Ibex Cabin
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- 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 · 21 notices
In the agency’s own words
Ibex Cabin was constructed in 1939 as a shelter for Forest Service rangers working within the Shields Ranger District of the Gallatin National Forest of south-central Montana. It is available for summer and winter recreational use, and provides a peaceful, remote mountain retreat. Guests can drive to the cabin from June until the snow flies. The cabin is closed April and May due to road and wildlife protection. High clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are strongly recommended. The access road to the cabin may get muddy in the rain, so guests may want to call ahead for road conditions. Keep reading
In the winter, the cabin is only accessible by a 5.5-mile ski, snowshoe or snowmobile trip. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. This cabin offers very rustic accommodations with limited amenities, so guests should be prepared to bring most of their own supplies and gear to make their stay an enjoyable experience.
Recreation
There are a number of trails in the area for hikers, equestrians and snowmobilers. Tresspass Trail and Cottonwood Lake Trail are good trails in the area to explore. Trails in the area may cross private property,so guests MUST stay on the trail. Winter recreation includes snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Big game hunting is also a popular activity in this area.
Facilities
The cabin has bunk beds with mattresses to accommodate up to four people. Other amenities include a wood stove for heat, a propane lantern , a propane cookstove, ( bring propane cannisters), table, chairs, axe, splitting maul, bucket, broom, mop and shovel. An outhouse with vault toilet is located outside. FIREWOOD IS NOT AVAILABLE FROM JUNE 1ST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH. PLEASE BRING FIREWOOD OR GATHER FROM FOREST DURING SUMMER. DO NOT BURN PROVIDED FIREWOOD FOR OUTDOOR FIRES, EVER, AS IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE. Firewood is available during winter months as long as supplies last. A campfire ring is located outside, (collect wood in forest nearby or bring firewood for outside fires). Electricity and water are not available. Guests must bring their own water supply, as well as cooking gear, propane canisters for the lantern and stove, bedding, matches, newspaper, first aid kit, dishes and utensils, toilet paper and other necessities. The cabin will need to be cleaned and all trash carried out, prior to leaving.
Natural Features
The rustic cabin is nestled at the edge of a meadow in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains, at an elevation of 6,600 feet. A forest of Lodgepole pine grows behind the cabin, and views from the front reveal the 7,354-foot peak of Ibex Mountain. The surrounding meadow bursts with color from wildflowers in the summer. Mule deer, porcupine and elk may be spotted around the cabin. Several bird species that inhabit this area include bald eagles, owls, jays, western meadowlarks and mountain bluebirds.
What the agency tells you
5 night maximum stay limit
The cabin remains locked; guests must CHECK their confirmation letter for the cabin combination. When operating the combination locks, line up the numbers and squeeze the handle and base together. The lock will pop open
ARRIVAL ON 1st DAY OF RESERVATION 2:00 p.m. DEPARTURE ON THE LAST DAY OF YOUR RESERVATION 12:00 p.m.
Everything else this campground posts · 18
Maximum group size for using facility and adjacent area is 15 people
Water is not available in the cabin; water obtained from nearby natural water sources should be treated prior to use to prevent Giardia
A high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended to access the cabin
Cell phone coverage is either limited or not available in this area
Guests must carefully follow the food storage order for Gallatin National Forest (Click here for more information)
No garbage service; please bring garbage bags and pack out all trash and personal belongings
No liquid fueled (white gas) stoves or lanterns allowed in the cabin or on the porch
No facilities for horses; bring electric fencing to pasture in meadow and please do not pasture them within cabin fence. Disperse horse manure when leaving and leave area clean.
Horses can be used on nearby trails; when tying horses to trailers, please clean areas before leaving
Hay and feed brought to the site for stock must be certified weed-free. Out of state horses must have current Coggins test.
Within the Yellowstone Ranger District, refunds for weather or accessibility issues on the day of arrival or later will not be considered. Refunds will also not be considered for conditions resulting from poor housekeeping by previous visitors.
Please collect your own firewood for campfires
The primary occupant is responsible to ensure all members of their party abide by USFS regulations
Firing a gun or use of any other weapon is not allowed with 150 yards of the cabin
Guests should be aware that there is a risk of exposure to Hantavirus when visiting remote cabins; click here for more information
Click here for more information about Gallatin National Forest
Please call the Livingston office of the Yellowstone Ranger District at (406) 222-1892, during business hours: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. MST, Monday through Friday, for current weather conditions/alerts, information and questions about the cabin.
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.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…broom, mop and shovel. An outhouse with vault toilet is located outside. FIREWOOD IS NOT AVAILABLE FROM…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…and water are not available. Guests must bring their own water supply, as well as cooking gear, propane canisters…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Meadow
- Hiking
- Hunting
- 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 Friday and Saturday. 1 is free on Mon, Oct 19. 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 · 16
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 IBEX CABIN | 001 | cabin nonelectric | 1,342 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 agency’s directions
Where it is
Porcupine CabinGallatin National Forest · 7.7 mi
Halfmoon CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 10 mi
Crandall Creek CabinGallatin National Forest · 13 miBattle Ridge CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 23 mi
Battle Ridge CabinGallatin National Forest · 24 mi
Fairy Lake CampgroundGallatin National Forest · 26 miFrom Livingston, travel north on U.S. Highway 89 just past Clyde Park. Turn right onto Cottonwood Bench Road and continue 3 miles. Turn right onto Cottonwood Road and proceed for about 7 miles, to the intersection of Upper Cottonwood Creek Road and Lower Cottonwood Road. Turn left on Upper Cottonwood Creek Road. Take the next right, continuing on Upper Cottonwood Creek Road. Continue approximately 4.5 miles to an intersection and bear left onto Ibex Road, following the signs for the next 2.5 miles to the cabin. (High clearance four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended due to the rough road conditions).
In the winter, either park along the county road or in the private winter parking area at the intersection of Briggs Lane and Upper Cottonwood Creek Road. This parking lot is maintained by our Forest Service partners, the Big Sky Snow Riders. Please contact them for permission/access to use the parking area, at 406-220-1356.
Please remember to allow for others to turn around and for the county snowplow to be able to operate. Do not block roadways or driveways.
Both parking opportunities are approximately 9 miles from U.S. Highway 89. Ski, snowshoe or snowmobile the remaining 5.5 miles to the cabin.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Wilsall, MT
Typical weather
Typical October night 29°F, day 54°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 13°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
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
Ibex Cabin is in Montana’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Troy Downing (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 moneyTroy DowningU.S. Representative · Montana’s 2nd 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 Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Troy Downing, I’m a constituent in Montana’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Ibex Cabin 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 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ibex Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ibex Cabin. 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 Ibex Cabin (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 Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Steve Daines, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Ibex Cabin 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 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ibex Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ibex Cabin. 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 Ibex Cabin (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 Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Dear Tim Sheehy, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Ibex Cabin, Gallatin National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Ibex Cabin 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 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ibex Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ibex Cabin. 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 Ibex Cabin (Gallatin National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com