Racetrack Cabin
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- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 28 of the next 30 nights read 16:27 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 8 notices
In the agency’s own words
Racetrack Cabin is a rustic one room log cabin located along Racetrack Creek in the Flint Range of western Montana, near the Continental Divide. The cabin is remotely located and was built to house miners in the 1930s. It was later donated to the Forest Service and refurbished for use by the public. Guests will be in for a true remote cabin experience with plenty of opportunities for exploration and no distractions from cellular or internet service. There are several motorized and non-motorized trails in the area that lead to scenic lake basins and sweeping views of the surrounding area. Keep reading
Some of the lakes and streams in the area offer excellent fishing. Access to the cabin requires a vehicle with high clearance in the summer months and over the snow travel in the winter months. This is an extremely primitive forest road , be prepared to deal with ruts, downed trees and washouts. Road is impassible to wheeled vehicles in winter. Guests need to plan for cross-country skiing or snowmobiling 6-8 miles one-way to reach the cabin during during winter months. It is recommended that guests obtain a map and call the Pintler Ranger Station if unfamiliar with the area.
Recreation
The area offers many opportunities for exploration, relaxation, and enjoying the natural environment. Trout fishing is popular in the nearby creek, and the mountain lakes in the vicinity. Access to the lakes requires hiking, biking, or riding an OHV. Hunting is also popular in areas around the cabin. Some trails are not open to all OHVs, and the travel map should be checked prior to arrival. The Pozega lakes trailhead is 1/2 mile beyond the cabin, and it is about 3 miles to the lakes. It is readily accessible by foot, and with advanced ability by motorcycle and ATV. It is a 50 inch or less OHV trail and not open or advisable for larger OHVs. Visitors also enjoy cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in the area during the winter. Various weather conditions can increase avalanche danger in the area and visitors are encouraged to carry proper backcountry equipment, including a beacon, shovel and probe, while recreating.
Facilities
The primitive, one-room cabin is equipped with two sets of bunk beds and can sleep up to four people. It has a table and chairs, 2 burner propane stove (BYO propane bottles), Battery powered lantern (4 Ds), utensils, 4 plates, 4 bowls, pots, pans, cast iron, french press, can opener, grater, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, cutting board, kitchen knives, spatula, spoons, wash basins, drying rack, sponges, rags, and a 5 gallon water jug. Paper towels, toilet paper, matches, newspaper, hand sanitizer, and garbage bags are stocked fairly often but are not guaranteed. There is a wood stove for heat. Firewood is usually provided but cannot be guaranteed. A splitting maul and hatchet are available in the wood shed. Please do not split wood in the cabin and only use provided wood to heat the cabin. Gather wood from the forest for outside fires in order to ensure there is enough cured wood for the next visitor. Bleach, Dish Soap, Murphy's wood oil, Pine Sol, a mop, broom and bucket are provided. Cupboard space is available within the cabin, as well as a storage box for food. An outhouse with is provided outside of the cabin. There is no electricity, water or sewer at the cabin. Guests need to bring water for cooking, cleaning and drinking or collect and treat water from the nearby creek. Other items to bring include propane bottles (1 lb coleman style), D batteries, bedding, sleeping pads, pillows, towels, map, and other desired equipment. Cell phone service is nonexistent in the area, even with a cell booster. Guests must pack out all trash and food, and clean the cabin before leaving.
Natural Features
The cabin is situated next to Racetrack Creek on the east side of the Flint Creek Range at an elevation of about 6,300 feet in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The surrounding area is densely forested with steep canyon walls and sweeping view from the ridge tops. There are abundant lakes beyond the cabin, and they can be accessed by UTV/ATV, motorcycle, bike, or foot. The area is popular for hunting deer, elk and blue grouse, and dozens of alpine lakes provide good fishing. Bears may also frequent the area (grizzly and black bears) ( learn more about bear safety ).
Nearby Attractions
Two interesting sites are located in or near Deer Lodge, Montana, which is about an hour away. One is the Grant-Kohrs Ranch, a working cattle ranch operated by the National Park Service just outside of Deer Lodge. The Old Montana Territorial Prison in Deer Lodge was built by convict labor in 1871 and once housed a member of Butch Cassidy's "Wild Bunch". Both are nationally recognized historic sites.
Charges & Cancellations
Reservations are nonrefundable unless extenuating circumstances warrant otherwise. Determination will be made on a case by case basis.
What the agency tells you
For questions and concerns, please call the Pintler Ranger District at (406) 859-3211, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cabin remains locked; a confirmation email containing the lock combination will be sent after booking, please check the email for the combo. Feel free to call the ranger station to confirm the code prior to your booking.
Water is not available at this cabin. It is recommended you bring your own supply or a way to purify water from the creek.
This facility is located in a remote location. Vehicle access cannot be guaranteed at any time due to ever-changing weather and road conditions. The last 4 miles of the road to the cabin are narrow and rutted with protruding rocks. High clearance 4X4 vehicles are necessary for this section. Drivers must be comfortabe with rouegh steep pitches and slow driving. Due to a large number of beetle killed lodgepole pine in the area, guests are advised to bring a saw to clear fallen trees.
Everything else this campground posts · 5
Be Bear Aware; for more information about recreating in bear country, please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sierra/home/?cid=stelprdb5324172.
Hantavirus; guests should be aware of the risk of exposure to Hantavirus while staying in the cabin. Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/hps/transmission.html for more information about Hantavirus.
All food and garbage must be packed out.
A map may be helpful for locating this facility. Visit the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/bdnf for more information. Maps are available at each District Ranger Office.
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
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…or sewer at the cabin. Guests need to bring water for cooking, cleaning and drinking or collect and…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Creek
- Biking
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Wildlife viewing
- Winter sports
- Cell signal · Cell signal · Forest Service says
- None
Full this Saturdayread 16:27 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBookedClosed
The one site on offer is taken this Saturday. 1 is free on Tue, Oct 20. read 16:27 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 · 15
What you actually pay
“Reservations are nonrefundable unless extenuating circumstances warrant otherwise. Determination will be made on a case by case basis.” · this campground’s own terms
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 · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 16:27 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 RACETRACK CABIN | 001 | cabin nonelectric | 247 ft | $45 |
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 · the phone number
Where it is
Spring Hill CampgroundDeerlodge National Forest · 11 mi
Doney CabinDeerlodge National Forest · 11 mi
Cable Mountain CampgroundDeerlodge National Forest · 12 mi
Lodgepole Campground (on Georgetown Lake, Montana)Deerlodge National Forest · 13 mi
Flint Creek CampgroundDeerlodge National Forest · 14 miAttention: The road to Racetrack Cabin is impassable to low clearance vehicles. The last 4 miles to the cabin is an extremely rough and rutted road with large rocks protruding from the road surface. High clearance vehicles such as trucks and SUV's can make the crawl up the road but should allow themselves extra time. The road is not plowed to the Forest Boundary in the winter. Guests should be prepared to ski/snowshoe/snowmobile up to 8 miles one way, distance to cabin and parking availbilty fluctuate with snow and road conditions. For additional information about accessing the cabin, please call (406) 859-3211.
From Missoula, travel East on Interstate 90 to the Racetrack exit #195. Turn right (west) onto Galen and drive about 1 mile, then turn Right (North) onto Willow Cr Rd. Turn Left (West) onto Bowman Road, which changes to Modestry Cr Rd. and proceed onto Racetrack Road 169 and continue about 16 miles to the cabin. The Ractrack Campground will be on your left approximately 5 miles before the cabin. Maps may be purchased by calling the Pintler Ranger District.
Vehicle access cannot be guaranteed any time of year due to ever-changing weather or road conditions. In the winter, guests must be prepared to travel up to 14 miles to the cabin on skis or snowmobile from the end of the plowed road.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, MT
Typical weather
Typical October night 31°F, day 57°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 15°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 Julys are colder than the July 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
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Racetrack Cabin 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 Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana
Dear Ryan K. Zinke, I’m a constituent in Montana’s 1st district. I tried to camp at Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Racetrack 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 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Racetrack Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Racetrack 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 Racetrack Cabin (Deerlodge 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 Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana
Dear Steve Daines, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Racetrack 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 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Racetrack Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Racetrack 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 Racetrack Cabin (Deerlodge 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 Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana
Dear Tim Sheehy, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Racetrack Cabin, Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Racetrack 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 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Racetrack Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Racetrack 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 Racetrack Cabin (Deerlodge National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
How we know this · 4
How we know
every fact on this page, and where it came from
“…for exploration and no distractions from cellular or internet service. There are several motorized and…”