Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:36 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout sits on the apex of Garnet Mountain, at an elevation of 8,245 feet. The lookout provides a panoramic view of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Highlights include the Spanish Peaks to the west, the Gallatin Range to the south, the Hyalite Ridge to the east and the Gallatin River Valley to the north. The structure can be accessed by hiking, horseback or mountain bike on the Garnet Mountain Lookout Trail in the summer. The 4.5-mile trail gains 2,800 feet along its path. Motorcycles and ATVs can access the lookout via the Rat Lake Trail from June 16 through December 1. During winter months, guests must plan on skiing, snowmobiling or snowshoeing up to 10 miles. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Keep reading
Recreation
Hikers, mountain bikers and off-road vehicle riders can access the same trail used to get to the lookout. Snowy conditions offer abundant opportunities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Big game hunting for bear, elk or moose is a popular autumn pastime around Garnet Mountain.
Facilities
The lookout can sleep up to four people on provided bunk beds with mattresses. There is a wood stove for heat that can also be utilized for cooking. Other amenities include a table with chairs, basic cookware, dishes and utensils. A vault toilet is located outside the facility. Firewood is provided for the wood stove, and there is a campfire ring outside as well. Water and electricity are not available. Guests must bring their own water supply, as well as garbage bags for packing out trash. Items such as bedding, flashlights or lanterns, dish soap, extra toilet paper and first aid supplies are also not provided.
Natural Features
A fire lookout has existed on Garnet Mountain since 1930. The current structure was built in 1962. The lookout is available for reservation year-round. It is an excellent vantage point for watching sunrises and sunsets, or for gazing at the stars on a clear night. Grizzly bears are extremely common in this area, and gray wolves, mountain lions, deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and the Canada lynx also make their home here. A wide variety of bird species can also be seen.
What the agency tells you
The cabin remains locked; a combination lock code will be included in the reservation confirmation letter/email
Directions and Access: Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout is NOT accessible by vehicles wider that 50 inches. Access is affected by seasonal road closures. (See below and refer to the Motor Vehicle Use Map) From Bozeman, MT: Take US Highway 191 (Huffine Ln.) west to Four Corners, then south towards Big Sky/West Yellowstone for approximately 21 miles to the intersection with Storm Castle Road FS 132 which is on your left (east) and immediately crosses the Gallatin River on a single span concrete bridge. There are three options from this point: 1. Garnet Mountain/ Storm Castle Trailhead (This non-motorized trail is open to pedestrians, horseback riders, bicyclists and skiers): Drive 2 miles on Storm Castle Road FS 132 to the Storm Castle Trailhead. On the south side of the road take Trail 85, which immediately crosses a foot bridge. Stay left and avoid the right turn onto the Riverside Trail. Travel 4 miles and 2,500 vertical ft. on Trail 85 to the Lookout. 2. Rat Lake Trailhead. (This motorized trail is open to ATVs less than 50" wide, motorcycles and snowmobiles): Drive 6.8 miles on Storm Castle Road FS 132 to the intersection with FS Road 3112. Take the right fork onto FS Road 3112 and drive about a mile more to the primitive Rat Lake trailhead (the end of the road). From there travel Trail 416 for 6 miles to Garnet Mountain Lookout. Follow the signs to Garnet Mountain Trail 416 and avoid the Pioneer Lakes Trail 79. 3. Winter Route January 1 through May 15: Storm Castle Road FS 132 is closed to all wheeled motorized vehicles 1/2 mile from US Highway 191. Parking is available at the Storm Castle winter trailhead 1/2 mile from Highway 191 just past the Forest Service Helibase. From the winter parking snowmobiles must follow Option #2 described above. The Lookout is approximately 12 miles via this route from the winter Trailhead. Skiers and snowshoers can follow option #1 for about a 6 mile route to the Lookout. ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION: (Please refer to the Motor Vehicle Use Map) The route to Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout cannot be by accessed by passenger vehicle and is closed to vehicles wider than 50 inches beyond the Rat Lake Trailhead. January 1 throuh May 15 Storm Castle Road FS 132 is closed to all wheeled motorized vehicles Cabin renters must park at the Storm Castle winter trailhead 1/2 mile from Highway 191 between January 1 through May 15. This is a groomed multi-use winter trail. Please obey traffic rules. Ride on the right side of the trail and ride with caution. Snowmobiles and bicycles must purchase a winter trail grooming pass to travel on groomed snowmobile routes. Contact Montana, Fish Wildlife and Parks for details. ALL WINTER USERS: Please read the Gallatin National Forest avalanche advisory: www.mtavalanche.com , or call (406) 587-6981. Refunds will not be issued for weather related issues, including weather related accessibility issues. It is your responsibility to think ahead and plan appropriately.
Water is not available in the cabin, water from local sources must be treated prior to consumption
Everything else this campground posts · 9
Please be aware; this facility is not cleaned between every user visit. Visitors are advised to clean high-touch surfaces upon arrival and prior to departure. Cleaning supplies will not be provided, so it is recommended that guests bring their own. - Hantavirus notice: Guests should be aware that there is a risk of exposure to hantavirus when visiting remote cabins; click here to learn more
Guests must carefully follow the food storage order for Custer Gallatin National Forest; Click here for more information
No garbage service; please bring garbage bags and pack out all trash and belongings. Do not leave food, oil, tea, coffee, or canned items in the cabin.
Firewood is not provided at Garnet Mountain Lookout from June 1st through September 30th. Provided firewood is for indoor use only for indoor heating and cooking. Cabin users will bring or gather firewood for outdoor use. - Burning of Wood Pallets is prohibited. - Campfires must be contained within the fire ring adjacent to the facility; no other campfires are authorized. - Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
Candles are not permitted inside the cabin
Federal regulations prohibit firing a gun or use of any other weapon in or within 150 yards of a developed recreation site, across or on a road or body of water, or in any circumstance whereby any person may be injured or property damaged; violators will be prosecuted
Horses are not allowed within 100 yards of cabin. Hay and feed must be certified weed-free
Pets not recommended; solid pet wastes must be removed within 100 yards of cabin
Click here for more information about Custer Gallatin National Forest
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…basic cookware, dishes and utensils. A vault toilet is located outside the facility. Firewood is…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…are not available. Guests must bring their own water supply, as well as garbage bags for packing out…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River
- Biking
- Fire Lookouts/Cabins Overnight
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Off Road Vehicle Trails
- Wildlife viewing
- Winter sports
Full this Saturdayread 16:36 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
The one site on offer is taken this Saturday. 1 is free on Tue, Oct 20. read 16:36 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:36 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AREA GARNET MOUNTAIN FIRE LOOKOUT | 001 | cabin nonelectric | 5,101 ft | $65 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the phone number
Where it is
Spire Rock CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 1.0 mi
Spire Rock CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 1.1 miSpire Rock Group CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 1.1 mi
Greek Creek CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 3.4 mi
Swan Creek CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 4.2 mi
Moose Creek Flat CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 5.1 miThe weather
the next four days
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Big Sky, MT
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout is in Montana’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Ryan Zinke (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyRyan K. ZinkeU.S. Representative · Montana’s 1st district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationSteve DainesU.S. Senator · Montana
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTim SheehyU.S. Senator · Montana
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Ryan K. Zinke, I’m a constituent in Montana’s 1st district. I tried to camp at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout (Gallatin National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Steve Daines, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout (Gallatin National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Tim Sheehy, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout (Gallatin National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com