twin) with an extra sun room attached in the rear.  The rear view is up against North Coyote Butte, often you can see the weasels, or badgers rooting around. The front has a deck up against a very large Russian Olive.  Many critters come to water at the slow drip water hole at the base of the tree.  This house has a window unit A/C in the living room. Pets allowed in Middle House.

Pet policy: $5 per night per dog
+ $25 non-refundable cleaning deposit
Pets are allowed but not on the furniture please. All pets must be declared and leased. Please pick up after your pet.

West House  is a 3 bedroom home, (Queen/ Queen/ Twin-Twin) with an extra sun room attached in the rear.  The rear view is up against North Coyote Butte, often you can see the weasels, or badgers rooting around. No pets allowed in West House.

Dining Hall

Our kitchen/dining hall will be open through May and also during Programs.

We offer hot breakfast, sack lunches and hot dinners. 
We can accommodate regular and vegetarian diets only.
We need at least two weeks' notice if you will be taking meals with us.

Breakfast is served at 7am
For programs, lunch table is laid out during breakfast where you pack your own lunch to take in the field.
Dinner is served at 6pm

Call the office at 541-493-2629 for more information.

Children 4 and under eat for free